SORVEL DOCS

Sorvel turns a chat message into a working mobile app or web app. This page covers the journey; every panel in the side column of the project screen has its own page, in the order the panels appear — including what each technology behind them actually is.

Stuck anywhere? Ask in the project chat. Sorvel knows its own panels and answers with concrete steps — both what to press in Sorvel and what to do in the external service (Expo, Google Play, Supabase, Sentry…), numbered, one action per line. Questions are answered without building anything.

GETTING STARTED

Sign up on sorvel.dev and start building right in your browser. Prefer a desktop app? Download it for macOS or Windows and sign in once in your browser: the app shows a short code, you approve it there, and it unlocks on your machine. Your password is never typed into the desktop app. The desktop app also adds local Android and iOS builds on your own computer.

After that, describe the app you want in plain words — that one message is the whole spec. Something like “a habit tracker: habit list, add new, mark done today, and a streak counter” is enough to get a working first version.

REACT NATIVEA technology from Meta that lets one JavaScript codebase run as a real native app on both Android and iOS — not a website in a wrapper. This is what your generated app is written in.

EXPOA framework and toolset built on top of React Native. It is what makes the hard parts easy: running the app on your phone while it is being developed, building store versions in the cloud, and shipping updates. Sorvel generates Expo projects, so all of that tooling works for your app out of the box.

60 free credits come with every new account — no card needed — and 40 more arrive the first time you connect a database or publish. A typical first build fits comfortably inside them. Credits are bought in the browser too, in your account.

ALL PAGES

GUIDELive previewHow the preview works: the app running in the centre of the project screen while it builds, the development server behind it, and when it refreshes.GUIDEEditing and creditsKeep talking to change the app: what a generation is, what it costs in credits, the estimate shown before a run, and why failed generations are free.GUIDESkills and knowledgeStanding instructions and documents Sorvel reads before every generation: skills, workspace knowledge and knowledge documents, and how they shape the result.GUIDECoding agents and the MCP serverSorvel is an MCP server: connect Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client, delegate a project to your coding agent, and keep the same checks.PANELMobile or web: choosing a project typeWhat a web project is, what stays the same as a mobile project, the quality check every build gets, and how a web app gets out to the world.PANELOpen on phoneRun the app on your own iPhone or Android phone: Expo Go versus a development build, the QR code, same-network and firewall issues.PANELProject knowledgeNotes Sorvel reads before every generation of this project: what to write there, how long it should be, and what it costs.PANELProject memoryThe note the model keeps about the project for itself: what goes in, how to fix a wrong memory, and when it first appears.PANELHistory and checkpointsEvery generation leaves a checkpoint: what it cost and changed, and how to roll the project back to an earlier version.PANELGit repositoryEvery project is a real codebase in a real Git repository: push it to GitHub with a personal access token, download a ZIP, own the code.PANELApp identityThe app's name, icon symbol and colour: how to change them and where they show up on the phone, in the browser and in the stores.PANELMediaWeb projects: upload the pictures of your site, swap them from the preview, and use them on screens without spending a generation.PANELContentWeb projects: every text of a website as a form, including each page's title and description for search results. Edit in place, without a generation.PANELPublish: App Store, Google Play and the webTake a finished app to the stores: EAS and local builds, APK versus AAB, Google Play Console, service accounts, App Store Connect; and publishing a web app.PANELReleases and over-the-air updatesShip a fix to installed apps without a new store review: updates versus builds, channels, mandatory updates, rollback and sending to testers.PANELDeep linksMake an https address open a screen inside the app: the two association files, the signing fingerprint, and why it fails quietly.PANELDatabase: connect SupabaseWhere the app's data lives: on the device by default, or in your own Supabase project with project URL, anon key and service key.PANELDataBrowse and edit the app's records: sample rows, deleting a row, downloading the data as JSON.PANELUsage analyticsHow many people use the app and which screens they open: analytics on your own Supabase, what it shows, and what it changes in your paperwork.PANELShare a preview, publish and custom domainsRead-only share links that expire, the published address, and connecting a custom domain with one CNAME record.PANELServer secrets and callsKeep API keys off the device: secrets stored in Sorvel, server calls through an edge function, and your quota.PANELPush notificationsPush a message to everyone who installed the app: one-time setup, sending to yourself first, why nothing arrives, and rate limits.PANELIn-app purchasesLet the app you build sell subscriptions and products with RevenueCat: SDK keys, and why the secret key never goes in the app.PANELAds with AdMobThe other way an app earns: Google AdMob app ID and ad units, the switch that moves three documents, and apps directed at children.PANELError reporting with SentryKnow when the app crashes on a user's phone: the Sentry DSN, what is reported, and why the account is yours, not Sorvel's.PANELSign in with GoogleOffer a Sign in with Google button: OAuth client ID, SHA-1 fingerprint, the ID token, and why it works only in a built app.PANELDesign import from Figma and Google StitchIf a design already exists, import it: Figma frames, Google Stitch screens, and what the import does with them.PANELLanguagesShip the app in more than one language: adding a language, the language picker, and pending texts.PANELMachineDesktop app only: the checks, the workspace and its slots, and the repairs that clear caches without touching your code.