Getting started
Qanvas turns a conversation into a complete multi-page marketing or landing site, built as an ordinary Next.js project. It runs on your own machine, uses your own AI key, and the sites you build are 100% yours.
Requirements
- Node.js 20.9 or newer.
- An API key from Google AI Studio (Gemini), Anthropic (Claude) or OpenAI. See Add your AI key.
There is no hosted service and no account to create.
Start Qanvas
npx getqanvas --start
Qanvas opens in your browser at http://localhost:7140. If that port is
taken it uses the next free one up to 7149 and prints the address.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
-p 3100 or --port 3100 | Use a port you choose |
--no-open | Start without opening the browser |
Your first launch
- Before you start. Qanvas asks you to read and accept the Qanvas Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Select I agree to continue.
- Your first project. Qanvas creates an Untitled Project for you. It
starts as a blank slate: an empty Home page plus
/termsand/privacypages. - The Guided Tour. A short spotlight tour walks you through adding your AI key, the Blueprint, the chat, Design, Code, reporting feedback and upgrading. You can replay it any time from Help → Guided tour.
Updating Qanvas
When a newer version is published, a vX.Y.Z available badge appears in the top-right of the header. To update, stop Qanvas and run:
npx getqanvas@latest
Where your data lives
Projects, AI keys, chat history and images are saved outside the installed
package, in ~/.qanvas. Set QANVAS_HOME to use another folder. Qanvas
prints the folder it uses each time it starts.
Reinstalling or updating never touches that folder, so back it up if your projects matter to you.
Editions
- Community: free forever for one project.
- Lifetime: a one-time licence per developer for unlimited projects.
See Editions and licensing for how the two editions differ and how to activate a licence.