> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.maker.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.maker.co/maker-greatstore/apps/how-apps-work.md).

# How apps work

Apps are custom interactive experiences the assistant renders in the conversation instead of answering in plain text — a comparison, a catalogue grid, a product card.

<figure><img src="/files/SKZy2WZ3e1uDIe680HYb" alt="Apps — each card is a live component with its state"><figcaption><p>Apps — each card is a live component with its state</p></figcaption></figure>

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><h4><i class="fa-grid-2" style="color:$primary;">:grid-2:</i></h4></td><td><h4>App library</h4></td><td>Pre-installed apps every store starts with.</td><td><a href="/pages/LyjgZmg3xd2CJPJq7Zaw">/pages/LyjgZmg3xd2CJPJq7Zaw</a></td></tr><tr><td><h4><i class="fa-hammer" style="color:$primary;">:hammer:</i></h4></td><td><h4>Building an app</h4></td><td>Create your own with the Greatstore MCP and a coding agent.</td><td><a href="/pages/x84J3jdgA2RANWP4yzC8">/pages/x84J3jdgA2RANWP4yzC8</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Two kinds of app

{% columns %}
{% column width="50%" %}
**Inline apps** render inside the chat flow — a product list appears right in the conversation as the assistant answers.
{% endcolumn %}

{% column width="50%" %}
**Full-screen apps** take over the panel for richer interactions — a side-by-side product comparison is the canonical example.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

## States

| State         | Meaning                                      |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| `LIVE`        | Published — the assistant can render it now. |
| `DRAFT`       | Created but never published.                 |
| `UNPUBLISHED` | Was live, has been taken down.               |

You can publish and unpublish from the Apps screen, or by asking the same coding agent that built the app (via the MCP).

## The assistant decides when to use them

You don't wire apps to triggers. Once an app is live, the assistant chooses to render it when the conversation calls for it — ask it to compare two products and it reaches for the comparison app on its own.

{% hint style="warning" %}
That autonomy is why restraint matters: too many apps, or apps whose purposes overlap, confuse the assistant about which one to call. Keep the set small, distinct, and genuinely useful to shoppers.
{% endhint %}

## The Apps screen

Each app appears as a card with its state. Click a card for a live preview rendered the way a shopper would see it. **Refresh** re-reads the published set — use it after your agent deploys a change.


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