#Live preview links

Every chatspace has its own public HTTPS URL. Run a web app or API on the machine, point the URL at it, and it's instantly reachable — perfect for a tight build-and-preview loop or sharing a prototype with someone.

#The easy way: ask the agent

You usually don't have to think about any of this. Just ask:

"Run the dev server on port 3000 and give me a public link."

The agent starts your server, wires up the route, and hands you back a link like your-repo.chatspaces.dev. Tap it to open, or share it.

The rest of this page is the detail underneath — useful if you want to expose several things, pick paths, or set it up yourself.

#How it works

Your chatspace's public URL is served by a small reverse proxy on the machine. You tell it which local port (or address) should serve which path by writing a route table to a file:

~/.chatspace/proxy.conf

One rule per line, as <path-prefix> <target>:

/api 3000
/    8081 name=Web protocols=https

That says: send requests under /api to the app on port 3000, and send everything else (/, the catch-all) to the app on port 8081.

Save the file and it takes effect immediately — no restart.

#Targets

The target on the right can be:

#Path matching

• Longest matching prefix wins, so order doesn't matter. A request to /api/health matches /api before it matches /.

• / is the catch-all. If you're only running one thing, a single line is enough:

  / 3000
  

#Route options

Add optional metadata after the target:

• name=My_App (or label=…) — the display name shown for the link in the app. Underscores become spaces.
• protocols=https,exp — publish one link per scheme. https is the normal web link; exp produces an Expo Go link for React Native apps.

/    8081 name=Expo protocols=https,exp
/api 3000  name=API

#WebSockets & hot reload

WebSocket connections and live-reload streams are forwarded, so hot-reloading dev servers and real-time apps work through the link unchanged.

#Good to know

• Port 8080 is reserved — don't use it for your app.
• Links are tied to your chatspace's URL, so a given chatspace keeps a stable address across stops and resumes.
• The link only serves what you point it at. If your app isn't running, or you haven't added a route for it, requests won't resolve — see Troubleshooting.
• Anyone with the URL can reach it — and an inbound request can even briefly wake a stopped chatspace to serve it. Don't put secrets in a preview you share, and delete the chatspace when you're done if it's sensitive (stopping alone leaves the link wakeable).
• Serving traffic uses your usage — see how web requests count.

Next: manage secrets with environments, or see how GitHub access works.