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Design Mode and AIRA Agent Mode

Think of AIRA as another contributor. AIRA does not directly overwrite your manual design work.

WaveMaker uses a git worktrees–based approach to keep manual design changes and AIRA-generated changes isolated until you explicitly decide to merge them.

Separate Workspaces: Design vs AIRA

When you switch between:

  • Manual Design mode
  • AIRA AI (prompt-based) mode

WaveMaker maintains one workspace for design-time changes and another workspace for AIRA-generated changes. These changes are tracked independently and do not override each other automatically. They exist side by side until you take action.

Design Mode vs AIRA Agent Mode

You can build applications manually, use AI assistance, or switch between both at any time. WaveMaker Studio has a mode toggle that lets you switch between:

  • Design Mode (Manual)
  • AIRA Mode (Agent-Assisted)
AspectDesign Mode (Manual)AIRA Mode (Agent-Assisted)
Primary interactionDirect manipulation of Studio canvas and propertiesNatural-language prompts interpreted by AIRA
UI creationManually add pages, layouts, and componentsUI generated or modified by UI / Prism UI agents
Logic handlingDeveloper writes JavaScript and backend logicJavaScript / Java / API agents generate scoped logic
API integrationManual API import, binding, and configurationAPI Agent + API Binding Agent handle integration
Validation & rulesManually implemented by developerGenerated by relevant agents based on intent
Workflow controlFully manual, step-by-stepOrchestrated by WaveMaker Agent
Change executionImmediate and directIsolated until explicitly accepted
Change storageDesign workspaceSeparate AIRA workspace (git worktrees)
Override behaviorDirect edits to filesNo automatic overrides; apply only on acceptance
Conflict handlingManual resolution by developerExplicit merge conflict UI when overlaps occur
Scope of changesExactly what the developer editsOnly what involved agents are authorized to change
Suitable use casesFine-grained UI tuning, custom logic, debuggingMulti-domain tasks, rapid feature creation, wiring
Developer responsibilityFull implementation and wiringReview, accept, and refine agent-generated output

When Do AIRA Changes Affect the App

AIRA changes affect your design only after you explicitly accept them; until then, all AIRA-generated updates stay isolated from your design. Clicking Apply All merges the accepted changes into the design workspace. Before that, your manual work stays safe, the application state does not change, and the system does not auto-apply or silently override anything.

Scope of Changes (Page vs App)

You receive a list of proposed changes before anything is applied. Read this list to see exactly which parts of the application will be affected. When you accept and apply the changes, they take effect only in those specific areas, not across the entire app. Your manual work outside the accepted scope remains untouched.

AIRA does not blindly override the whole application. What gets applied depends on three things:

  • the prompt you gave,
  • the agents involved,
  • the specific changes you accepted

For example, a UI-only prompt affects only the relevant pages or components, a backend prompt affects only the APIs, data, or models handled by that agent, and multi-agent prompts apply only the combined outputs you approved.

Can AIRA Break My App

If the same file is modified both in your manual design work and in the AIRA workspace, the system does not guess or auto-fix anything. Instead, it shows a merge conflict screen so you can clearly see where the changes clash.

You can keep your version, keep AIRA’s version, or merge the changes.

AIRA as a Contributor

The right way to think about AIRA is as another developer on your project. It proposes changes, but it never applies them on its own. You review every change, accept only what you want, and handle conflicts explicitly when they occur. You always stay in control of the final result.