Operations dashboard
Put the decisions, exceptions, and daily numbers your operators actually use in one place.
Small software for serious work
Build the software your team wishes existed.
Turn a stubborn workflow or business problem into a planned, reviewed Application. The Block carries your business context through controlled agent and expert execution, tested previews, durable hosting, and ongoing improvement.
Build an Application · See how it works
Applications are available on paid plans.
- Start with the business problem
- Tested and independently reviewed
- You approve the exact change
Why small software
The important workflow that generic software almost fits is often the one worth fixing.
Agents lowered the cost of creating team-specific software. The hard part is still turning generated code into a useful tool that is planned, connected, reviewable, deployed, and maintainable. A tool used by five people can still run serious work.
Approval workflow
Replace a chain of forms, inboxes, and spreadsheets with a visible path to a decision.
KPI tracker
Track the few measures your team owns without forcing them into a generic reporting suite.
Customer or partner portal
Give a specific audience a focused web workflow built around the job they need to complete.
Internal reporting tool
Turn recurring data collection and reporting into a durable, repeatable business process.
Team-specific prototype
Test a high-value workflow with real context before it grows into a larger Initiative.
From business problem to working software
01 · Context
Start with the Business Profile, repository knowledge, approved Connections, files, research, and Design Assets that matter to this Application.
02 · Plan
Review requirements, affected systems, risks, tests, required access, and a visible spending ceiling before implementation.
03 · Build
A bounded Application change is implemented in an isolated, restricted agent run against its assigned repository.
04 · Review
Relevant tests and an independent adversarial review run before you inspect the exact preview and commit.
05 · Publish and improve
You decide what ships. Keep the stable URL, persistent database, conversations, linked Initiatives, and implementation history together.
The pieces that make generated software usable after the first prompt
Bring or create the repository
Import an authorized GitHub repository or have The Block create a private one. One Application stays tied to one repository.
Publish a durable web Application
Use a stable platform URL and a persistent Application database designed to survive ordinary pod, node, and backend restarts.
Use a custom domain
Follow a guided DNS handoff, then keep the platform URL available while the custom hostname is verified.
Carry the right business context
Ground planning in reviewed Business Profile context, repository knowledge, uploaded references, and Application-specific Design Assets.
Attach approved capabilities
Use Application-scoped Secrets and selected Connection metadata without pasting secret values into the conversation.
Plan before an agent runs
See the proposed change, risks, tests, access needs, and spending limit before confirming implementation.
Build in isolation
Run bounded implementation in a restricted environment with short-lived, Application-specific access.
Review the exact result
Inspect relevant checks, separate adversarial review, and an exact preview and commit before deciding whether to merge.
Keep improving
Continue the Application conversation with its prior plans, runs, history, Design Assets, and linked Initiatives still attached.
Small software should not become shadow IT.
The Block governs the workspace and build-and-release process around each Application. If the tool itself needs end-user login, private sharing, or roles, that identity layer is planned and implemented as part of the Application.
- The plan is reviewed before code runs.
- Access is limited to the Application and approved capabilities.
- Credentials are handled through Connections and Secrets rather than pasted into prompts.
- Implementation runs in an isolated environment.
- Relevant checks and independent review run before release.
- The owner reviews an exact preview and decides what ships.
- Changes stay attached to source, history, and the ongoing Application workspace.
The Application is the tool. The Block is the system around it.
Use the rest of The Block to decide what software matters, ground it in the business, deliver work that extends beyond one bounded change, and keep improving it.
AI initiative planning
Use AI-guided intake to clarify business goals, define scope, estimate budgets, organize tasks, and create an initiative that is ready to fund and execute.
Custom business software
Build custom business software with a plan-first AI app builder that connects approved context, isolated implementation, tested previews, durable hosting, and owner-controlled release.
AI design assets
Generate design concepts and application visuals from product context, references, and conversations, then carry them into planning and implementation.
AI marketing research
Research a business, market, competitors, search visibility, and AI visibility, then turn findings into prioritized actions and executable initiatives.
AI go-to-market strategy
Create an AI-assisted go-to-market strategy from business context and research, then launch approved recommendations as scoped, funded initiatives.
AI implementation agents
Use repository-aware AI implementation agents to plan, build, test, review, and preview approved software work with controlled access and human oversight.
Connected business intelligence
Connect approved business data, files, websites, analytics, and repositories so research, planning, chat, and AI execution use better context.
Expert worker marketplace
Turn business priorities into funded tasks and connect them with developers, operators, and specialists through The Block’s expert worker marketplace.
Give growing businesses the capacity to act on their best ideas.
Small and medium businesses should not need enterprise headcount—or a maze of disconnected tools—to build useful software around the way they actually work. The Block combines context, planning, AI, capital, and human expertise while keeping consequential decisions in human hands.
What to know before you build
What is small software?
Small software is purpose-built business software for one person or a small team. It may serve only a handful of users, but it can still support an important workflow, decision, or operating process.
What kinds of business tools can The Block build and host?
The Block is designed for business web Applications such as operations dashboards, approval workflows, KPI trackers, customer or partner portals, internal reporting tools, and team-specific prototypes. Support depends on the repository, framework, integrations, and approved plan.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. You can start with the business problem and review the plan, limits, preview, and release decision in product language. Technical requirements and risks remain visible when they matter.
Can The Block use an existing repository?
Yes. You can import an authorized GitHub repository or have The Block create a private repository. Each Application is tied to one repository so its source, context, runs, and history stay aligned.
What happens before an AI-generated change is released?
You approve a structured plan and spending limit before implementation. The change runs in an isolated environment, goes through relevant tests and a separate adversarial review, and returns as an exact preview and commit for the owner to accept or reject. It is not merged automatically.
Can an Application have a stable URL and database?
Yes. A hosted web Application can use a stable The Block platform URL and a persistent Application database that survives ordinary runtime restarts. If the Application needs its own end-user login, private sharing, or roles, those must be implemented for that Application.
Can I use a custom domain?
Yes, with a guided DNS handoff. You or your domain administrator update the required DNS records, and the custom domain is marked active only after routing and HTTPS are verified. It is not a one-click activation.
How are Connections and credentials handled?
Approved Connections, Application-scoped Secrets, and selected non-secret metadata can be attached to the work without pasting secret values into chat. Access is scoped and audited, and not every OAuth credential is copied into the Application runtime.
When should Application work become a larger Initiative?
Use an Initiative when the work spans multiple deliverables, teams, budgets, or work beyond one bounded repository change. Applications can link that broader plan back to the software workspace.
Can human specialists work on the project?
Yes. Funded work can be routed to developers, operators, and other specialists through the expert marketplace, while files, discussion, delivery, and review remain connected. Specialist availability depends on the work and marketplace capacity.
What small piece of software would unblock your team?
Describe the business problem. The Block will help turn it into a reviewable plan and a durable Application you control.
Applications are available on paid plans.