Explain My BuildHow to document your Replit app
Last updated: July 26, 2026
To document a Replit app, connect its code to Explain My Build. It reads the full-stack app Replit Agent built — commonly a React front end, a Node backend and a Postgres database — and writes an end-user guide, a founder runbook and a code-verified fix-list, each claim cited to a real file.
What does Replit Agent build, and where does it live?
A Replit app is a full-stack app that Replit Agent generated and hosts, all inside Replit's browser workspace. Replit-specific facts worth knowing:
- Full stack in one place: Replit Agent commonly builds a React front end, a Node.js backend, and a Postgres database, and it wires up authentication, storage and monitoring with no manual setup.
- Hosting is built in: Replit deploys your app itself. Its deployment types include Autoscale, Reserved VM, Static and Scheduled — and because Agent apps need a running backend, they typically deploy on Autoscale or Reserved VM. This is a key difference from tools that hand you code to deploy elsewhere — with Replit, the environment and the app tend to live together.
- Where the code lives: the code sits in your Replit workspace; you can connect it to GitHub or export it to read locally.
Explain My Build reads that code — front end, backend and database schema — and explains what your app does and how it's wired, in plain English.
What's distinct about documenting a Replit app?
The distinct thing about Replit is that it's genuinely full-stack: there's real server code and a real database, not just a UI. That's an advantage for documentation, because reading the backend and the Postgres schema lets the guide explain not just what buttons do, but what actually happens to a user's data.
It also means the founder runbook is more valuable: Explain My Build can describe your API endpoints, your database tables, your auth flow and which Replit deployment type you're using — the operational details you'll need when you extend or hand off the app. See who maintains my AI app? if you're thinking about that handoff.
What we read vs what stays in Replit
Explain My Build reads your code and schema. Some Replit configuration — secrets, deployment settings, the managed database's runtime state — lives in the Replit platform, not the code. We read what's in the repo and flag anything we can't see rather than guessing. It's a code read, not a live test.
What three artifacts do you get for a Replit app?
From one read of your Replit code you get:
- End-user guide — plain-English help for your users, with share link and access code, in-app Help widget and portable export. $19/month ($12/month founding for the first 100).
- Founder runbook — how your front end, Node backend, Postgres schema and Replit deployment fit together. Free.
- Code-verified fix-list — ranked, cited issues to hand to Replit Agent or another AI: for example a missing check on an API endpoint, or a secret that should be an environment variable instead of hard-coded. Free.
New to some of these terms? Start with the glossary, or read I built an app with AI and don't understand the code.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a user guide for my Replit app?
Connect your Replit app to GitHub or export it, then point Explain My Build at the code (or run the folder in your browser). It reads the front end, Node backend and Postgres schema Replit Agent built and writes a plain-English end-user guide cited to your real features. You review it before publishing.
Does Replit host my app, and does that change how I document it?
Yes, Replit hosts your app (Autoscale, Reserved VM, Static or Scheduled deployments, with Agent apps typically on Autoscale or Reserved VM). Documentation still comes from the code, so hosting doesn't change the process — but the runbook will note your deployment type and the operational details of running it on Replit.
Can Explain My Build read my Replit database?
It reads your database schema and queries from the code — the tables, relationships and how your app uses them. It does not connect to your live Replit database or read its actual rows, and it flags anything that lives only in the platform rather than the code.
Turn your app into a guide your users can follow.
Paste a public GitHub link and get your founder runbook + fix-list free in about a minute — no sign-up. Private code runs entirely in your browser.