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Start from a design that already works and use AI to run and adapt it, instead of asking it for a website from scratch.

By Arrmma editorial team · Published · 30 min · Level: Beginner

Tested on November 8, 2026 with Pliegue 1.1.0, Node.js 24.22.1 and npm 11.19 on macOS.

Short answer

To build your first website with AI: download a design with its code, install Node.js 20.19 or later, open the folder in your AI tool, ask it to run the package prompt (npm ci and npm run dev), check the site at http://localhost:5173, ask for one specific change and finish with npm run build without errors.

What you need

  • A free Arrmma account (Pliegue downloads free with an account).
  • Node.js 20.19 or later (or 22.12+) and npm.
  • An AI tool that works on folders and can run commands, for example Claude Code.
  • An internet connection to install dependencies.

Steps

  1. Pick the starting design

    Open the Pliegue page on Arrmma, sign in and download the code package. Any other design with code works the same way.

    Check: Your library shows Pliegue and you have the ZIP file.

  2. Unzip the package

    Unzip it into a working folder. Read README.md first: it lists what is included, the requirements and where each thing is changed.

    Check: You see README.md, prompt.md, LICENCIAS-Y-AVISOS.md and the pliegue-studio/ folder.

  3. Check Node.js

    In a terminal, confirm the version. Vite 8 requires Node 20.19 or later.

    node -v
npm -v

    Check: node -v shows v20.19 or later (v24.22.1 in our test).

  4. Ask the AI to start it

    Open the folder in your AI tool and paste the contents of prompt.md. Its first point asks to install and start the site.

    cd pliegue-studio
npm ci
npm run dev

    Check: npm ci finishes without errors and http://localhost:5173 shows the design (headline “FORMA PROPIA”).

  5. Ask for one specific change

    A narrow request works better than “improve the website”. Name the files and what must not change.

    Change the name “PLIEGUE” to “MAREA” in src/components/Hero.jsx and
src/components/Footer.jsx, and the <title> in index.html to
“Marea Estudio — Diseño y estrategia”. Do not change anything else.

    Check: Ask the AI for a summary of changes: only those three files should appear.

  6. Build the result

    Building confirms the project is still healthy after the change.

    npm run build

    Check: It ends with “prerender: dist/index.html” and no errors.

What happened in our test

npm ci took 1.8 s and npm run build 2.5 s on a clean copy of Pliegue 1.1.0.

The name change touched exactly Hero.jsx, Footer.jsx and index.html; the built HTML shows “MAREA” and no longer contains “PLIEGUE”.

npm warned about install scripts of a build dependency (fsevents); it does not block the build, as the README says.

Common mistakes

  • Using a Node version older than 20.19: Vite 8 will not start.
  • Vague requests (“make it more modern”): the AI rewrites more than needed.
  • Running commands outside pliegue-studio/: npm cannot find package.json.
  • Publishing without review: the sample content (name, copy, images) is not yours.

Next step

Continue with the guide to customize the design: brand, colors, copy and images.

Next guide

Find your next design.

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