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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

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. 
your-app/
├── src/
│   ├── application-config.ts    ← defineApplication (required, one per app)
│   ├── roles/                   ← defineRole
│   ├── objects/                 ← defineObject
│   ├── fields/                  ← defineField
│   ├── logic-functions/         ← defineLogicFunction
│   ├── front-components/        ← defineFrontComponent
│   ├── skills/                  ← defineSkill
│   ├── agents/                  ← defineAgent
│   ├── views/                   ← defineView
│   ├── navigation-menu-items/   ← defineNavigationMenuItem
│   └── page-layouts/            ← definePageLayout
├── public/                      ← Static assets (images, icons)
└── package.json
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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Entity types

EntityPurposeDocs
ApplicationApp identity, permissions, variablesData Model
RolePermission sets for objects and fieldsData Model
ObjectCustom data tables with fieldsData Model
FieldExtend existing objects, define relationsData Model
Logic FunctionServer-side TypeScript with triggersLogic Functions
Front ComponentSandboxed React UI in Twenty’s pageFront Components
SkillReusable AI agent instructionsSkills & Agents
AgentAI assistants with custom promptsSkills & Agents
ViewPre-configured record list viewsLayout
Navigation Menu ItemCustom sidebar entriesLayout
Page LayoutCustom record page tabs and widgetsLayout

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Sandboxing

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Development                                             │
│   npx create-twenty-app → yarn twenty dev (live sync)   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Build & Deploy                                          │
│   yarn twenty build → yarn twenty deploy                │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Install flow                                            │
│   upload → [pre-install] → metadata migration →         │
│   generate SDK → [post-install]                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Publish                                                 │
│   npm publish → appears in Twenty marketplace           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
  • 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.
  • yarn twenty build — compiles TypeScript, bundles logic functions and front components with esbuild, and produces a manifest.
  • Pre/post-install hooks — optional logic functions that run during installation. See Logic Functions for details.

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Next steps

Data Model

Define objects, fields, roles, and relations.

Logic Functions

Server-side functions with HTTP, cron, and event triggers.

Front Components

Sandboxed React components inside Twenty’s UI.

Layout

Views, navigation items, and record page layouts.

Skills & Agents

AI skills and agents with custom prompts.

CLI & Testing

CLI commands, testing, assets, remotes, and CI.

Publishing

Deploy to a server or publish to the marketplace.