How
From first chat to a live site you keep by talking.
What you'll need
3 things, about 15 minutes.
A free GitHub account
the filing cabinet where your website's files live. You'll never open it if you don't want to.
A free Vercel account
the company that puts your site on the internet. Free plan covers most small-business sites.
An AI assistant you already use
Claude or ChatGPT.
No credit card for hosting. No code. If you can send a text, you're qualified.
Full setup details below →Does it set up Vercel and GitHub for me?
You create the two free accounts yourself — about five minutes. Passwords and passkeys stay yours; no AI should own your accounts. Then your AI does the rest: creates your website's files, connects hosting, sets your domain, wires the settings.
You hold the keys. It does the driving.
- 01
Connect your AI
Paste one line into Claude or ChatGPT so it can use Chatterbuilt. Free tools work without a key.
What's actually happening
Your AI opens a connection to Chatterbuilt's tool server so it can call product tools from chat — same idea as plugging an app into your assistant.
- 02
Answer questions about your business
About 15 minutes, conversational — name, services, hours, photos, how you sound. No prompts to invent.
What's actually happening
Answers write into one content file your site reads from end to end. Change that file and pages, SEO, and schema follow — no CMS maze.
- 03
Draft first. Live when you say.
Your AI builds the site and shows you a private preview first. Nothing goes live until you say so — that's the professional staging-then-production workflow, built in by default.
What's actually happening
Your AI works on a preview branch. The platform builds a private preview URL so you can check the real site before customers ever see it.
- 04
Say "make it live."
When you're happy with the preview, tell your AI to publish. Your site is on the internet.
What's actually happening
your AI merges the preview branch; the platform builds, runs its checks, and deploys to Vercel's edge network
For the technical crowd
Want the architecture, tool surface, and release path? The platform page is the under-the-hood deep dive.
Open the platform page →How it runs your website
After launch, you keep the site current the same way — by talking to your AI.
Tell it what changed
Hours, photos, services, specials — say it once.
e.g. "Close at 5 on Fridays and add the new deck photos."
Drop photos in the chat
Phone photos go straight into ChatGPT or Claude — your agent places them on the site, sized and captioned. No separate uploader. No media library.
e.g. "Put these six remodel photos in the gallery with captions."
It checks before it ships
Preview links and a checker catch mistakes before customers see them.
e.g. "Show me a preview and check before we go live."
It keeps you found
SEO and AI-search updates so you show up on Google and in answers like ChatGPT.
e.g. "Make us show up in AI search."
It watches the numbers
Your private visitor stats — not locked in someone else's dashboard.
e.g. "How many people visited this week?"
Updates arrive by themselves
Platform improvements can land on your schedule when you ask your AI to check for them.
e.g. "Check for Chatterbuilt updates and pull them in."
How photos get on your site
Drop photos straight into the chat with your agent. ChatGPT and Claude both accept image uploads. Your agent places them on the site — sized and captioned. Phone → chat → live. No separate uploader. No media library to manage. Need hero art or a seasonal banner you don't have yet? Ask your agent to generate professional images on request.
What's actually happening
Your agent commits the media files directly to your site's file repository (the same place your pages live). The site reads those files on the next preview or publish — standard files, not a proprietary media vault.
Connect command
One line in Claude.
Paste this into Claude so it can use Chatterbuilt. Free tools work without a key.
$ claude mcp add --transport http chatterbuilt https://chatterbuilt-mcp.vercel.app/api/mcpStart from a template. End up with YOUR site.
The template is scaffolding, not a look. Your AI restyles colors, fonts, layout, imagery, and voice to your brand during the interview — show it your logo, your truck, your work — it builds the brand around you.
No two Chatterbuilt sites need to look alike — it's real code, not a theme.
Once you're live
Get more from your site.
Your agent already knows your business, so it can do more than build — weekly check-ups, fresh ideas, social posts, SEO. Copy-ready asks are in the guide.
Open the guide →What you need
Three free accounts. That's the whole setup.
No website builder login. No CMS course. About fifteen minutes if you've never done this before.
The three required accounts
GitHub
- What it is
- A free account where your website's files live — like a filing cabinet on the internet.
- When you need it
- You need it on day one. Your AI uses it. You never have to open it if you don't want to.
- Cost
- Free for what small businesses need.
- Setup
- Ask your AI to set it up.
Vercel
- What it is
- The company that puts your site on the internet and keeps it online.
- When you need it
- You need it on day one to go live. Free plan covers most small-business sites.
- Cost
- Free to start. You only pay if traffic outgrows the free plan — and you can set a spend cap.
- Setup
- Ask your AI to set it up.
An AI assistant
- What it is
- ChatGPT or Claude — the chat app you already talk to.
- When you need it
- You need it every day. This is how you build and update the site.
- Cost
- Whatever you already pay (or the free tier of that product). Chatterbuilt free tools work without a Chatterbuilt key.
- Setup
- Ask your AI to connect Chatterbuilt — or open Get started for the one-line command.
Suggested extras
None of these are required to launch. Add them when you need the job done. For each one: what it is, when you actually need it, cost in plain terms, and how to set it up.
Resend
- What it is
- Sends email when someone fills out your contact form — so messages actually reach your inbox.
- When you need it
- When you want form submissions in email instead of only in a dashboard.
- Cost
- Free allowance for light use; paid only if you send a lot.
- Setup
- Ask your AI to set it up.
Calendly or Cal.com
- What it is
- Booking tools so customers pick a time and it lands on your calendar.
- When you need it
- When you take appointments, consults, or site visits.
- Cost
- Both have free tiers for simple booking. Paid plans if you need more.
- Setup
- Ask your AI to set it up.
Umami
- What it is
- Private visitor stats — your numbers, not Google's ad profile of your customers.
- When you need it
- When you want to know traffic without heavy tracking scripts.
- Cost
- Can run free on starter hosting for small sites.
- Setup
- Ask your AI to set it up.
Beehiiv
- What it is
- Newsletter platform — turn visitors into subscribers and email them later.
- When you need it
- When you want a list, not just a one-time contact form.
- Cost
- Free tier to start; paid as the list grows.
- Setup
- Ask your AI to set it up.
Google Business Profile
- What it is
- Your free listing on Google Maps and local search — where nearby customers look first.
- When you need it
- If you serve a local area (shop, service, restaurant, office).
- Cost
- Free.
- Setup
- Ask your AI: "get me on Google."
Best practices, not promises.
Example monthly cost
Example, not a guarantee — prices are the providers', not ours
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| GitHub | $0 |
| Vercel hosting | $0 (Hobby plan) |
| Domain | about $1/month ($11/year) |
| Contact-form email | $0 (free up to 3,000/month) |
| Chatbot | $0 (built in) |
| Site stats | $0 (Umami) |
Typical total: about a dollar a month.