The chat-to-publish flow

Coming from another platform? Publishing is the same thing as deploying - what other tools call deploy, deployment, or redeploy, Emergent calls Publish and Re-publish. New to Emergent? The Learn the Basics path walks this end-to-end.

Overview

Emergent transforms natural-language descriptions into published applications through a five-phase workflow. You describe what you want in chat, AI agents write and test the code, you preview the result in real time, iterate until it's right, and then publish to production - all without leaving the platform.

This page walks through the complete arc from your first prompt to a live URL.

The five phases

Each stage, in depth on the Learn the Basics path: Watch your app come alive · Previewing & iterating · Try it before you share it · Put your app live.

Prompt: Describe your app

Start a conversation in the Emergent chat interface (web or mobile). Write what you want to build in plain language:

Simple apps: "A to-do list with tags and due dates"
Data-driven tools: "A CRM that tracks customer interactions and sends email reminders"
Consumer products: "A recipe sharing app where users can save favorites and comment"

The AI agents parse your intent, ask clarifying questions if needed, and generate a technical plan. You don't need to specify frameworks, libraries, or architecture - the platform selects the stack automatically.

Start broad, then refine

You'll have many chances to iterate. Begin with the core idea; worry about styling and edge cases later.

Build: Agents write, test and wire everything

Once you confirm the plan (or the agents infer enough confidence), code generation begins:

Backend services (API routes, database schemas, authentication) are scaffolded and connected.
Frontend UI (React components, navigation, forms) is generated with responsive design patterns.
Integrations (email, payment APIs, third-party SDKs) are wired in when requested.
Tests run automatically to catch regressions before you see the preview.

The build typically completes in seconds to a few minutes, depending on app complexity. You'll see live progress in the chat and a status indicator in the workspace.

Preview: Interact with the running app

As soon as the build succeeds, Emergent spins up a preview environment - a fully functional instance of your app at a temporary URL. You can:

Click through every screen and flow.
Create test accounts, submit forms, trigger workflows.
Open the preview on desktop, tablet, or phone to verify responsive behavior.

The preview environment includes live databases, auth, and any third-party integrations you've configured (using sandbox/test keys when appropriate). It's isolated from production, so you can experiment freely.

Info

Preview environments sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity; preview links are session-dependent. You can share the preview URL with teammates or stakeholders for feedback.

Learn more about the separation between preview and published instances.

Iterate: Refine in natural language

Spot a bug? Want a different layout? Return to the chat and describe the change:

"Make the search bar sticky at the top"
"Add a dark mode toggle in settings"
"Fix the email validation - it's rejecting valid addresses"

The AI agents apply the edits incrementally, re-run tests, and refresh the preview. You can iterate as many times as needed. Each change is version-controlled, so you can roll back if something breaks.

Use screenshots and screen recordings

Paste images or link to videos in chat to show exactly what needs fixing. The agents understand visual context.

Publish: Push to production

When you're satisfied with the preview, click Publish in the workspace. Emergent:

Provisions production infrastructure (databases, storage, CDN).
Applies environment-specific configuration (production API keys, domain settings).
Runs health checks to confirm the app is responding correctly.
Publishes the app to a live, autoscaling environment.

Your app is assigned a default

<appname>.emergent.host

URL immediately. You can map a custom domain anytime after published app.

Preview and production are separate

Data, user accounts, and integrations in preview do not carry over to production( except for the very first publish). Plan your production setup (real API keys, payment processors, etc.) before the first publish.

Key concepts to know

Concept	What it means
Workspace	The central hub where you manage builds, previews, and published versions. See a tour of the workspace.
Preview environment	A temporary, fully functional instance for testing. Isolated from production.
Published instance	Your production app, live at a public URL with real users and data.
Universal LLM Key	A single API key that routes to multiple LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.). Optional; custom provider keys are also supported. See the Universal LLM Key.
Emergent Auth	Built-in user authentication (email/password, Google sign-in). No third-party auth service needed. See Emergent Auth.

Browse the full glossary of Emergent terms for more definitions.

Building a mobile app? The chat-to-store flow adds a native build and app-store review on top of this. See Building from your phone and Publishing to the stores.