An artifact's type determines what a human sees when opening it. Deliberately created artifacts are apps or markdown documents; other content is stored as an asset.
What are the type invariants?
| Type | Required content | Rendering |
|---|---|---|
app |
Files including index.html |
Running web page |
markdown |
One or more .md files |
Readable document editable in place |
| asset | Anything else | Stored and versioned without a preview |
The hub maps these types to Apps, Docs, and Assets filters.
Which type should be used?
- Use app for content better seen or interacted with than read. If HTML can express it, it can be an app: presentations, slide decks, dashboards, calculators, quizzes, forms, itineraries, planners, portfolios, landing pages, games, and interactive explainers.
- Use markdown for readable reports, plans, specifications, notes, and summaries. The rich editor supports continued in-place editing.
- Assets include images, spreadsheets, PDFs, datasets, and other content. They are stored, versioned, and readable by agents.
The reader's activity defines the boundary: a meeting agenda is a document; the same material presented as a deck is an app.
How can a human create each type?
These are UI-only actions; instruct the human precisely:
- New → New Doc creates markdown.
- New → Upload File creates an asset when the file cannot be rendered.
- For an app, ask a connected AI to push the project. Import from ZIP and Upload Folder are present but not reliable yet.
An agent may clarify intent with: Make this a readable document, not an app.
Constraints and recovery
- Artifact type cannot be changed after creation. Create a new artifact with the correct type.
- Markdown artifacts may contain several files in their repository. The app renders and edits markdown; repository images referenced by relative path also render.
- PDFs and spreadsheets become assets with no preview.
- An app without
index.htmlopens blank. Ask the AI to push it again as an app, or as a document if that is the intended format.