Use this guide to create a brand-new website. If you accepted an invitation to work on a team's existing site, connect Answer Cloud and start making updates instead. You do not need to launch another site.
Build a starter website by giving your AI coding assistant this prompt:
Follow instructions at https://www.answer.cloud/new to build my website
The launch guide is the authority for the current first-build workflow. Your agent should read it when you start; this quickstart explains what to expect as the website owner.
Before you begin#
Open a coding assistant such as Claude Code or Codex. Your assistant checks whether the current session has the tools it needs to build and publish. If something is missing, let it explain the next step.
Have a short description of your website, your organization or website name, and an email you control. Branding, photographs, page ideas, and examples are useful when available. You do not need to choose a domain or GitHub repository to start.
Build and publish#
- Paste the launch prompt into your agent. Add the website brief and any preferences you already know.
- Let the agent check that it can build and publish before it collects your private account email or reserves a site.
- Answer only the missing questions. Explain what visitors should find or do, and provide factual business information.
- Review progress as the agent builds a starter website and publishes the reserved site.
- Open the returned public URL. Read the important pages and test the primary visitor action.
The initial launch does not require browser sign-in, a credit card, or a plugin installation. If you request only a draft or local preview, say that explicitly; the agent should preserve that request instead of publishing.
What completion looks like#
You should receive the working public URL, an explanation of what was built, the checks actually performed, a Finish account setup continuation link, and the location of the editable Astro source or a downloadable source archive.
Check the site on a narrow mobile screen. Ask chat a meaningful question based on the published content and compare the answer with the source facts. A visible chat launcher alone is not a completed conversation test.
Account setup email is queued after successful production publication and routing. A live website does not prove the email has arrived; use the continuation link provided in the conversation if needed.
Continue the same website#
Keep the existing website and project. Finish account setup, open MCP setup, and connect Answer Cloud to your assistant for ongoing edits. Then tell AI what to change and ask for a preview before publishing.
If publication is interrupted, ask it to resume the existing reservation and saved project rather than create a replacement site. The first-launch troubleshooting guide explains common recovery paths.
Technical details for developers#
The build session needs to create project files, run an Astro build, package files, and upload an artifact. Claude Code and capable Codex environments can provide these tools, but the actual session's permissions determine whether it can publish. Reading the guide cannot add missing capabilities to a chat client.
Retain the editable source or a clean source archive for future design and code changes. An MCP connection provides account tools, not an automatic download of the editable project. The assistant should handle build and packaging work rather than asking the website owner to learn those steps before starting.