For Developers

Prerequisites

• Node.js v22+ (download)
• Git
• Code editor (Cursor recommended)
• TypeScript basics (docs)

Initial Setup

Create Your First App

 npm create deco@latest
cd <your-app-name>
npm install
deco login 

Opens browser for authentication. You can create a new account if you don’t have one.

Local Development

 npm run dev 

Starts local server on port 8787 with hot reload enabled. The preview URL is accessible anywhere now.

Project Structure

The server serves both:

• MCP app at /mcp
• React frontend view at /

Test Your MCP Server

1. Go to admin.decocms.com
2. Add Integration → Custom Integration
3. Paste preview URL + /mcp
4. Save and test default tools that come from template

Deploy

When you are ready to share your MCP:

 npm run deploy 

This builds and deploys your MCP app to Cloudflare Workers, making it available on your organization’s private registry.

Understanding the Current Workflow

As you know by now, there are two ways to build AI apps using deco:

1. Platform/UI - Build in admin.decocms.com
2. CLI - Build locally with TypeScript

These workflows exist separately right now and moving between them isn’t seamless yet.

Bridging UI and Code

While we work toward seamless integration, you have two options:

1. Workspace Resources (deconfig pull/push)

Work with all resources in a workspace:

 # Pull all resources from entire workspace
deco deconfig pull -w <workspace> --path <path>

# Edit locally in your IDE

# Push changes back to workspace
deco deconfig push -w <workspace> --path <path> 

Note: If you’re not inside a deco project folder or haven’t initialized the CLI in your editor, you’ll need to install it globally using npm i -g deco-cli@latest in order to get access to deco commands

2. Single Project (export/import)

Work with one specific project within an organization:

 # Export a single project (tools, views, workflows, agents, schemas)
deco project export --org <org> --project <project> --out ./my-project

# Edit locally in your IDE

# Import back to same or different organization
deco project import --from ./my-project --org <org> 

Use cases:

• Workspace pull/push: Quick sync of all workspace resources for iteration
• Project export/import: Move specific projects between organizations or archive them

Get Help: Discord

Non-developer? See For AI Builders for no-code workflow.