Artifacts: Generated Deliverables

An artifact is a self-contained result — code, a document, or an app — that Claude shows in a separate window next to the chat instead of burying it in the conversation text.

What an artifact is

When you ask Claude to build something larger — a report, a small web tool, a graphic — a separate window often opens next to the chat: the artifact. Claude creates one automatically when content is substantial (roughly more than 15 lines), self-contained, and likely something you'll want to keep working on.

What artifacts are used for

Reports and documents you want to read, share, or edit
Prototypes: small interactive web apps, HTML pages, React components
Visualizations: diagrams, SVGs, charts
Code files that make sense as a standalone piece

Distinction from code in a repo

An artifact is not a replacement for code in an actual project repository. It initially lives only in the conversation or your Claude account, has no version control like Git, and isn't automatically part of a build pipeline. An artifact is well suited for quickly producing or showing something self-contained — for production code that's maintained long-term, the content belongs in a real repository afterward.

Sharing

An artifact can be published: others can view and use it via a link, with no account or API key of their own required.

EXAMPLE

You ask Claude: "Create a small interactive table that groups my CSV sales data by month." Claude opens an artifact with a React component for this, which you see and try directly in the browser — instead of a code block buried in the middle of the chat text.

QUICK QUIZ

How does a published artifact differ from a shared artifact?