What you need to start

Native hosting is currently limited to explicitly enabled accounts. Live purchases are not open yet.

There are two ways to build with Userland, and both reach your saved apps. Pick the one that fits how you work today, then check which capabilities your connection supports.

With a connected assistant

Connect Userland once. Describe what you need. Your assistant discovers the available tools, builds the app, and uses Userland to run it when hosting is enabled.

What you need:

• An assistant that supports Userland’s connector. Follow the setup guide and check the tools your connection exposes.
• A Userland account. If you don’t have one, you create it when you connect. There’s no password.

How to start:

1. Connect Userland to your assistant.
2. Approve it when Userland asks, in your browser.
3. Paste the chat starter prompt into a new chat, and describe what you need.

With a coding agent and the command-line tool

Use this route when you want local project files or your coding agent works through the CLI. If your agent already has Userland tools connected, it can build and publish through that connection without installing the CLI.

What you need:

• A coding agent that can run commands. It needs access to Node.js, npm, and Userland’s API.
• Node.js 22 or newer on the computer where your agent works. Your agent can check for it and install it.
• An email address. You sign up when your agent signs in, by approving a link in your browser. There’s no password.

How to start:

1. Open your coding agent in a new, empty folder.
2. Copy the starter prompt, paste it into your agent, and fill in what you need in your own words.
3. Let your agent install the Userland tool. It checks for Node.js and installs the Userland command-line tool for you.
4. Approve the sign-in. Your agent gives you a link. Open it in your browser and approve. If you don’t have a Userland account yet, this creates one.
5. Review the result. Your agent builds and checks the app, then gives you its working link or explains any dependency that prevents hosting or publication.

Which should I choose?

• Choose a connected assistant to work through a conversation without managing local project files.
• Choose a coding agent if you already use one, or you want your app’s files in a folder you keep.

Whichever you choose, you can switch later. See what each plan includes.

If you get stuck

• “Node is too old” or “node: command not found”. Ask your agent to install the current LTS version of Node.js from nodejs.org, then try again.
• The install fails with a permission error (EACCES). Ask your agent to run the Userland tool with npx instead of installing it. It works the same way.
• Your agent can’t download anything. Some agents run in a sandbox that blocks the internet. Allow downloads from npm and from userland.fun for this project, or run the agent on your computer.
• Your AI says the app is stored but not live. Ask your agent to inspect the reported blocker. Hosting availability, funding, a required credential or a failed check may prevent deployment. If a secret is needed, use the protected entry page rather than pasting it into chat.

Still stuck? Use the help link in your Userland console, or email support@userland.fun.