Start Here: Build Your First Page with AI

This page is for people who are new to Insites and want to build with an AI assistant. You do not need to be a developer. You describe what you want in plain words. The AI writes the code, and Insites CloudShell puts it on your instance. In about 15 minutes you will have your first page live.

What You Need

• An Insites account. Sign up at console.insites.io.
• A staging instance. An instance is where your site lives. A staging instance is for building and testing, and it is free. You create it in Step 1.
• An AI assistant that supports remote MCP servers. For example Claude Code, Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or ChatGPT. MCP is the open standard that lets an AI assistant use outside tools, such as CloudShell.
• The right AI plan. Each AI assistant has its own plans and limits. Check yours before you start.

Five Steps to Your First Page

Step 1: Create Your Account and a Staging Instance

1. Sign up at console.insites.io.
2. Go to Instances and select Create instance.
3. Enter a name. For the environment, choose Build and test. This makes a staging instance, which is free.
4. Finish the wizard and select Create instance.

Write down the instance name. You need it in Step 4.

Note: If someone invited you to their Insites account, accept the invitation. Then ask the account owner for the Developer role or above. You need it to deploy.

Step 2: Install an AI Assistant

Install the AI assistant you want to use and follow its own install steps. If it works with files on your computer, create an empty folder for your project and open the assistant in that folder.

Step 3: Connect CloudShell

CloudShell is how your AI talks to your instance. You connect it once. After that it works in every conversation.

In your AI assistant, find the setting to add a remote MCP server or a custom connector. Enter this address:

https://cloudshell.insites.io/mcp

In Claude Code, run this command in your terminal instead:

claude mcp add --transport http insites-cloudshell https://cloudshell.insites.io/mcp

Then type /mcp, choose insites-cloudshell, and select Authenticate.

A browser window opens. Sign in with the same Insites account you use for the Console. There are no passwords or keys to copy into any settings file.

Step 4: Paste the Master Prompt

Copy the prompt below into your AI assistant. Change MY-INSTANCE-NAME to the name of your staging instance. This one prompt tells your AI how Insites works, which instance to use, what to build, and how to check its work.

You are helping me build my first page on Insites. I am not a developer,
so explain each step in plain words before you do it.

1. Before you write any code, read the Insites Logic Engine at
   https://github.com/insites-io/insites-logic-engine
   Start with skills/insites/SKILL.md and follow its decision trees.
   Then use the reference docs in skills/insites/references/ and the
   rules in logic-engine/rules/. When you are not sure how something
   works on Insites, check the Logic Engine first. Do not guess.

2. Use Insites CloudShell. List my Insites instances and select the
   staging instance called MY-INSTANCE-NAME. Tell me which instance is
   selected before you deploy anything.

3. Build a homepage that uses a layout. The page has a heading, a short
   welcome paragraph and a contact button. Keep the site code in the
   app/ folder.

4. Deploy the files to the selected instance. Then check the deploy
   status and the instance logs for errors. If you find an error, fix it
   and deploy again.

5. When it works, tell me the web address of the page, and list every
   file you created.

Step 5: Approve the Steps and Read the Result

Most AI assistants ask before they use a tool. Read each request and approve it. Your AI will select your instance, write the files, deploy them, and read the logs. When it is done, it tells you the web address and the files it made.

If your AI says a tool was refused, your role on the instance is too low. Deploying needs the Developer role or above.

See Your Page Live

1. Open the web address your AI gave you. You can also find the address of your instance in the Console.
2. A staging address ends in staging-insites.io. Staging is for you and your testers, not for the public.
3. If the page does not look right, tell your AI what you see. For example: The button is missing. Check the logs and fix it.

What to Do Next

• Keep building. Describe the next thing you want, one change at a time. What to Ask Your AI has ready prompts for common jobs.
• Turn on the safety rails. Connect GitHub so every change has a history you can undo. See Safety Rails for AI Builds.
• Learn the words. Your AI will use words such as layout, partial and policy. See Insites in Plain Words.
• When something breaks, see When Your AI Gets Stuck.

Related

• Getting Set Up with AI
• About CloudShell
• Insites Logic Engine
• Staging vs. Production
• Insites in Plain Words
• Pre-Launch Checklist