Using App Builder

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">App Builder lets you createZendesk appsthat extend Zendesk to fit your unique customer and employee service workflows. Instead of costly developer support, or long waits for new product features, you can quickly build solutions you need to support specialized processes, right when you need them.</p>
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<p class="p" dir="ltr">App Builder lets you create <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408829182234" target="_blank">Zendesk apps</a> that extend Zendesk to fit your unique customer
and employee service workflows. Instead of costly developer support, or long waits for
new product features, you can quickly build solutions you need to support specialized
processes, right when you need them.</p>
<p class="p">App Builder lets you create these apps using natural language processing (NLP) and
generative AI. With NLP, you can provide instructions in plain language, similar to how
you might explain your ideas to a colleague or friend. Generative AI interprets these
prompts and generates the necessary code, UI, and functionality. With generative AI,
building apps is as easy as describing them, eliminating the learning curve associated
with traditional coding.</p>
<p class="p">Here are some key benefits of App Builder:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_bcj_zwz_r2c__ul_rzk_mxz_r2c">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Accelerated prototyping</strong>: Generate functional code from plain language prompts
lets you move quickly from concept to working prototype.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">File upload support:</strong> You can upload up to five files directly into your App
Builder prompts. The following file types are supported: PNG, JPG, TXT, DOCX, PDF,
CSV, or JSON. This allows the AI to "see" your wireframes, requirements, and data
samples to determine the layout, required input fields, UI components, and
functionality logic, helping you build production-ready apps with less manual
back-and-forth.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Real-time visual preview</strong>: Instantly see how your app will look and behave as
you build, making it easy to validate the design and functionality.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Built-in version control</strong>: Every change you make is automatically versioned.
Easily trace changes, restore previous versions, and compare differences.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">End-to-end testing environment</strong>: Test your app with real Zendesk data and API
responses in a safe environment before deploying. Any changes you make during
testing will be reflected in your actual account.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Zendesk-specific AI expertise</strong>: Generate apps using Zendesk frameworks, APIs,
and design best practices, and automatically resolve common Zendesk-specific
issues.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Data integration</strong>: Build apps that connect and work with data from Zendesk,
your company's internal systems, and popular third-party platforms like Google,
Jira, and others.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Work saved and synced everywhere</strong>: Your work stays securely saved and up to
date across sessions, browsers, and devices.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Dark mode support</strong>: App Builder supports both dark and light modes. You can
build and test your app in your preferred theme, and agents will see the app
automatically adapt to match their own interface settings. No additional coding is
required. Apps built prior to December 2025 may require a republish or prompt update
to display properly in dark mode.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Global and localized interface</strong>: App Builder and all its menus, prompts, and
guidance are fully translatable. The interface displays in your chosen language
where translations are available, and automatically supports right-to-left (RTL)
layouts and region-specific formats.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Direct code editing for fast, precise edits:</strong> Use the native code editor to
fine-tune your app's logic, UI, and configuration. This saves time and reduces
prompt usage while maintaining compatibility with visual previews and AI
assistance.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p">Apps created by the App Builder are designed with <a class="xref" href="https://garden.zendesk.com/components?ref=internalnote.com" target="_blank"><u class="ph u">Zendesk Garden</u></a> components as well as <a class="xref" href="https://developer.zendesk.com/api-reference/apps/introduction/" target="_blank">ZAF APIs</a> and <a class="xref" href="https://developer.zendesk.com/api-reference/" target="_blank">REST APIs</a>. </p>
<div class="note" id="topic_bcj_zwz_r2c__note_e3s_m4s_mhc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> App Builder is not available on accounts using the legacy
Support interface.</div>
<div class="p">This is the first article in a series on using App Builder:<ul class="ul" id="topic_bcj_zwz_r2c__ul_clg_lvx_gkc">
<li class="li">Understanding how to use App Builder</li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/11141019633050" target="_blank">Creating, publishing, and managing apps with
App Builder</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/11140982965914" target="_blank">App Builder code structure
reference</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/11140889487386" target="_blank">Troubleshooting App Builder</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p">This article includes the following sections:</p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_bcj_zwz_r2c__ul_jns_lwt_dfc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_wy4_sdj_vfc">App Builder overview (video)</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_kz1_3zs_rgc">Getting started</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_vbq_ldy_gkc">Best practices and limitations</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_etr_cc1_s2c">Limitations</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_uvl_cxx_gkc">Next steps</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_wy4_sdj_vfc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">App Builder overview (video)</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">In addition to the details in this article, this video provides a visual overview of
App Builder to help you get started.</p>
<p class="p"></p>
<div class="non-responsive"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="iframe" controls="controls" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4qiOv_dUKlk?si=MCCKC5fI0P46UIrE" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_kz1_3zs_rgc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Getting started</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">A <strong class="ph b">conversation</strong> is a guided, ongoing exchange in the conversation
pane where you outline your requirements, review suggested solutions, refine your
app, and troubleshoot errors as needed. Conversations serve as your interactive
workspace with App Builder, recording all prompts, responses, and iterations as you
shape your app idea.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">You can have multiple conversations at the same time to explore different
ideas or prototypes. Not every conversation results in a published app. Sometimes
you use a conversation solely for experimenting, learning, or testing features.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">
<img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_kz1_3zs_rgc__image_r4c_21r_vgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/app-builder-conversation-list.png" width="500"></p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">Prompts</strong> are the individual instructions or questions you send within a
conversation to move your app forward. For example, you might enter “Add a status
filter to this view” or “Update the app to show high priority tickets first.”
Through a series of prompts and responses, you and App Builder collaboratively build
and refine your app.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">
<img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_kz1_3zs_rgc__image_gn1_rjx_chc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/app-builder-prompt-conversation.png" width="500"></p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><strong class="ph b">Apps</strong> are the tangible results you create and install from successful
conversations. An app is the working solution you build, test, publish, and manage
in Zendesk. Once published, agents and admins can use the app in their workflow. An
app may be generated from a single conversation or from several rounds or after
several refinement cycles.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">
<img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_kz1_3zs_rgc__image_dfr_j1r_vgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/appbuilder-app-definition.png" width="250"></p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Conversations and apps are tracked separately in App Builder. A
conversation can be linked to either a draft app (still being built or refined) or a
published app that’s already live in Zendesk. This means you can return to any
conversation at any time to continue building a draft or update and re-publish a
live app.</p>
<p class="p">App Builder uses NLP and generative AI to interpret user prompts and convert them
into functional apps. To ensure you get the best results from App Builder, it's
important to follow specific guidelines when crafting your prompts. For best
practices, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9037913973146" target="_blank">Prompting guidelines for App Builder</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested1" id="topic_vbq_ldy_gkc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title4">Best practices and limitations</h2>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">Creating a production-ready app in a single attempt is uncommon. It often takes
several iterations to reach the final version of your app. Here are a few best
practice guidelines:<ul class="ul" id="topic_vbq_ldy_gkc__ul_trd_xmt_rgc">
<li class="li">Build a simple feature and keep refining the app by adding additional
prompts that offer more context and detailed requirements. By breaking the
development process into several segments, you can more easily troubleshoot
and address issues in specific parts of the app before introducing
additional complexity.</li>
<li class="li">If the built app doesn’t work, ask the AI to add logging.</li>
<li class="li">Read the AI's response to make sure it understands what you are asking it to
build.</li>
<li class="li">Perform thorough testing of the app before publishing it.</li>
<li class="li">If you encounter an error while testing your app, copy and paste the error
message into the prompt. This allows App Builder to analyze the issue and
assist you in debugging the problem.</li>
<li class="li">If something doesn’t work as expected, provide detailed explanations of what
you’re expecting, which parts are functioning correctly, and which parts are
not. Avoid simply stating that it doesn’t work.</li>
<li class="li">Approach the process with patience to better understand how the AI operates
and what steps to take if you’re not achieving the desired results.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="note" id="topic_vbq_ldy_gkc__note_gzf_pcy_gkc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> App Builder uses artificial intelligence to generate code
and configurations based on your inputs. Always thoroughly test apps in a safe
environment before deploying them to production.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested1" id="topic_etr_cc1_s2c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title5">Limitations</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Current limits include:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_etr_cc1_s2c__ul_u4d_ls1_s2c">
<li class="li">Conversation allowance by plan per account:<ul class="ul" id="topic_etr_cc1_s2c__ul_owb_2nc_vgc">
<li class="li">Suite Professional and Support Professional: Up to 5 conversations</li>
<li class="li">Suite Enterprise and Support Enterprise: Up to 10 conversations</li>
<li class="li">Suite Enterprise Plus: Up to 20 conversations</li>
</ul>
<div class="note" id="topic_etr_cc1_s2c__note_bsx_2wr_vgc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> A conversation is the chat or set of prompts
where you collaborate with AI to plan, refine, and solve app ideas. Start a
new conversation for each new app you want to create. Not every conversation
leads to a published app.<p class="p" dir="ltr">An app is the finished product you
publish from a conversation. Once published, the app is installed in
your Zendesk account for agents and admins to use.</p>
<p class="p">Conversation
allowances only limit how many builds you can have in progress at a
time. You can publish and deploy as many apps as you need. There’s no
cap on the number of published apps, only on how many conversations you
can have simultaneously.</p>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li">Deleting a conversation does not delete the published app itself. The app will
remain available and usable in Zendesk for agents and admins. However, once you
delete the conversation, you won’t be able to edit or update that app. To make
further changes, you’ll need to create a new conversation and build a new
version of the app.</li>
<li class="li">All eligible customers with access to App Builder receive approximately 3,600
prompts at no cost. The limit is an approximation. See the next bullet for more
information. When you reach this prompt limit, a banner appears above the prompt
box with a “Submit a request” link to submit your request. If approved, your
limit increases one time to a maximum of approximately 7,200 prompts, depending
on your eligibility. If your request is not approved or you reach the higher
limit, you’ll need to wait until the annual prompt limit resets on February 1 to
continue building apps with App Builder.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_etr_cc1_s2c__image_ccv_b2h_53c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/appbuilder-prompt-limit-warning.png" width="700"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">The maximum number of prompts allowed is based on the expected length and
complexity of each prompt. If you submit larger prompts, the total number of
prompts you can send will decrease accordingly.</li>
<li class="li">App Builder doesn't track or display prompt usage in the user interface. </li>
<li class="li">App Builder currently limits input prompts to 50,000 characters and allows up to
200 messages per conversation. Actions are also rate-limited to 6–12 requests
per minute per user. These limits are enforced at the conversation level. </li>
<li class="li">Only one OAuth provider per app. You cannot connect to multiple OAuth services
(for example, Google) in the same app.</li>
<li class="li">You can only build and use apps within a single environment. You cannot move an
app from sandbox to production or between environments, so you’ll need to
manually recreate your app if you want it elsewhere.</li>
<li class="li">You cannot import an existing app into App Builder to edit or enhance it. You
can only create new apps or continue work on apps originally started in App
Builder.</li>
<li class="li">App Builder supports only four app locations: Ticket Sidebar, New Ticket
Sidebar, Top Navigation, and Side Navigation. When you start a new app, you must
choose one location, and you cannot change it after the conversation
starts.</li>
<li class="li">Each app can only include code for a single location. If you want the same
functionality in multiple locations, you’ll need to build and manage a separate
version of the app for each one.</li>
<li class="li">You can attach up to five files per prompt. Supported file types are PNG, JPG,
TXT, DOCX, PDF, CSV, and JSON. Uploaded files are used as LLM context to
generate app UI and logic only. They cannot be used to generate images or
replace app asset logos.</li>
<li class="li">If your app runs into an error while testing, App Builder will not automatically
resolve it. Instead, you’ll need to copy the error details and ask AI for help
in fixing it.</li>
<li class="li">As your conversations grow longer, you may notice slower performance because
full pagination isn’t supported yet.</li>
<li class="li">The change log only tracks details for the ten most recent versions. Very long
files may not be fully tracked, so you may not always see the full history of
every change in your app.</li>
<li class="li">When you download your app, you’ll receive the compiled code, not the separate
source files or full configuration details, which means editing outside App
Builder isn’t possible at this time.</li>
<li class="li">App Builder can only generate inputs for secure settings parameters. If your app
requires additional (non-secure) customer-configurable parameters, you must add
and manage those settings manually in the app's source code. Secure settings are
values that are encrypted and hidden from end users (for example, API keys or
secrets). Non-secure settings are regular, visible configuration values (for
example, feature flags, labels, or URLs).</li>
<li class="li">Third-party <a class="xref" href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/pdfjs-dist" target="_blank">pdfjs-dist</a>, <a class="xref" href="http://tesseract.js" target="_blank"><u class="ph u">tesseract.js</u></a>, and charting
libraries are currently supported.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested1" id="topic_uvl_cxx_gkc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title6">Next steps</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Now that you understand the core concepts, you're ready to <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/11141019633050" target="_blank">create, publish, and manage apps using App
Builder</a>.</p>
</div>
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