> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openfinance.tech/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How Mainframe works > Follow a template from its card in the gallery to a site you own, and see what each button does along the way, from the first preview to the later edits. It takes five steps, and you can stop after any of them. The first two need no account and cost nothing, **Deploy** starts the build, and the last two put the result in your own GitHub and Vercel. The diagram shows the whole path; the sections below take each step in turn. ```mermaid theme={"system"} flowchart LR A[Open the demo] --> B[Read the prompt] B --> C[Deploy] C --> D[Build mode builds it] D --> E[Push to GitHub and deploy to Vercel] E --> F[Keep editing in chat] ``` ## 1. Preview the demo Click a card's picture, or hover it and click **Open demo**. The demo opens full size in a viewer with **New tab**, **Prompt** and **Deploy** buttons. * Website templates show a **Live demo**: the actual page running in the viewer, video and animations included. * Trading templates show **Demo ยท captured**: a screen of the finished app recorded with live data. It is a picture, so nothing in it is connected to an account. ![Demo viewer over the Mainframe gallery showing the Meadowbell hero with the buttons New tab, Prompt and Deploy at the top](https://mintcdn.com/openfinance/-pu5SodoQuhEwuR-/images/mainframe/mainframe-demo-viewer.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-pu5SodoQuhEwuR-\&q=85\&s=ad31de47d8a1a56e85ed301faef1927b) The demo viewer, with New tab, Prompt and Deploy in the header ## 2. Read the prompt Click **Prompt** to read the full brief. The window shows the template's name, its one-line description, the prompt text and its length, with **Copy prompt** and **Deploy** at the bottom. ![Prompt window for HIP-4 Up/Down Edge showing the start of the prompt text, the size 39.1k chars, and the Copy prompt and Deploy buttons](https://mintcdn.com/openfinance/-pu5SodoQuhEwuR-/images/mainframe/mainframe-prompt-window.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-pu5SodoQuhEwuR-\&q=85\&s=cd99c21f0b696b494cb563b6c2be236f) A template's prompt window Reading the prompt is the best way to know what you will get. Most prompts follow the same shape: what to build, the exact layout and copy, where the data comes from, how a key is handled (trading templates), and an **acceptance check**, a list of tests the builder runs before it says the job is done. ## 3. Click Deploy **Deploy** is on the card, in the demo viewer and in the prompt window. Clicking it: 1. Loads the template's prompt and keeps it in your browser tab. 2. Opens Chat. If you are not signed in, you are asked to sign in; the prompt waits and is not lost. 3. Switches Chat to **Build mode**, whatever mode it was in, so the build runs on Build mode's coding model. 4. Sends one message, "Build this exactly as specified:" plus the template's name, with the whole prompt attached. The prompt is used once. If you go back to the gallery and click Deploy again, a new build starts in a new chat. ## 4. Connect GitHub and Vercel Most prompts open with a reminder to connect GitHub and Vercel before the build starts. Use the **Connectors** card at the top of the Mainframe page: **Vercel** deploys your build to your domain, **GitHub** saves the code to your repository. Each **Connect** button opens the provider's sign-in in a popup; once it reports back, the button reads **Connected**. You connect once and every later template can use it. You can also connect from the Build panel or the [Connectors](https://docs.openfinance.tech/product/connectors.md) page. Building and previewing work without them; you need them only to push the code or get a permanent address. ## 5. Watch the build, then ship it From here it is a normal [Build mode](https://docs.openfinance.tech/product/build-mode.md) run: a checklist tracks each stage, and the preview opens beside the chat when the build is done. When you are happy with the preview, ship it with two messages: ```text theme={"system"} Push this app to a new GitHub repo. ``` ```text theme={"system"} Deploy this app to Vercel. ``` You can also use the **Push** and **Deploy** buttons in the preview panel. ## What you end up with Once the app is pushed and deployed, you have three things: * **A repository** in your GitHub account with the full source code. * **A deployed site** on your Vercel account, at an address you control. * **A chat** that remembers the build, so you can keep asking for changes. The copy is yours. Other people who deploy the same template get their own separate copy. ## Edit it afterwards Come back to the same chat and describe the change in plain words. The builder edits the files, rebuilds and shows the new preview; then push and redeploy. ```text theme={"system"} Make the headline smaller on phones and change the accent colour to orange. ``` See [Customize a template](https://docs.openfinance.tech/mainframe/customize.md) for more examples. ## Tips A few habits make builds smoother and safer: * Open the demo before you deploy. It is the fastest check that the template is what you want. * Long prompts cost more AI credits than a short chat. Check your balance first; see [Models and AI credits](https://docs.openfinance.tech/product/models-and-credits.md). * If a run pauses, click **Continue run**. Some trading prompts tell the builder to work in two batches and to continue from the file list instead of starting over. * AI-built software can have bugs. Run through the template's acceptance checks yourself before you rely on a trading tool, and test with small amounts. ## FAQ > [accordion] Do I need an account to look around? > > No. You can browse, open demos, read and copy prompts while signed out. Deploying and connecting GitHub or Vercel ask you to sign in. > [accordion] What if I did not connect GitHub and Vercel first? > > The build still runs and you get a preview. Connect them afterwards, then ask the chat to push and deploy. > [accordion] Can I deploy the same template twice? > > Yes. Each Deploy starts a new build with its own code, so you can keep two versions side by side. > [accordion] Is the demo the same as what I get? > > It is what the prompt is written to produce. Your build is made fresh from the prompt, so small details can differ. Ask for changes until it matches. ## Next > [card] [Customize a template](https://docs.openfinance.tech/mainframe/customize.md) > > Edit the prompt first, or ask for changes after. > [card] [Keys and safety](https://docs.openfinance.tech/mainframe/safety.md) > > Read this before you deploy a trading template. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.