What you’ll build
A complete, deployable AI-powered application — with a frontend, backend, and AI model integration — that you can publish and share with a link.Before you start
Create a Workshop account
Sign up at app.workshop.ai. Both Workshop Cloud and Workshop Desktop support AI app development.
Enable an AI connector
Your app needs access to an AI model to power its intelligent features. You have two options:
- Managed connectors (recommended)
- Bring your own key (BYOK)
Workshop provides managed Anthropic, OpenAI, and Gemini connectors with no API keys required. One-click setup — usage is billed to your Workshop credits.
- Open the Hub (sidebar)
- Go to the Connectors tab
- Click Anthropic, OpenAI, or Gemini under the managed AI section
- Toggle it on — you’re done
Step-by-step flow
Describe your AI app
Start a new conversation and describe the application. Mention the AI capabilities you want — don’t worry about the implementation details, Workshop handles that.Example prompts:
- “Build an AI writing assistant that lets users paste text and rewrite it in different tones — professional, casual, concise, persuasive. Include a side-by-side comparison view.”
- “Create a document Q&A app where users upload PDFs and ask questions about the content. Use Claude for accurate answers with source citations.”
- “Build a customer support chatbot with an admin panel to manage FAQ entries and a chat interface with conversation history.”
Workshop wires up the AI backend
Workshop generates the full stack: frontend UI, backend API routes, and AI model integration. It uses whichever AI connector you enabled and writes the code to call it correctly — prompt engineering, streaming responses, error handling, and all.
Test and iterate
Use the live preview to test the AI features. Send real inputs and verify the responses make sense. Refine as needed:
- “Make the AI responses stream in word by word instead of appearing all at once.”
- “Add a system prompt field in the admin panel so I can customize the AI’s behavior.”
- “Limit response length to 500 words and add a regenerate button.”
Tips and best practices
Be specific about the AI behavior
Be specific about the AI behavior
Instead of “add AI to my app,” describe exactly what the AI should do: “When a user uploads a CSV, have the AI analyze the data and generate a summary with three key insights and a recommended next step.”
Start with managed connectors
Start with managed connectors
Managed connectors are the fastest way to get started — no API key setup, no billing configuration, no rate limit management. Switch to BYOK later if you need to.
Mention the AI connector in your prompt
Mention the AI connector in your prompt
Reference the specific connector when it matters: “Use the Anthropic connector for the analysis — I want Claude’s reasoning capabilities for this.” Workshop will route to the right model.
Build real apps, not chat wrappers
Build real apps, not chat wrappers
Workshop’s strength is building full applications around AI — with forms, databases, visualizations, and user accounts. Don’t just build a chatbot; build the complete tool your users need.
Test with edge cases
Test with edge cases
Try empty inputs, very long inputs, and adversarial prompts. Ask Workshop to add input validation and error handling: “Add a 10,000 character limit on the input field and show a friendly error if the AI call fails.”
Next steps
- AI connectors reference — Deep dive on managed vs. BYOK connectors
- Publishing — Deploy your app with authentication and custom domains
- Prompting guide — Write better prompts for more reliable results
- Checkpoints — Save working versions before experimenting
Start Building Free
Ship AI apps, not wrappers. Describe your app and go.