> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://vlyai-1c28d863.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Build software by describing it

> vly.ai turns plain English into production React + Convex apps. Backed by Y Combinator (F24), powered by Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, and Gemini CLI.

<div className="vly-hero">
  <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/vly-ai-2" className="vly-yc-badge vly-yc-xl" aria-label="Backed by Y Combinator" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" style={{ marginBottom: "1.75rem" }}>
    <span>Backed By</span>
    <span className="vly-yc-mark" aria-hidden="true">Y</span>
    <span>Combinator</span>
  </a>

  <h1 style={{ fontSize: "clamp(2.75rem, 5.5vw, 5rem)", lineHeight: 1.02, letterSpacing: "-0.04em", fontWeight: 700, margin: "0 0 1.25rem", background: "linear-gradient(180deg, var(--vly-ink) 35%, color-mix(in srgb, var(--vly-ink) 55%, transparent))", WebkitBackgroundClip: "text", backgroundClip: "text", WebkitTextFillColor: "transparent" }}>
    Build software by describing it.
  </h1>

  <p style={{ fontSize: "clamp(1.05rem, 1.5vw, 1.35rem)", color: "var(--vly-ink-soft)", maxWidth: "64ch", lineHeight: 1.6, margin: "0 0 2.25rem" }}>
    vly turns plain English into deployed full-stack apps — React + Vite + Convex + Tailwind, with built-in auth, real-time data, and one-click custom domains. Powered by Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, and Gemini CLI.
  </p>

  <div className="vly-hero-cta">
    <a className="primary" href="/getting-started/quickstart">
      Start in 5 minutes <span aria-hidden="true">→</span>
    </a>

    <a className="secondary" href="/getting-started/how-vly-works">
      See how vly works
    </a>
  </div>
</div>

<div className="vly-stat-bar">
  <div>
    <span className="num">1,000+</span>
    <span className="label">Integrations</span>
  </div>

  <div>
    <span className="num">4.8★</span>
    <span className="label">Trustpilot rating</span>
  </div>

  <div>
    <span className="num">YC F24</span>
    <span className="label">Backed by Y Combinator</span>
  </div>

  <div>
    <span className="num">\$3 / mo</span>
    <span className="label">Starting price</span>
  </div>
</div>

## Start here

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/getting-started/quickstart">
    From signup to a deployed app in five minutes. Step-by-step, with screenshots.
  </Card>

  <Card title="How vly works" icon="workflow" href="/getting-started/how-vly-works">
    The four-step loop — describe, plan, code, deploy. What's happening behind the scenes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Compare to Lovable, v0, Bolt" icon="scale" href="/getting-started/compare">
    Where vly fits in the AI app builder landscape. Honest tradeoffs.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What you can build

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Multi-tenant SaaS" icon="building" href="/recipes/multi-tenant-saas">
    Workspaces, roles, billing, and per-tenant data isolation.
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI chatbot" icon="message-circle" href="/recipes/ai-chatbot">
    Streaming responses, tool calls, conversation memory, model selection.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Marketplace" icon="shopping-cart" href="/recipes/marketplace-with-stripe">
    Two-sided marketplace with Stripe Connect, escrow, and payouts.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Real-time chat" icon="message-square-text" href="/recipes/realtime-chat-app">
    Channels, threads, presence, file uploads — built on Convex's reactive sync.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Internal CRM" icon="briefcase" href="/recipes/internal-crm">
    Pipeline, contacts, tasks, and email integration.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Multiplayer game" icon="gamepad-2" href="/recipes/multiplayer-game">
    Sub-100 ms state sync, lobbies, matchmaking, leaderboards.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<hr className="vly-divider" />

## How it works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Describe what you want">
    Type a prompt. "A real-time task tracker for small teams. Each user has tasks, due dates, and can assign tasks to teammates. Email notifications on assignment." That's enough to start.
  </Step>

  <Step title="vly plans the build">
    Plan mode breaks the prompt into concrete steps — schema, pages, components, integrations — and shows you the diagram before any code is written. You can edit the plan directly.
  </Step>

  <Step title="An agent writes the code">
    Pick from Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, or Gemini CLI. The agent generates a typed React frontend, Convex backend, schema, and tests. You watch live in the editor.
  </Step>

  <Step title="One click to deploy">
    Push to your custom domain in seconds. Built-in auth, secure-by-default data access, and Convex's reactive sync ship with every app.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<hr className="vly-divider" />

## Three coding agents, one workflow

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Claude Code" icon="brain" href="/features/agents/claude-code">
    Anthropic's Claude. Best for **large refactors** and reasoning across many files. **Default.**
  </Card>

  <Card title="OpenAI Codex" icon="terminal" href="/features/agents/openai-codex">
    Fast and surgical. Best on **single-file edits** and tight changes. Lowest cost per change.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Gemini CLI" icon="sparkles" href="/features/agents/gemini-cli">
    Strong on **multi-file design** and schema modeling. Long context window.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<hr className="vly-divider" />

## Explore the docs

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Building with vly" icon="wrench" href="/building/overview">
    The day-to-day workflow: agent, plan, and code modes; iteration; collaboration; version history.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Prompting guide" icon="message-square-code" href="/prompting/overview">
    The five-layer method, debugging prompts, prompt recipes by app type. The skill that makes everything else faster.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Convex deep dive" icon="database-zap" href="/convex/overview">
    Schema, queries, mutations, actions, scheduled functions, vector search. Everything vly's backend gives you.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Integrations" icon="puzzle" href="/integrations/overview">
    Stripe, OpenAI, Resend, GitHub, and 50+ more. Drop-in setup with copy-paste code.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Recipes" icon="utensils-crossed" href="/recipes/overview">
    Step-by-step builds for the most-asked apps. Production patterns, not toy examples.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/introduction">
    REST endpoints, authentication, SDKs in TypeScript and Python, webhooks. Try every endpoint live.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<hr className="vly-divider" />

## Frequently asked

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What does vly generate, exactly?" icon="code">
    A complete app: React + Vite frontend, Tailwind + shadcn/ui styling, Convex backend (schema, queries, mutations, actions), built-in authentication, and deployment configuration. The output is fully typed end-to-end. See [How vly works](/getting-started/how-vly-works).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I export the code?" icon="download">
    Code export is on the roadmap. Today, your app runs on vly's managed infrastructure and you can connect a custom domain. Track progress on the [roadmap](/resources/roadmap).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Which AI agent is best?" icon="bot">
    Depends on the task. Claude Code is the default and excels at large refactors and reasoning across many files. OpenAI Codex is fastest for tight code changes. Gemini CLI shines on multi-file design work. See [Choosing an agent](/features/agents/choosing-an-agent).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How is this different from Lovable, v0, or Bolt?" icon="scale">
    vly ships with a real backend (Convex), real-time sync, and built-in auth from day one — competitors give you a frontend and ask you to wire up Supabase or Firebase yourself. We're also priced more aggressively. See [the comparison](/getting-started/compare).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What's the cost?" icon="dollar-sign">
    Free tier covers exploration. Paid plans start at \$3/month — typically 7× cheaper than comparable tools. See [plans & pricing](/getting-started/plans-and-pricing).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Note>
  **What's new.** [Cross-project referencing](/building/cross-project-referencing), [Gemini CLI as a third agent option](/features/agents/gemini-cli), and a redesigned [Plan mode](/building/plan-mode). See the [changelog](/resources/changelog) for everything else.
</Note>


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.