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Browser Preview

As you build your app with CatDoes, a live browser preview appears in a panel alongside your conversation. Every change the agent makes — new screens, design tweaks, feature additions — is reflected in the preview automatically.

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Auto-Refresh

The preview refreshes automatically when:
  • The agent finishes writing or modifying code files
  • A codebase scan completes
  • The agent explicitly reloads the preview after installing packages or making structural changes
You can also manually refresh the preview at any time using the refresh button in the preview panel.

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Soft Reload

A soft reload refreshes the preview without restarting anything. It’s a quick way to reconnect and see recent changes. When to use it: Sometimes the agent disconnects from the preview and you can’t see the latest changes. A soft reload reconnects it and brings everything up to date. How to soft reload:
  • In the browser preview — click the refresh button in the preview panel.
  • In Expo Go — hold three fingers on the screen to open the reload menu.
  • Ask the agent — tell the design or software agent to soft reload. For example:
    “Soft reload the preview”

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Hard Reload

A hard reload fully restarts the development server. It clears cached data and gives your project a fresh start. When to use it: If something isn’t working and you can’t figure out why — the page looks stuck, a change isn’t showing up, or the app is behaving strangely — a hard reload often fixes it. These are usually cache-related problems that go away with a restart. How to hard reload: Ask the agent to hard reload for you. For example:
“Hard reload”
If you’ve been trying to fix an issue and nothing seems to work, try a hard reload before spending more time debugging. It clears out cached data and restarts fresh — many mysterious problems turn out to be a simple cache issue.

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Runtime Errors

If your app encounters a runtime error during preview, CatDoes captures it and makes it available to the agent. The agent can inspect these errors and attempt to fix them automatically as part of its workflow. For more on how the agent monitors and responds to errors, see CatDoes Watch.

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Mobile Preview with Expo Go

Beyond the browser preview, you can test your app on a physical mobile device using Expo Go.
  1. Download Expo Go on your iOS or Android device.
  2. Use the Scan QR Code option in the preview panel to get a QR code for your project.
  3. Scan the QR code with your device to open the app in Expo Go.
This lets you test touch interactions, native features, and real-world performance directly on your phone.
The browser preview renders your app in a web view, which may look or behave slightly differently from the native mobile experience. Use the Expo Go preview on a physical device to verify native-specific behavior.
Use the QR code to share your in-progress app with teammates or stakeholders for quick feedback — no install required, just the Expo Go app.