2eae25dc34
Added a bit of enhanced context for better agentic coding, based on this [Discord conversation](https://discord.com/channels/1130383047699738754/1130383048173682821/1501538550301331477). --------- Co-authored-by: Félix Malfait <felix@twenty.com> Co-authored-by: Félix Malfait <felix.malfait@gmail.com>
102 lines
6.7 KiB
Plaintext
102 lines
6.7 KiB
Plaintext
---
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title: Concepts
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description: How Twenty apps work — entity model, sandboxing, and the install lifecycle.
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icon: "sitemap"
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---
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Twenty apps are TypeScript packages that extend your workspace with custom objects, logic, UI components, and AI capabilities. They run on the Twenty platform with full sandboxing and permission controls.
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## How apps work
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An app is a collection of **entities** declared using `defineEntity()` functions from the `twenty-sdk` package. The SDK detects these declarations via AST analysis at build time and produces a **manifest** — a complete description of what your app adds to a workspace. These functions validate your configuration at build time and provide IDE autocompletion and type safety.
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```
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your-app/
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├── src/
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│ ├── application-config.ts ← defineApplication (required, one per app)
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│ ├── roles/ ← defineRole
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│ ├── objects/ ← defineObject
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│ ├── fields/ ← defineField
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│ ├── logic-functions/ ← defineLogicFunction
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│ ├── front-components/ ← defineFrontComponent
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│ ├── skills/ ← defineSkill
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│ ├── agents/ ← defineAgent
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│ ├── views/ ← defineView
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│ ├── navigation-menu-items/ ← defineNavigationMenuItem
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│ └── page-layouts/ ← definePageLayout
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├── public/ ← Static assets (images, icons)
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└── package.json
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```
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<Note>
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**File organization is up to you.** Entity detection is AST-based — the SDK finds `export default defineEntity(...)` calls regardless of where the file lives. The folder structure above is a convention, not a requirement.
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</Note>
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## Entity types
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| Entity | Purpose | Docs |
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|--------|---------|------|
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| **Application** | App identity, default role, variables | [Application Config](/developers/extend/apps/config/application) |
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| **Role** | Permission sets on objects and fields | [Roles & Permissions](/developers/extend/apps/config/roles) |
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| **Object** | Custom record types with fields | [Objects](/developers/extend/apps/data/objects) |
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| **Field** | Add fields to objects from other apps | [Extending Objects](/developers/extend/apps/data/extending-objects) |
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| **Relation** | Bidirectional links between objects | [Relations](/developers/extend/apps/data/relations) |
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| **Logic Function** | Server-side TypeScript with triggers | [Logic Functions](/developers/extend/apps/logic/logic-functions) |
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| **Skill** | Reusable AI agent instructions | [Skills & Agents](/developers/extend/apps/logic/skills-and-agents) |
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| **Agent** | AI assistants with custom prompts | [Skills & Agents](/developers/extend/apps/logic/skills-and-agents) |
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| **Connection Provider** | OAuth credentials for third-party APIs | [Connections](/developers/extend/apps/logic/connections) |
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| **View** | Pre-configured record list views | [Views](/developers/extend/apps/layout/views) |
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| **Navigation Menu Item** | Custom sidebar entries | [Navigation Menu Items](/developers/extend/apps/layout/navigation-menu-items) |
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| **Page Layout** | Tabs and widgets on a record's detail page | [Page Layouts](/developers/extend/apps/layout/page-layouts) |
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| **Front Component** | Sandboxed React UI inside Twenty | [Front Components](/developers/extend/apps/layout/front-components) |
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| **Command Menu Item** | Quick actions and Cmd+K entries | [Command Menu Items](/developers/extend/apps/layout/command-menu-items) |
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## Sandboxing
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- **Logic functions** run in isolated Node.js processes on the server. They only access data through the typed API client, scoped to the app's role permissions.
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- **Front components** run in Web Workers using Remote DOM — sandboxed from the main page but rendering native DOM elements (not iframes). They communicate with Twenty via a message-passing host API.
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- **Permissions** are enforced at the API level. The runtime token (`TWENTY_APP_ACCESS_TOKEN`) is derived from the role defined in `defineApplication()`.
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## App lifecycle
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```
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┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ Development │
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│ npx create-twenty-app → yarn twenty dev (live sync) │
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├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
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│ Build & Deploy │
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│ yarn twenty build → yarn twenty deploy │
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├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
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│ Install flow │
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│ upload → [pre-install] → metadata migration → │
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│ generate SDK → [post-install] │
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├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
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│ Publish │
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│ npm publish → appears in Twenty marketplace │
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└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
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```
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- **`yarn twenty dev`** — watches your source files and live-syncs changes to a connected Twenty server. The typed API client is regenerated automatically when the schema changes.
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- **`yarn twenty build`** — compiles TypeScript, bundles logic functions and front components with esbuild, and produces a manifest.
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- **Pre/post-install hooks** — optional functions that run during installation. See [Install Hooks](/developers/extend/apps/config/install-hooks) for details.
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## Next steps
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<CardGroup cols={2}>
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<Card title="Config" icon="screwdriver-wrench" href="/developers/extend/apps/config/overview">
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Application identity, default role, and install hooks.
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</Card>
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<Card title="Data" icon="database" href="/developers/extend/apps/data/overview">
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Objects, fields, and bidirectional relations.
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</Card>
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<Card title="Logic" icon="bolt" href="/developers/extend/apps/logic/overview">
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Logic functions, skills, agents, and OAuth connections.
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</Card>
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<Card title="Layout" icon="table-columns" href="/developers/extend/apps/layout/overview">
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Views, navigation, page layouts, front components.
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</Card>
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<Card title="Operations" icon="rocket" href="/developers/extend/apps/operations/overview">
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CLI, testing, remotes, CI, and publishing your app.
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</Card>
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</CardGroup>
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