Anthropic has announced a major expansion of its Claude chatbot platform, enabling users to build, host, and share interactive AI-powered apps directly within the interface. This new feature eliminates the need for external infrastructure, deployment steps, or API key management.
Highlights
- Full In-Platform App Building: Users can now build, host, and share interactive AI-powered apps entirely within the Claude interface—no external servers or APIs required.
- From Chatbot to No-Code Development Tool: The update evolves Claude from a conversational AI into a lightweight, no-code app development platform using natural language prompts.
- Live Code Execution: Apps created inside Claude can now run live within the Artifact window, enabling real-time testing and interaction.
- Pay-As-You-Use Access: App creators are not charged for end-user usage. Instead, each user interacts with apps under their own Claude subscription after authenticating.
- React-Based UI Support: Developers can include and customize React components for richer app interfaces and user control.
- Current Beta Limitations: Apps support only text-based Claude API completions, have no persistent storage, and cannot make external API calls (as of now).
- Natural Language App Creation: Users can build apps like flashcard quizzes, CSV analyzers, or interactive games by typing simple prompts. Claude handles both backend and frontend generation automatically.
- One-Click Publishing: After testing, apps can be shared via unique links. End users authenticate with their own Claude accounts for usage.
- Highlighted Early Use Cases: Community-built apps so far include AI-driven games, adaptive learning tools, CSV data visualizers, writing assistants, and workflow automations.
From Chatbot to No-Code App Platform
The update builds upon Anthropic’s existing Artifact feature, launched in June 2024, which allowed users to collaborate with Claude on code within a sandbox environment.
With this new release, Claude can now not only generate code but also execute it live within the app window, transforming it from a simple chatbot into a lightweight no-code development platform.
Highlights of the New Feature
- In-Platform Hosting: Users can publish their apps on Anthropic’s servers, accessible via shareable links.
- Pay-As-You-Use Model: App creators aren’t charged when others use their apps. Instead, each end user interacts with the app under their own Claude subscription, following authentication.
- Built-In React Support: Apps can include custom user interfaces using React, and users can manually adjust or fine-tune the generated code for more control over behavior and design.
- Artifact Customization: Developers have the option to manually edit Artifacts for advanced customization, tailoring app appearance and functionality to their needs.
Beta Stage Details
Anthropic clarified that the feature is still in beta, with some functional constraints:
- Apps currently support only text-based completions via Claude’s API.
- External API calls are not supported.
- Persistent storage is unavailable, meaning app data is cleared once a session ends.
These limitations suggest the tool is aimed at light, session-based applications for now.
No-Code App Creation Through Natural Language Prompts
One standout feature is natural language-driven app creation. Users can build fully functional tools by simply typing a prompt like:
“Build a flashcard quiz app.”
Claude then automatically generates:
- Backend logic
- A React-based user interface
- Interactive functionality
All within the Artifact workspace, without requiring manual coding skills.
End-to-End Workflow: From Idea to Shareable Link
Anthropic has streamlined the development-to-sharing pipeline:
- Prototype within Artifact
- Test the app live inside the platform
- Publish instantly with a unique link
When others interact with the shared app, they authenticate with their own Claude account, making cost management simple for the app creator.
Early Use Cases
Anthropic highlighted several community-built app examples to demonstrate the platform’s range:
- AI-powered games with memory-driven NPC interactions
- Adaptive tutoring tools tailored to user skill levels
- CSV data analysis apps for real-time insights from uploaded files
- Writing and script assistants for content creation
- Multi-step automation workflows, chaining several Claude API calls
For now, the feature is available to all Claude users, offering an accessible way to prototype, deploy, and share interactive software tools—without writing code or managing servers.
