How do I create my first app?

Go to the project creation page and describe your app in plain English. Include who it's for, what problems it solves, and key features. Click 'Build My App' and wait 10-20 minutes while the system generates, tests, and deploys your application.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. Metacloud generates the code automatically from your description. You describe what you want in plain English and get a working, deployed application.

Can I try it without signing up?

Yes. You can create a project as a guest without an account. Your work is saved in your browser session. When you're ready, create an account to keep your projects permanently.

Help & Documentation

🚀 Getting Started

Creating Your First App

1

Go to "New Project"

Click "Build My App" on the homepage, or go to /projects/new. You can start without an account — your work is saved in your browser.

2

Name Your App

Give it a short, descriptive name like "Client Portal" or "Invoice Manager". This becomes part of your app's URL (e.g., client-portal.metacloud.io).

3

Describe What You Want

Write a plain-English description of your app. The more specific you are about features, users, and workflows, the better your app will be. See Writing Great Descriptions below.

4

Wait ~15 Minutes

The system plans your app, generates the code, runs tests, and deploys it. You can watch the progress in real time on the project page.

5

Use Your App

Once deployed, your app is live at your-app-name.metacloud.io. Share the link with your team or customers.

💡 Tip: Use one of the project templates (CRM, Billing, Support, etc.) to get started quickly with a proven structure.

Do I Need an Account?

Not to get started. You can create your first app as a guest — no email, no password required. Your project is saved in your browser session.

Create an account when you want to:

Keep your projects permanently (guest sessions expire)
Access your projects from any device
Create multiple projects
Get email notifications about your app

✍️ Writing Great Descriptions

What Makes a Good Description

Your description is the blueprint for your app. The better you describe it, the better the result. Think about:

Who uses it? — "Sales teams at small agencies" is better than "users"
What do they do? — List the main actions: "track leads, manage contacts, log calls, generate reports"
What data matters? — "Each lead has a name, company, email, status (new/contacted/qualified/won/lost), and notes"
How do teams work? — "Team members share a workspace. Admins can see all deals; reps see only their own"

Example: Good Description

"A client invoice management system for freelance consultants. Users can create clients (name, company, email, hourly rate), log time entries against projects, and generate professional invoices. Each invoice shows line items with hours, rate, and total. Invoices can be marked as draft, sent, paid, or overdue. Dashboard shows outstanding revenue and payment history. Multi-user with workspaces so a consulting firm can share clients."

Example: Too Vague

"An invoicing app" — This is too short. The system will still build something, but it won't know your specific needs.

💡 Tip: Write 3-5 sentences minimum. Include specific data fields, user roles, and workflows. Think about what screens your users would need.

⚙️ The Build Process

What Happens When You Click "Build"

Your app goes through five stages:

Planning — AI analyzes your description and creates a detailed technical plan with database models, routes, and features
Task Generation — The plan is broken into small, testable development tasks
Building — Each task is implemented: database models, routes, templates, CSS, JavaScript
Testing — Automated tests verify everything works correctly
Deployment — Your app goes live at your-name.metacloud.io

The entire process typically takes 10-20 minutes depending on complexity.

💡 Tip: You can watch each step in real time on your project page. The pipeline progress bar shows exactly where things are.

What You Get

Every app built with Metacloud includes:

User authentication — signup, login, logout, password reset
Try-before-signup — visitors can use your app without creating an account first
Multi-user workspaces — team members can join with an invite code
Responsive design — works on desktop, tablet, and mobile
Real database — your data is stored securely, not just a demo
Full source code — you own everything, downloadable anytime
Live URL — deployed and accessible immediately

📱 Your Deployed App

Accessing Your App

After deployment, your app is live at your-app-name.metacloud.io. Share this URL with anyone — they can sign up and start using it immediately.

Managing Your App

From your Metacloud dashboard, you can:

View your app's status and URL
Download the full source code
See build logs and deployment history

Source Code

You own your code. Every app comes with full, readable Python/Flask source code. You can:

Download and run it locally
Modify it yourself (or hire a developer to)
Deploy it on your own server
Use it as a starting point for a larger project

There's no lock-in. If you outgrow Metacloud, take your code and go.

👥 Teams & Workspaces

How Workspaces Work

Every app built with Metacloud has multi-user support built in:

The first user who signs up becomes the workspace admin
Admins get an invite code they can share with team members
Team members join by entering the invite code during signup
All team members share the same data within a workspace

Inviting Team Members

Sign in to your deployed app
Go to your workspace settings
Copy the invite code
Send the code to your team members
They sign up and enter the code to join your workspace

💳 Billing & Pricing

Free Trial

Every new account gets a free 30-day trial. During your trial:

Full access to all features
Build and deploy apps
No credit card required

After Your Trial

After 30 days, apps are billed at $9/month per CPU core per project. Most apps use 1 core, making the typical cost $9/month per app.

💡 Tip: You can download your source code at any time, even after your trial ends. Your code is always yours.

🔧 Troubleshooting

My build seems stuck

Builds typically take 10-20 minutes. If it's been longer than 30 minutes:

Refresh the project page — the status should update
Check if the pipeline shows a specific step that failed
Complex apps with many features may take longer

My app shows an error page

If your deployed app shows an error:

Wait a minute and try again — the app may be restarting
Clear your browser cache and cookies
Try in a private/incognito window

I can't sign in to my Metacloud account

Make sure you're on metacloud.io (not a subdomain like your-app.metacloud.io)
Use the "Forgot Password" link to reset your password
If you started as a guest, you need to create an account first

My app's URL doesn't work

Deployed apps are at your-app-name.metacloud.io. Make sure:

The build completed successfully (check the project page)
You're using the exact URL shown on your project page
The app name doesn't have extra spaces or special characters

Still Need Help?

We're here to help. Reach out through:

Chat: Use the chat widget on any page (bottom-right corner)
Email: [email protected]

We typically respond within a few hours.