Build your first app

In the IDE

1. Sign in at molecule.dev and start a new project (the free tier includes real sandbox time).
2. Describe the app in plain language — "a booking site for a surf school with classes, instructors, and online payment".
3. Synthase, the built-in AI developer, asks clarifying questions, proposes a plan, then scaffolds the project from real @molecule/* packages.
4. A live preview opens as soon as the app boots — every subsequent change hot-reloads it.
5. Iterate by chatting: add features, restyle screens, change data models. The project stays type-checked and linted as it grows.
6. Press Deploy. The same pipeline the CLI uses builds, ships, and hands you a production URL.

From the command line

The same result, terminal-only — mlcl scaffolds without any account until you deploy:

npx mlcl create my-app --template blog --no-interactive
cd my-app
# put credentials in api/.env and app/.env (local defaults work for Postgres/SQLite)
npm run dev

npx mlcl create can also compose your own stack: pick a project type (api, app, full-stack, static, status-page) and name the packages — the scaffold resolves default providers, transitive companions, and locale bonds for you.

npx mlcl create my-app --type full-stack --framework react \
  --packages @molecule/api-database-postgresql,@molecule/app-auth \
  --no-interactive

What you get

• An Express API with routes, handlers, and database migrations.
• A React app with real screens, auth, and i18n — not a stub.
• Tests and e2e specs that already run, plus CI security workflows.
• .env templates for every secret the app expects.
• An `AGENTS.md` that teaches any AI coding agent the project's conventions.

The full anatomy is on Project structure.

Deploy it

npx mlcl login                      # device-code: browser → Approve
npx mlcl deploy --project <id> --follow

In the IDE this is the Deploy button — it is the same pipeline. Custom domains, logs, and health checks are covered in Deploying your app.