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Build my first app

This guide takes you from the first sentence to an app online. Plan for about ten minutes, including one to two minutes of building by the agent. Pick a simple idea to start with: a website for a business, a launch page, a small tool. You can change everything afterwards.

1. Describe your idea

Section titled “1. Describe your idea”

  1. Open highwind.app. In the middle of the home page, a large text box is waiting for you: Describe the app you want to build.

  2. Write your idea in a few sentences. Say what it is, who it’s for, and what people should be able to do with it. For example:

    A website for a yoga studio in Lyon, with this week's class schedule,
    a pricing page and a booking form. Soft, bright look.

  3. Short on ideas? Click one of the suggestions under the text box (“A landing page for a meditation app”, “A personal budget dashboard”, “A kanban board to organize a move”, “An Italian restaurant website with bookings”): it’s sent as your request, and you go straight to sign-in. You’ll be able to read it over and adjust it before the build starts.

  4. Send it with Enter or the Build button. To add a line break without sending, use Shift + Enter.

2. Sign in

Section titled “2. Sign in”

You don’t need an account to write your request: you’re asked to sign in when you send it, and your idea is kept in the meantime.

  1. On the Sign in page, enter your email address and click Email me a sign-in link (or use Continue with Google if that button is enabled).

  2. Open the email you receive in the same browser and click the link.

  3. You land on your home page, What are we building today?, with your request already filled in and the message “Your idea is waiting: read it over, tweak it if needed, then start the build.” Read it over, then click Build.

Or start from a template

Section titled “Or start from a template”

Below the text box on your home page, the Start from a template section offers eight complete apps (SaaS launch, portfolio, restaurant, online store…). Click Use this template: the project is created right away, with no credits spent, and you go straight to step 4 to customize it. See Templates.

3. Watch the agent build

Section titled “3. Watch the agent build”

The editor opens. On the left, the chat with the agent; on the right, the preview of your app.

  • During the first seconds, the preview shows the Highwind is building your app screen with the files being written. As soon as the page exists, the app appears and fills in section by section before your eyes.
  • In the chat, each of the agent’s actions shows up as a step: files written or edited, dependencies installed, Checking the project… Steps fold up once the work is done; Show steps opens them again.
  • At the end, the agent checks that the code compiles and that the preview shows without errors, then writes a short summary of what it did. A v1 badge marks the first version, and the number of credits used shows under the reply.
  • Under the reply, suggestions offer two or three next steps: one click is enough to ask for them.

Depending on your request, the agent may also stop to ask you something:

If a few answers really change what it will build (brand name, colors, real prices), it shows a short Questions from the agent form, pre-filled with its guesses. Fix what’s wrong and click Send my answers, or Let the agent decide. See Agent questions.

4. Improve your app by chatting

Section titled “4. Improve your app by chatting”

Type your next request in the Ask for a change… box at the bottom of the chat. One request at a time gives the best results:

Add an "Our teachers" section with three portraits, after the schedule.
The booking form should ask for the class, the day and a phone number.

Each finished request creates a new version (v2, v3…). If you don’t like a result, click the version badge at the top of the editor to go back to a previous version. See Versions.

5. Point at a specific element

Section titled “5. Point at a specific element”

To talk about an element without having to describe it:

  1. Open the + menu of the text box and choose Select an element.

  2. Hover over the preview: elements get highlighted. Click the one you want (Esc to cancel).

  3. The element is attached to your message. Write what should change (“What should change on this element?”) and send.

See Select an element.

6. Touch it up yourself in Design mode

Section titled “6. Touch it up yourself in Design mode”

To change a text, a color or a font, you don’t need the agent: it’s free and instant.

  1. At the top of the left panel, switch from Chat to Design.

  2. In the Element tab, click Pick in the preview, then a heading, a button or an image. Edit its text, colors, size, spacing or corner radius: the preview changes right away.

  3. In the Theme tab, choose a ready-made palette, adjust the site’s colors by role or change the fonts for text and headings: the whole site follows.

  4. Go back to Chat: your edits are saved in a new version.

See Design mode.

7. Publish

Section titled “7. Publish”

  1. Click Publish, at the top right of the editor.

  2. An address is suggested from your project’s name. Keep it or change it: 3 to 40 characters, lowercase letters, digits and hyphens. Your app will be online at your-address.highwind.site.

  3. Click Publish. After a few seconds of building, the menu shows Live with the published version number. Use Copy to share the address or Open to see your app.

  4. Later, after new changes, open the menu again and click Update to publish the latest version.

What’s next?

Section titled “What’s next?”
Writing good requestsExample requests and mistakes to avoid.
Editor tourEvery panel, tab and button explained.
Wire up a serviceEmails, payments, Google Sheets, AI…
Publish and updateAddress, updates, unpublishing.