# Building an app

> Build and publish your first Draftship app in five steps, then learn your way around the editor.


## 1. Describe your idea

From the dashboard or the home page, describe the app in the prompt box. One or two sentences are enough to start; you can add detail later. Pick a category (Apps, Websites, Internal tools, AI apps) for a nudge in the right direction.

> **Example:** "A booking page for my yoga studio with a weekly class schedule, class details and a sign-up form that saves bookings."

## 2. Watch it being built

Draftship plans the app, then writes it file by file. The chat on the left shows each step as it happens — how long the AI has been thinking, which files it has written, and when the build is checked. On paid plans the **Code** tab opens automatically and you can watch every file being written.

## 3. Let it check itself

Every version is built before you see it. If the build fails, Draftship reads the error and fixes it — up to two repair rounds — without you doing anything.

## 4. Try it

When the chat says **Your app is ready**, the **Preview** tab shows your app running at its real address. Switch between desktop and mobile widths, click through it, and open it in a new tab.

## 5. Refine it

Type changes into the chat box: "make the header sticky", "add a pricing section", "let users delete their own bookings". Only the files that need to change are rewritten, so edits are fast.

## Sharing

Your app is already online. Copy its address from the **Domains** tab. On the Free plan your app also appears in [Explore](/docs/building/using-app-templates), where others can open and clone it.