# Guides

Guides are for adding an agent to the app you are building: one task per page, written to be read by you or by your coding agent. Start with [Build an AI agent for your app](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/build-an-ai-agent). The reference for every file, command and endpoint is in the [documentation](https://vatio.ai/docs/), the [CLI](https://vatio.ai/docs/cli/), the [SDK](https://vatio.ai/docs/sdk/) and the [API](https://vatio.ai/docs/api/).

Two ways in, and you can use both:

1. From any chat: add `https://vatio.ai/mcp` as a connector in Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor, sign in and ask for the agent ([Vatio in Claude and ChatGPT](https://vatio.ai/docs/mcp)).
2. To build it into the app's code: in the project, run `npx @vatio-ai/skills`, then `/vatio-init` ([the skills](https://vatio.ai/docs/integrations/claude-code)).

## Start here

- [Build an AI agent for your app](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/build-an-ai-agent): The whole path, for you and for the coding agent doing it: connect, build, try, put it in the app, publish, improve.

## By use case

- [Bookings and appointments](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-bookings): Let signed-in users see availability, book, move and cancel through your app's own API.
- [Orders, deliveries and returns](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-orders): Order status, delivery estimates, changes your rules allow and returns, for each signed-in user.
- [Support for signed-in users](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-customer-support): Answer from your docs, check the user's own account, troubleshoot and open a ticket with what was tried.
- [Onboarding new users](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-onboarding): Help new users finish setup: answer how-to questions and tell them their next step from their own progress.

## Built in an app builder

- [Lovable apps](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-lovable-apps): Sync your Lovable project to GitHub, run the two steps in Claude Code or Cursor, and keep building in Lovable.
- [Bolt apps](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-bolt-apps): Connect your Bolt project to GitHub, add the agent from Claude Code or Cursor, and keep Bolt in sync.
- [Replit apps](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-replit-apps): Push your Replit app to GitHub, add the agent from Claude Code or Cursor, and pull it back into Replit.
- [v0 apps](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-v0-apps): Connect your v0 project to GitHub, add the agent to the Next.js app, and allow your vercel.app address.

## By stack

- [Next.js apps](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-nextjs-apps): The widget in your root layout, a token signed with jose, and tools that call your Route Handlers.
- [React apps](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-react-apps): The widget mounted in an effect; your backend signs the user's token and your API verifies it.
- [Supabase apps](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-supabase-apps): An Edge Function signs the signed-in user's token, and tools call your Edge Functions to read that user's rows.
- [Firebase apps](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-firebase-apps): A Cloud Function turns Firebase sign-in into a token Vatio verifies; tools call your HTTPS functions.
- [Rails apps](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-rails-apps): The widget in your layout, users signed in with vatio-sdk, and tools that call your controllers.
- [Django and FastAPI apps](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-python-apps): The widget in your base template, and tokens signed and verified with PyJWT.
- [Laravel apps](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-for-laravel-apps): The widget in your Blade layout, and tokens signed and verified with firebase/php-jwt.

## Channels and SDKs

- [An AI chat for your web app or site](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-chat-widget-for-your-website): One script tag puts the agent in your web app or site, themed to your brand and able to recognize signed-in users.
- [An AI agent in your iOS app](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-in-your-ios-app): The same agent inside your iPhone app with the iOS SDK, signed in as the user your app already knows.
- [An AI agent in your Android app](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-in-your-android-app): The same agent inside your Android app with the Kotlin SDK and a Compose screen, signed in as the user your app already knows.
- [An AI agent in your Flutter app](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-in-your-flutter-app): The same agent in your Flutter app on iOS and Android, signed in as your user.
- [An AI agent on WhatsApp](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/whatsapp-ai-agent): Add WhatsApp to your app's agent: test on a shared number, then connect your business number.
- [An AI agent on Instagram](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/instagram-ai-agent): Answer Instagram DMs with your app's agent: test on a shared account, then connect your professional account.

## How it works

- [The AI agent runtime](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-runtime): What Vatio runs between a customer's message and your agent's reply: grouping messages, the prompt, the model and your tools, safeguards, delivery and what follows.
- [Long-running tools](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-long-running-tools): Tools that take minutes, such as recommendations, reports or a job that drives a browser: the agent keeps talking and delivers the result on any channel.
- [Best practices](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-best-practices): Instructions, tools, knowledge, handoff and tests: what works for an agent real users talk to.
- [Glossary](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/ai-agent-glossary): The words around customer-facing AI agents, from tool and handoff to eval and preview, in plain terms.

## Compare

- [Choosing how to build your app's agent](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/vatio-vs-frameworks-and-no-code): An agent framework in your backend, a visual or WhatsApp chatbot builder, or Vatio from your coding agent.
- [Vatio vs Intercom Fin](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/vatio-vs-intercom-fin): When a support team's helpdesk agent fits, when an agent built into your app does, and how to move.
- [Vatio vs Chatbase](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/vatio-vs-chatbase): A no-code agent trained on your content, or one your coding agent builds into your app, and how to move.
- [Vatio vs Voiceflow](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/vatio-vs-voiceflow): A platform for chat and voice agents, or an agent defined in your app's project, and how to move.
- [Vatio vs Botpress](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/vatio-vs-botpress): A bot platform with a studio and a TypeScript ADK, or an agent in your app's project, and how to move.
- [Vatio vs Tidio](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/vatio-vs-tidio): A no-code support platform, or an agent your coding agent builds from your app, and how to move.
- [Vatio vs Manychat](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/vatio-vs-manychat): Chat marketing on Instagram and other apps, or an agent for your app's signed-in users, and how to move.
- [Vatio vs the Vercel AI SDK](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/vatio-vs-vercel-ai-sdk): What you build and run yourself around the AI SDK's loop, what Vatio runs instead, and how to move your tools.
- [Vatio vs the Claude Agent SDK](https://vatio.ai/docs/guides/vatio-vs-claude-agent-sdk): An agent harness to host yourself, or a runtime for your app's customer chat, and how to move.

## Topics that live in the documentation

These have one page, in the reference, and no separate guide:

- [Human in the loop](https://vatio.ai/docs/handoff): when the agent hands a conversation to a person, and how it comes back.
- [Safeguards](https://vatio.ai/docs/safeguards): the checks every reply passes before it is sent, and the rules you add.
- [Knowledge bases](https://vatio.ai/docs/knowledge): what the agent answers from.
- [Your daily improvement routine](https://vatio.ai/docs/improve): reports in the inbox, `/vatio-improve`, tests, publication.
- [Authentication](https://vatio.ai/docs/authentication/) and [Tools](https://vatio.ai/docs/tools): connect your backend and recognize signed-in users.