Workflow Mode

What workflow mode is for

Workflow mode is the live generation timeline for your project. It gives you a clear view of what AppCafe is doing, what has already finished, and where a generation may still be in progress.

Typical generation phases

Most projects move through a sequence like this:

1. Prompt intake

   • Your original prompt is captured.
   • If prompt refinement is enabled, AppCafe asks follow-up questions first.

2. Planning

   • The system turns your prompt into a structured plan.
   • That plan can include routes, sections, data needs, and visual direction.

3. App construction

   • Pages, components, and supporting code are generated.
   • If the app needs structured data, the workflow can include schema-aware steps as part of generation.

4. Image generation

   • Page and section images are created to match the app content.

5. Assembly and preview

   • The generated project is stitched together and prepared for preview.
   • Once the preview is ready, you can review the result immediately.

Reading the workflow timeline

Each timeline item shows the state of one phase or event. In practice, you will see a mix of:

• pending steps that have not started yet
• active steps that are running now
• completed steps with summaries or output details
• occasional error states if something fails and needs attention

The timeline helps answer questions like:

• Is the app still generating?
• Which step took the longest?
• Did planning finish successfully?
• Did image generation run yet?
• Is the preview expected to be ready soon?

When to regenerate versus edit

Use regenerate when the project needs a broader structural change, such as:

• a different page set
• a different app concept
• a major feature shift
• a new design direction for the whole app

Use edit when the structure is mostly right and you only need targeted changes, such as:

• different copy
• improved layout
• new sections
• refined styling
• better imagery

Editing is usually faster and cheaper than regenerating the full app.

Best practices while a workflow is running

• Keep the workflow view open until the preview is ready.
• Read the summaries for any phase that looks unusual or takes longer than expected.
• If generation fails, check the latest status details before retrying.
• Avoid starting multiple overlapping changes on the same project at once.

Credits and usage

Each generation consumes credits based on the work performed. Prompt refinement, LLM generation, and image generation can all contribute to usage.

Use the Cost Analytics area in AppCafe to understand:

• which workflows consumed credits
• how image usage compares to text generation usage
• whether a full regenerate is worth it versus a smaller edit pass