You don't have to wait for a build to finish before sending another message. Builds run in the background, and Caffeine lets you communicate with the AI while it's actively working.
How it works
When you send a message during an active build, the AI reads it and decides what to do:
Feedback or refinement — If your message is about the current build ("actually, make the sidebar dark instead" or "add a search bar to that list"), the AI incorporates it into the work in progress.
A quick question — If you're asking something that doesn't require a code change ("what's the difference between draft and live?" or "how many credits does this cost?"), the AI answers without interrupting the build.
A new, unrelated task — If your message is a separate request that has nothing to do with what's being built right now, the AI recognizes this and asks whether you'd like it to pick that up after the current build finishes.
Something unclear — If the AI can't tell what you meant, it asks you to clarify.
During deployment
When Caffeine finishes building and is deploying your draft, the prompt input is temporarily disabled. You cannot send a new message while a deployment is in progress. Once the deployment completes and your draft is ready, the input reactivates automatically.
Stopping a build
If you want to change direction entirely, you can stop a build mid-flight using the stop button in the status indicator above the chat input, or in the build progress panel. This halts the current build so you can re-prompt with a different approach.
You can also tell the AI to stop in the chat — "stop building" or "cancel" — and it will halt.
Answering clarification questions
When you use Guided mode, the AI may pause before building and ask you clarifying questions. During this time the build is in a waiting state — it has not failed, it is simply holding until you respond.
When you answer, the AI delivers your response directly to the paused session. The build resumes from where it left off rather than starting over. You do not need to do anything special — just reply in the chat as normal.
If you decide you no longer want the AI to proceed with the original request, say so explicitly — for example, "cancel this" or "let's start over" — and the AI will discard the paused session before handling your new request.
Checking on build status
While the AI is working, a status indicator appears just above the chat input showing either Reasoning (while the AI is planning) or a task count (X of Y tasks done) once work is underway. A scrolling summary describes what the AI is thinking about right now.
You can also expand the build progress panel to see the full task checklist — which tasks have completed, which are in progress, and which are still pending.
You can ask the AI directly about progress — "is it done?", "is it still running?", or "what's happening?" — and it will look up the current state of the build before answering. If a build is active, it tells you the current phase and what it is working on. If the build is waiting on your input, it tells you that clearly and repeats what it was asking. If nothing is running, it tells you the last known outcome.
Mobile tab indicators
On mobile, the workspace is split into two tabs — Chat and Preview — that you switch between to see the conversation and your app side by side.
A small dot appears on a tab when there is something new waiting for you:
- Chat tab dot — one or more messages arrived since you last viewed the chat.
- Preview tab dot — a new draft has been deployed since you last opened the preview.
The dot disappears the moment you switch to that tab. It does not appear on the tab you are currently viewing.
Browser notifications
Caffeine can send a browser notification when something important happens in a build — so you don't have to keep the tab open and visible while your app is being built.
When you send your first prompt, your browser asks whether you'd like to allow notifications from Caffeine. If you allow them, you'll receive a notification when:
- Your draft is ready — the build finished and your draft is ready to review.
- Your app is live — a Go Live operation completed successfully.
- Generation failed — the build hit a problem and could not complete.
- Caffeine is waiting — the AI has paused and needs your input to continue.
- A new message — the AI posted a conversational reply that may need your attention.
Clicking a notification takes you directly to the relevant project chat.
Notifications are only sent when you are not already looking at that project in the browser. If you are on the project page, Caffeine assumes you can already see what is happening and skips the notification.
If you decline the permission prompt or later change your mind, you can manage notification permissions for Caffeine in your browser's site settings.
Frequently asked questions
Will my mid-build message always be acted on?
If you send feedback, the AI does its best to incorporate it into the current build. Depending on how far along the build is, some feedback may arrive too late to affect the current result — in that case, just send the same message again after the build completes.
What if I send multiple messages during one build?
Each message is assessed individually. Feedback is incorporated as it arrives. If you send several pieces of refinement feedback quickly, the AI incorporates as much as it can.
Can I just ask the AI if it's finished?
Yes. Asking "is it done?", "done yet?", or "is it still running?" will prompt the AI to check the live build state and give you an accurate answer — not a guess based on the last thing it said. If a build is actively running, it reports the current phase and a summary. If the build is paused waiting on your input, it says so and repeats the question. If the build has finished or nothing is in progress, it says so clearly.
What happens if I send a new request while the AI is waiting for my clarification answer?
If your new message answers the pending question, the AI delivers it and the build continues. If your message is something unrelated — a new feature request or a different instruction — the AI tells you there is still a pending question and asks you to answer it first or explicitly cancel. This prevents accidentally starting a second build when you meant to answer the first one.
How do I enable or disable browser notifications?
The first time you send a prompt, your browser shows a permission prompt. Allow it to receive notifications, or dismiss it to skip them. To change this later, open your browser's site settings for Caffeine and update the Notifications permission there. Caffeine does not have its own notification toggle — the browser setting is the switch.
Will I get notified if I already have the project open?
No. Caffeine only sends a notification when you are not already viewing that project in your browser. If the project is the active page, Caffeine assumes you can see what's happening and skips the notification.
What do the dots on the Chat and Preview tabs mean on mobile?
A dot on the Chat tab means there are unread messages since you last viewed the chat. A dot on the Preview tab means a new draft has been deployed and you haven't opened the preview to see it yet. Switching to the tab clears the dot immediately.