# Quickstart

> Go from an idea to a live app in a few minutes. Describe it, watch it build, preview it, publish it.

This guide takes you from an idea to a live app in a few minutes. You do not need to install anything.

## Step 1: Describe your idea

Start on your [dashboard](/dashboard) and type what you want to build in the prompt. You can also attach files, images, or links to a design as reference. Be specific about what the app is for and who uses it. For example:

> Build a booking app for a hair salon where clients pick a stylist, choose a time, and get a confirmation email.

The more you say about the outcome you want, the closer the first build lands. You can always refine it afterward.

## Step 2: Watch it build

Vaulter drops you straight into the build workspace and starts working. You can follow along in two live cards:

- A **planning card** that walks through the early phases: understanding your idea, designing the look and feel, planning the features, and formulating the build plan.
- A **build checklist** that lists every file being written, with live progress on each, then finishes by saving your workspace, compiling the preview, and launching it.

A first build typically takes about 3 to 5 minutes. When it finishes you have a working app in the preview, not a mockup. You can click around in it right away.

## Step 3: Refine it in chat

The workspace has a chat next to the live preview. Ask for changes in plain language and watch them happen:

- "Make the header dark blue."
- "Add a page that lists all bookings for the week."
- "Send the client a reminder the day before their appointment."

As the agent works, each step shows up as a small progress pill in the chat: reading files, searching the project, patching files. When it finishes, it tells you what changed and the preview rebuilds automatically. You never need to refresh anything.

You can also attach up to 4 images or documents (8 MB each) to any message, which is the fastest way to show the agent a design to match or a bug to fix.

## Step 4: Preview and test

Use the preview to click through your app the way a real user would. Try the flows end to end: sign up, create something, submit a form. There is a device toggle to check how it looks on mobile, and a page navigator to jump between your app's pages. If something looks off, describe the fix in chat, or click the element directly with [Edit Mode](/docs/building/chat-vs-edit-mode).

## Step 5: Publish

When you are happy, hit **Publish**. Vaulter builds a production version and puts it live at your app's own address on `vaulter.run`. Share the link right away, or put it on your own domain: you can [buy one inside Vaulter](/docs/publish/buy-a-domain) or [connect one you own](/docs/publish/connect-domain).

That is the full loop: describe, refine, preview, publish.

## Where to go next

- Learn your way around the [build workspace](/docs/getting-started/the-build-ide).
- Understand [how the agent works](/docs/building/how-the-agent-works).
- Pick up habits for [getting better results](/docs/building/better-results).