FAQ
Quick answers to the things that come up most, grouped by topic. For status recovery, see Troubleshooting; for definitions, see Glossary.
Castaly basics
Section titled “Castaly basics”What is Castaly?
Section titled “What is Castaly?”Castaly is an AI platform for building products. You describe what you want in Chat, Castaly turns it into a Spec and a Graph, builds working code, and gives you a preview to test before you publish. See What Is Castaly.
Do I need to know how to code?
Section titled “Do I need to know how to code?”No. You work by describing what you want; Castaly writes and maintains the code, the Spec, and the structure. You review and steer in plain language. See How Castaly Works.
How do I start a project?
Section titled “How do I start a project?”From Home, describe an idea or start from a reference — notes, screenshots, or documents — then send it. Castaly creates the Project and its first Spec. See Create a Project.
Projects & inputs
Section titled “Projects & inputs”What files can I upload?
Section titled “What files can I upload?”Images — PNG, JPG / JPEG, WEBP — and files — PDF, Markdown, TXT, HTML — in the Home composer, by typing, pasting, dragging, or the + menu. A file is input, not truth: if it carries a requirement, ask Castaly to fold it into the Spec. See Supported Inputs.
Where do I find my projects?
Section titled “Where do I find my projects?”Open Projects to see all your projects and reopen any of them. See Find Your Projects.
How do I rename a Project?
Section titled “How do I rename a Project?”Open the Project and click its name in the workspace top bar — it becomes an editable field. Type the new name and press Enter (Escape cancels). The change saves immediately.
Can a Project have more than one conversation?
Section titled “Can a Project have more than one conversation?”Yes. A Project can hold several conversations, all belonging to that Project. Use the + button in the Chat toolbar to start one, and History to reopen an earlier thread — double-click it to restore where you left off. See Manage Conversations.
Why does Castaly ask me questions?
Section titled “Why does Castaly ask me questions?”When a request is ambiguous, Castaly asks for the detail it needs before changing the Spec — so the build matches your intent. Answer in Chat and it continues. See Clarify Your Intent.
Can I delete a conversation?
Section titled “Can I delete a conversation?”Not in the current version — conversations can’t be deleted or cleared. Start a new one with the + button when you want a clean thread.
Spec & Graph
Section titled “Spec & Graph”Can I edit the Spec directly?
Section titled “Can I edit the Spec directly?”No — the Spec is read-only. It’s the source of truth Castaly builds from, so you change it through Chat: tell Castaly what to change, and it rewrites the Spec and updates the Graph. See Understand the Project Spec.
What is the Graph?
Section titled “What is the Graph?”The Graph is the visual structure of your product, formed from the Spec as Pages, Feature Groups, and Features. Use it to see how the pieces fit before you build. See Read the Project Graph.
How do I see what Castaly just changed?
Section titled “How do I see what Castaly just changed?”After a Spec update, the Graph marks what changed with New, Updated, and Removed, so you can confirm Castaly understood your request before building. See Understand Recent Changes.
Building & publishing
Section titled “Building & publishing”Why is Build a separate, manual step?
Section titled “Why is Build a separate, manual step?”It’s the gate that keeps an AI build from drifting off-spec. No message edits code on its own — you describe intent, Castaly updates the Spec and Graph, and code only changes after you press Build and accept the plan. See Start a Build.
What’s the difference between Preview and Publish?
Section titled “What’s the difference between Preview and Publish?”Preview is the running build you walk through to check the result — it’s not public. Publish turns a ready preview into a stable public Project Version (a frozen Spec snapshot plus code snapshot) and ships it to your Production URL. See Publish Your Project.
A Build is blocked — what do I do?
Section titled “A Build is blocked — what do I do?”Build blocked means the Spec contradicts itself. Castaly lists each conflict in Chat with suggested options; resolve them in conversation, then press Build again. Blocking happens before any code runs, so nothing half-built is left behind. See Resolve Spec Conflicts.
My Build failed — do I start over?
Section titled “My Build failed — do I start over?”No. Use Retry to run the failed work again, or Continue Build to pick up from where it stopped. You keep your Project and its history. See Resolve Blockers.
My Preview link stopped working.
Section titled “My Preview link stopped working.”A Preview link can time out — the state shows Preview expired, but the build result is intact. Use Resume to restore the same build’s preview; don’t rebuild. See Preview Your Project.
What does Configuration required mean?
Section titled “What does Configuration required mean?”Your Project needs a runtime secret — an API key or token — that hasn’t been added yet. It does not block Building or Preview, but Publish stays blocked until you add the value. Use Set up to jump straight to Runtime Secrets. See Runtime Secrets.
URLs & secrets
Section titled “URLs & secrets”How do I change my Production URL?
Section titled “How do I change my Production URL?”Open Project Workspace → gear icon → Domain setting, then edit the Prefix under Production address. Your Production URL is {prefix}.castaly.site; the prefix is the only editable part — lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens, 3–32 characters, unique. You can change it once every 30 days. See Project URLs.
Can I use my own domain?
Section titled “Can I use my own domain?”Not yet. Castaly hosts your Preview and Production URLs for you; connecting a domain you own and DNS setup aren’t supported in the MVP. See Project URLs.
What is a Runtime Secret?
Section titled “What is a Runtime Secret?”A private value your Project needs at runtime — an API key, token, or webhook secret — to call an external service. Castaly stores it separately from Chat, the Spec, and code. See Runtime Secrets.
Plans, credits & billing
Section titled “Plans, credits & billing”What are Castaly Credits?
Section titled “What are Castaly Credits?”Castaly Credits are the usage units spent on AI work, Builds, and advanced capabilities. How many you use depends on the complexity of the task. See Plans & Usage.
What happens if I run out of credits?
Section titled “What happens if I run out of credits?”Paid AI work, new Builds, and over-quota usage pause until you add a credit pack, upgrade your plan, or your monthly credits renew. Your projects and Specs stay exactly where they are. See Plans & Usage.
Do monthly credits roll over?
Section titled “Do monthly credits roll over?”No. Monthly credits reset every billing cycle and don’t roll over. Extra credits you buy as a credit pack never expire and are used after your monthly credits run out. See Plans & Usage.
How do I change or cancel my plan?
Section titled “How do I change or cancel my plan?”Open Account Settings → Plans & Credits → Manage to reach the billing portal. It shows the details of any plan change, renewal, or cancellation before you confirm. See Plans & Credits.
Account & support
Section titled “Account & support”How do I get support?
Section titled “How do I get support?”Email support@castaly.ai from Account Settings → Contact Us, or ask the community through the Discord card in the sidebar. See Support Policy.
Where are the Terms and policies?
Section titled “Where are the Terms and policies?”Castaly’s Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Acceptable Use Policy are in Account Settings → Terms & Policies, and in the footer of the Castaly website.