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Base Code gives your team a shared cloud environment for an existing codebase without setting up a local development environment. Use the AI chat to make changes on branches, preview your work, and open pull requests for review. GitHub stays the source of truth.
Base Code making a change from the AI chat on a working branch, with the project files and the Preview updating

Using Base Code

Before you begin:
  • Your project must be a web or full-stack project in a GitHub repository.
  • You need an Editor role or higher in the workspace.
  • You connect your GitHub account during setup.

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Setting up Base Code

Connect a GitHub repository to make changes with the AI chat in Base Code. If your GitHub account is already connected, continue to choosing a repository.

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Connecting your GitHub account

Connect your GitHub account and give Base44 access to the repositories you want to work on. To connect your account:
  1. Go to Base Code.
  2. Click Connect GitHub.
  3. Sign in to GitHub if prompted, then authorize Base44 Builder.
  4. Select the GitHub account or organization, then follow the prompts to install or configure Base44 Builder and give it repository access.

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Choosing a repository

Choose a repository and branch to open in Base Code.
To choose a repository from your account:
  1. In Base Code, click View more.
  2. Select a repository.
  3. Under Branch, keep the selected branch or select another.
  4. Click Connect.
  • To open a listed repository on its default branch, select it on the Base Code page, then click Open in Base.
  • To connect another repository, select Add repository from the repository drop-down.

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Working on your project

Use the AI chat to make changes to your connected repository and test them in a development preview. As you chat, Base Code commits and pushes your changes to your working branch on GitHub.
Base Code provides a development preview, not production hosting. To release your changes or connect a custom domain, use your project’s existing deployment process and hosting provider.

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Making your first change

Describe the change you want to make. Base Code creates a new branch and names it based on your request. To work on an existing GitHub branch instead, import the branch to Base Code. To make your first change:
  1. Go to Base Code.
  2. (Optional) If a drop-down appears next to Create new branch, select the branch to start from.
  3. In the prompt box, describe the change you want to make. For example:
  4. Click Create branch to open the new branch and start making changes.
  5. Review the change in Preview, then ask the AI chat for any adjustments.

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Reviewing your changes

Before you open a pull request, review which files changed and what changed in each one. You can review changes in 2 places:
  • A reply’s changes: Use the file list below that reply in the AI chat. It shows only what that reply changed.
  • Current branch changes: Click Create PR at the top of the editor, or click the PR number if one already exists. It shows every committed and pushed change on the branch.
Click a file name to see its diff. Each file shows how many lines were added and removed.

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Reverting a file

If a file has changes you don’t want, revert it from either file list, including an open pull request’s. Base Code saves the revert as a new commit and pushes it.
Reverting a file undoes all its committed changes on the branch, not just the changes from one reply.
To revert a file:
  1. Click the revert icon next to the file in either file list.
  2. Check that the right file appears in Revert branch changes?, then click Revert.

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Managing branches

Create a new branch or import an existing one to work on separate changes. Each branch has its own development environment in Base Code. To switch branches, click the branch drop-down above the AI chat and select a branch.

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Creating branches

Create a branch from your repository’s default branch or another active branch. To create a branch:
  1. Click the branch drop-down above the AI chat.
  2. Click Create new branch.
  3. Select the starting branch from the drop-down next to Start from.
  4. Describe your change in the AI chat and send the message.

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Importing a branch from GitHub

Import an existing GitHub branch to keep working on it in Base Code. Your changes are committed and pushed to that branch. To import a branch:
  1. Click the branch drop-down above the AI chat.
  2. Click Import from GitHub.
  3. Select the branch.
  4. Click Import.

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Deleting a branch

Deleting a branch removes it and its chat from Base Code. The branch remains on GitHub. To delete a branch:
  1. Click the branch drop-down above the AI chat.
  2. Click More actions next to the branch, then click Delete.
  3. Click Delete branch to confirm.

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Working with pull requests

Get your changes reviewed and merged through pull requests on GitHub.

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Opening a pull request

After testing your changes, open a pull request for review. When your workspace uses each person’s GitHub connection, your account needs write access to the repository. Your pull request targets the branch your working branch was created from. The AI chat writes the title and description from your conversation and committed changes. To open a pull request from the top of the editor:
  1. Click Create PR at the top of the editor.
  2. Review the changed files in Create pull request.
  3. Click Continue in builder.
  4. Review and send the prefilled message in the AI chat.
You can also open a pull request from the branch drop-down. It opens a shorter form for the title and description, without the file review.

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Tracking your pull requests

Track the progress of your open pull requests and see which ones need your attention. To review your pull requests:
  1. Go to Base Code.
  2. Find the pull request you want to review under Your open PRs.
  3. Choose what you want to do:
    • Open a pull request: Click its PR number to open it on GitHub, or click its title to open its branch in Base Code.
    • Filter by status: Click the filter, then select All, In review, Conflicts, or Open.
    • Find a pull request: Click the search icon and enter its title or number.
    • Sort pull requests: Click Sort to reverse the order by pull request number.
  • Draft: It’s still a draft on GitHub.
  • Open: No reviewer yet, and nothing is blocking it.
  • In review: A reviewer is assigned or has requested changes.
  • Approved: A reviewer approved it.
  • Conflicts: Your branch has conflicts to resolve with its base branch.

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Resolving branch conflicts

If your pull request has conflicts, the AI chat can resolve them for you. Resolving conflicts merges the pull request’s base branch into your working branch. To resolve conflicts:
  1. Click Resolve conflicts above the prompt box.
  2. Review and test the changes the AI makes, especially where both branches changed the same feature.

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Answering review comments

Use the AI chat to address feedback on your pull request. To answer review comments:
  1. Ask the AI chat to list unresolved comments on your pull request. It includes the file and line for each thread.
  2. Tell it which comments to address and what to change.
  3. Review the proposed changes and replies before asking it to post.
  4. Ask the AI chat separately to resolve a thread when you’re ready.

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Adding secrets

Add API keys and other secrets your project needs. The AI chat prompts you when a secret is required. Secrets are encrypted, kept out of your repository, shared across branches, and kept when your environment rebuilds. Changes and removals apply automatically to running branches. Inactive branches pick them up when you next open them. To add a secret:
  1. Click Dashboard at the top of the editor.
  2. Click Secrets.
  3. Click Add Secret.
  4. Enter the Secret Name and Secret Value, then click Add Secret.
To add secrets in bulk, click Import .env, then upload or paste your file. Each KEY=VALUE line becomes a secret. An existing secret with the same name is overwritten.

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Collaborating with teammates

Your team can contribute to the same project and review each other’s changes through pull requests. Anyone with an Editor role or higher in the workspace can open an existing Base Code project without a separate app invitation. To invite someone outside your workspace, add them as a collaborator from the app editor.

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FAQs

Base Code works with web and full-stack projects. If you’re building your app in Base44, keep building it in the app editor, and use the GitHub integration to sync it with a repository.
Base Code checks the project at the root of your repository. That project must be a web or full-stack project. A mobile app in a subfolder is fine as long as the root project qualifies.
Click View more, or click Add repository in the repository drop-down, to open Connect your repository. If your repository is still missing, give Base44 access to it on GitHub.To update repository access:
  1. On GitHub, give Base44 Builder access to the repository.
  2. Reopen Connect your repository in Base Code.
Your workspace doesn’t allow repositories from this GitHub organization. Ask someone who manages your workspace’s GitHub settings to check that the organization is connected and Allowed under Build tools > GitHub, then try again.If you only have read access, connect a fork or private copy instead. When your workspace limits repositories to approved organizations, you need write access to a repository in one of them.
Workspace settings control who can connect GitHub organizations and which organizations are available for new apps. Anyone in the workspace can use an organization that is already connected. This only controls who can add a new one.To manage GitHub organizations:
  1. Go to your workspace settings.
  2. Under Build tools, click GitHub.
  3. Choose what you want to do:
    • Choose who can connect organizations: Under Who can connect organizations, select who can add an organization.
    • Filter organizations: In Connected organizations, use the filter to show All, Active, or Disconnected organizations.
    • Make an organization available for new apps: Under Connected organizations, use Allowed to control which organizations are available. Changing Allowed doesn’t affect apps already using that organization.
    • Disconnect an organization: Click the actions icon next to the organization, click Disconnect organization, then click Disconnect.
Disconnecting stops apps tied to that organization’s workspace connection from syncing with GitHub. The confirmation lists the affected apps. Base44 Builder stays installed on GitHub, so you can reconnect the organization.
Yes. Base Code uses Auto mode by default to choose an AI model for each request.To choose an AI model:
  1. Click the model at the bottom of the AI chat.
  2. Select the model you want to work with.
For more details, see choosing an AI model.
When your workspace uses each person’s GitHub connection, your account must be connected and have write access to the repository. Otherwise, the project shows a Read only badge. You can discuss the project in the AI chat and switch branches, but you can’t make changes or create a branch.To connect your GitHub account:
  1. Open the project.
  2. In the Connect your GitHub account banner, click Connect account.
  3. Authorize Base44 Builder on GitHub.
If you see GitHub write access required, your account is connected but lacks write access. Ask a repository admin to grant it, then click Recheck permissions.
When you return to Base Code, your project environment starts back up so you can continue working. If your environment needs rebuilding, Base Code uses the latest commit on your GitHub branch. Ask the AI chat to confirm your latest changes are on that branch before you leave.
Yes. Ask the AI chat to add the code using your project’s own stack.Connecting a repository doesn’t automatically add or configure Base44 entities, login, or the SDK. Your project keeps its existing database, authentication, and routing.For a new database or service, add its connection string or API key as a secret.
If setup changes are required and you connected the default branch, Base Code creates a setup branch and commits them there. Its pull request targets the branch you connected. If you connected another branch, Base Code commits any setup changes directly to that branch.To include unmerged setup changes in a new branch, start from the branch containing those changes.
After you open a pull request, new changes on your working branch are added to it, and GitHub runs your repository’s configured checks.When your workspace uses each person’s GitHub connection, Base44 opens pull requests using your GitHub account. In that case, commits for changes you request in the AI chat list you as the author and base44-builder[bot] as co-author.Merge your pull request on GitHub, or ask the AI chat to merge it.
Base44 needs permission to open pull requests in your repository. If prompted, click Review permissions on GitHub. An owner of the GitHub account or organization that owns the repository needs to approve the requested access. Once approved, return to Base Code and try again.
See Base44’s Privacy Policy for information about how personal information is collected and used. For information about AI model training and your data controls, see Privacy and security.
You can apply a coupon before or after connecting a repository.Each coupon code applies to up to 10 people in your workspace.To apply a coupon:
  1. Go to Base Code.
  2. Enter your coupon code:
    • Before connecting a repository: Click Have a coupon? at the top right, then enter your code in the dialog.
    • After connecting a repository: Enter your code in the field under Have a coupon?.
  3. Click Apply.