Edit in Studio

Studio is where you take a generated draft and turn it into a launch-ready site. It is not just the agent chat. Studio combines the agent, the live preview, direct element/text editing, and the asset/file explorer around the same isolated project runtime.

Studio lets you switch from broader AI changes to precise in-preview text edits once the structure is right.

What Studio actually includes

• AI chat for broader layout, styling, content, and implementation work.
• Direct preview editing when you want to click into the page and fix copy or target a specific element.
• Asset and file explorer for uploads, drag-and-drop replacements, organization, and file-level edits.
• Live project preview served from the isolated Studio runtime for that workspace.

That last point is important: the preview inside Studio is backed by the real project environment. For Astro or other dev-server projects, Vivd starts and proxies the project dev server from the isolated runtime. For static projects, it serves the workspace files directly. In both cases, the Studio preview is the current project state, not a separate render-only mock view.

Preview image replacement stays intentionally conservative: plain static images work best, while dev-server projects currently support CMS-bound or source-backed Astro images plus local image assets under src/content/** or public/ paths; src/content/media/ remains the preferred managed root, and more complex responsive image markup is still better handled through the agent or direct source edits when Studio cannot resolve it safely.

Choose the right editing mode

Use AI chat for structural work Best for layout shifts, style direction, section rewrites, and broad copy changes.

Use direct editing for precise fixes Best for wording corrections, quick copy tweaks, and finishing details after the layout is right.

Use the asset panel for visual upgrades Replace weak images early so later polish decisions are based on real content.

Use publish only when the draft is ready Studio changes stay in the working version until you explicitly republish.

A strong first editing session

1. Open the project in Studio.
2. Review the page from top to bottom and identify the 3 most obvious problems first.
3. Use the chat for larger layout, copy, or style changes before making tiny refinements.
4. Switch to direct text editing once the structure is mostly right.
5. Replace or upload assets where the draft still feels generic.
6. Run one final pass focused on CTAs, contact details, and mobile readability.

The asset and file explorer keeps replacements and uploaded files inside the same project workspace.

What stays in draft until you publish

• Draft / Studio is your working version inside Vivd.
• Live site is what visitors see on the published domain.
• Layout, copy, image, and plugin changes remain in draft until you publish again.

Changes in Studio do not affect the live site until you publish again.

Saving before you publish

When you are close to republishing, remember that Vivd publishes from saved Studio state.

• When direct preview editing is active, use the dedicated toolbar at the top of the preview canvas for Save, Discard, or leaving edit mode.
• Use Save when you want your latest edits turned into the current Studio snapshot.
• Open the publish dialog from the green rocket in the top-right toolbar.
• If the publish dialog shows Save changes, click it before publishing.
• If Studio says you are on an older snapshot, go back to the latest one before you publish.
• If you are using the agent chat to run a risky platform action, Vivd can pause for explicit approval before commands like republishing or running a full publish checklist pass.

A useful rule of thumb

If a change affects what a visitor should see on the real domain, assume it needs a publish pass before it is actually live.

If the draft still feels generic

• Replace placeholder imagery before spending time on micro-polish.
• Tighten the project description, references, or direction if the initial generation was too vague.
• Revisit Create from Scratch if the first prompt did not include enough business, audience, or visual direction.
• Configure Plugins Overview before the final publish pass if the project needs forms or analytics.

You can generate replacement imagery from the asset workflow instead of leaving the project to create it elsewhere.

Next steps

Configure plugins Set up Contact Form and Analytics before launch if the project depends on them.

Publish the latest draft Use the publish guide once the Studio draft matches the result you want visitors to see.