If you are a designer, PM, support lead or anyone else who knows what should change in your product but doesn’t write code, Replit Cloud Agents now let you describe the change in plain English, watch it appear in a live preview of your real app, and hand engineering a tested pull request instead of a ticket. Replit announced Cloud Agents for existing repositories on October 27, 2026 and says they are available now to all Pro and Enterprise customers. You connect your GitHub or GitLab account at replit.com/repos, pick a repository, and chat. Engineers still decide what gets merged. This guide covers the setup screens, what to type, how to read the results, and the access problems people run into most often.

Everything below comes from Replit’s launch post and its official “Code with Replit” documentation (overview, connect a repository, run a preview, make a contribution, respond to review, repository access and security), checked on October 28, 2026. Replit’s interface changes often; if a button label on your screen differs slightly, those docs pages are the source of truth.

Key facts

• Who can use it: Replit says Cloud Agents for existing repositories are available to all Pro and Enterprise customers. The docs still call repository-based development an “early-access workflow” whose availability and setup “can differ by workspace”, so if you don’t see it, ask your workspace admin.
• Where your code lives: stays in GitHub or GitLab. Replit opens a pull request (GitHub) or merge request (GitLab); it does not merge or deploy anything.
• Where it runs: in an isolated cloud sandbox. Your laptop needs nothing installed, and your production hosting doesn’t move.
• What you get back: a pull request that, according to Replit, includes the change, a summary, and screenshots and video of the agent testing it in a browser.
• Slack: mention or DM @Replit in Slack to start an investigation or a pull request. Replit says the Slack integration is available to all customers. Microsoft Teams support is “coming soon”.
• Cost: the work runs as Replit Agent usage on your plan (Free, Power or Max mode; Power and Max use monthly credits). Replit doesn’t publish a separate Cloud Agents price.

What Cloud Agents actually do (in plain words)

Most companies have the same bottleneck: the people who notice what is wrong with the product (a confusing setting, a typo in an error message, spacing that’s been off for months) aren’t the people who can change the code. They file a ticket, and it waits.

Cloud Agents shortcut that. In Replit’s words, you “describe what should change in plain language”, the agent “find[s] the relevant code” and makes the change “while a live preview of your app updates next to the chat”. You look at the preview, ask for adjustments, and when it looks right the agent opens a pull request that follows your team’s contribution guidelines.

Three details make this more than “an AI that edits code”:

1. It runs your real app. The agent sets up a copy of your app in a cloud sandbox, so you see the change working, not just a code diff.
2. It tests like a customer would. Replit says the agent “opens your running app in a browser and clicks through the change”, fixes what fails, and attaches screenshots and video to the pull request. Your engineer can review it without running anything.
3. It handles review comments. If a reviewer asks for changes, the agent updates the same pull request. You don’t have to translate code-review comments into code.

If you’ve read our guide to running Claude Code in the cloud, the idea is similar. The difference is the audience: Replit is aiming squarely at non-engineers working on a company codebase, with a running preview of the app as the center of the experience.

Before you start: a 2-minute checklist

You need	Why	Who usually handles it
A Replit Pro or Enterprise plan with repository work enabled	Cloud Agents for existing repos are limited to these plans	Whoever pays for Replit
A GitHub or GitLab account that can already read the repository	Replit only uses access you already have; connecting doesn’t grant new permissions	You (and IT, if you lack access)
Permission to push a branch (or your team’s fork workflow)	Needed to open a pull request	Your engineering lead
Workspace repository access (GitHub App or GitLab group grant)	Only needed to save a reusable environment and run background builds	A Replit workspace admin
Development credentials, if the app needs them	Some apps can’t start without API keys or a test database	An engineer on your team

You don’t need to set up a reusable environment before your first try. The docs are explicit: “You don’t need to configure a reusable development environment before beginning.”

Step 1: Connect your GitHub or GitLab account

1. Open Repositories in Replit.
2. On the GitHub or GitLab card, select Connect and follow the prompts. Read the access it requests before approving.
3. If the card says Manage instead, your workspace is already connected; select Connect under Personal account to add your own sign-in.

You can also connect from Integrations in your personal settings, or just type in the chat: “Connect my GitHub account so I can work on an existing repository.”

Gotcha: connecting your account does not start your app or give you access to repositories you couldn’t already see. If a repository is missing from the list, the problem is almost always permissions on the GitHub or GitLab side (see Troubleshooting below).

Step 2: Pick the repository and get the app running

On the Repositories page, find your repository and select Use in chat. Then ask Replit to run it. Replit’s own suggested prompt is:

Run [your repository URL] and show me a preview. Do not push changes or open a pull request.

That second line is worth keeping. It tells the agent this is a look-around, not a change.

Replit then prepares a sandbox, installs what the app needs, and starts it. It reads the repository’s own instructions to work out the setup, so you don’t need to know the commands. Files such as AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md, and any skills stored in the repo, come along automatically and help the agent follow your team’s conventions.

When the preview loads:

• Click around it like a user would.
• Select Open in a new tab (top-right of the preview toolbar) for more room.
• Remember this is a development preview, not your live site. Nothing you do here reaches customers.

If your app needs API keys or a test database: don’t paste them into the chat. Open + → Secrets → New Secret, enter the name in Key and the value in Value, and select Add Secret. These secrets belong to the current chat only. Ask an engineer for development credentials with the smallest scope that works, never production ones.

If the preview won’t load: ask Replit to “check the server and preview endpoint”, or to restart the app.

Optional: save the setup so the next person starts instantly

Once the app runs, Replit may offer a Save environment form (or you can type “I’d like to create an environment for this.”). Confirm the repository and branch (usually main), review the name and description, and select Save environment.

This matters for teams. Replit’s launch post says an admin can set the environment up once and everyone else starts from it, and that it “updates automatically from your main branch”. Two caveats from the docs:

• Saving needs workspace repository access configured by an admin. Without it, you can keep using your current preview; you just can’t save a shared setup.
• Saving doesn’t mean the build succeeded. Replit rebuilds it in a fresh sandbox and checks the app; only a successful build gets reused. Rebuilds never change a sandbox that’s already running.

Step 3: Ask for the change

Now describe what you want, in the same chat. Be specific about what should change and what must stay the same. Replit’s example:

Change the landing page heading from “Bring ideas into your codebase.” to “Turn ideas into improvements.” Show me the updated preview.

Good first requests are small and easy to check: a wording fix, a broken link, a clearer error message, a spacing issue. For bigger features, describe the outcome you want and work through the details with follow-ups.

A stronger prompt for real work, adapted from Replit’s customer-feedback use case:

Customers report they can’t tell which required signup field they missed. Look at the signup flow and explain the current behavior. Propose a focused improvement using our existing form components and keep the validation rules unchanged. Ask me to confirm the approach before editing, then show me a preview and the test results. Don’t open a pull request until I ask.

Why this works: it explains the problem, limits the scope, asks for a plan first, and keeps you in control of when anything goes to engineering.

Step 4: Check the result before it goes anywhere

Look at the preview yourself, then ask the agent to test:

Test this change on desktop and mobile and show me the results.

Replit tests in a real browser against the running preview. A Testing your app item in the chat shows what it’s checking. Wait for the final report: an in-progress test isn’t a pass, and Replit’s docs tell you to read what passed and what it “couldn’t verify”.

Things worth checking on any visual change:

• Appearance: readable on desktop and phone, no clipped or overlapping text.
• Behavior: buttons and links still work.
• Scope: open + → Changes → Local changes and check that only what you asked for changed. Red is removed, green is added. You don’t have to read code fluently to notice that 14 files changed when you asked for a heading.

Step 5: Turn it into a pull request

When you’re happy, ask:

Push these changes to a new branch in my repository and open a pull request. Summarize what changed and how it was tested.

For GitLab, ask for a merge request. If your team prefers drafts, say “open a draft pull request”. Replit’s use-case guide also suggests asking it to “clearly state anything we could not verify”, which reviewers appreciate.

The pull request then shows up in two places: in your repository’s Pull requests tab on GitHub, and in Replit’s Details sidebar, linked to your chat. Opening it does not merge or deploy anything. Your team’s normal review and release process still applies.

Step 6: Respond to review without touching code

If an admin has installed the Git provider app for your workspace, review comments can appear right in your Replit chat. Turn on Watch pull request for the linked request, and Replit assesses new feedback and makes fixes automatically. Sometimes it will ask you to decide instead, for example on an optional wording change. Not every comment needs a code change.

If comments aren’t showing up, paste the pull request link and ask:

Address the review comments, test the changes, and update the pull request. Reply to the comments with what changed.

New commits go onto the same branch, so the existing pull request updates. You don’t need to open a new one.

Replit also says the agent can turn recurring review feedback into proposed updates to your team’s skills (written instructions the agent follows in your codebase), with engineers approving each update. The launch post notes that this part is still in early access.

Starting from Slack (or your phone)

Most product ideas start in a conversation, so Replit lets the Slack thread become the request. Mention or DM @Replit to investigate an issue or turn a proposal into a pull request. You can follow progress and give feedback in the thread, then continue in Replit when you need to.

To set it up, go to Workspace Settings, link your Replit account, and choose a workspace. Replit says the Slack integration is available to all customers. You can also start a pull request from the Replit mobile app.

Running several tasks at once

Got two unrelated fixes? Ask Replit to split them:

Review the landing page copy and check keyboard navigation. Do these in separate chats in parallel, and report the findings here.

Each task becomes a “worker chat” card you can Open to follow, and + → Agents lists them all. Keep tasks that touch the same files in one chat, in order; worker chats can use separate sandboxes, and their changes still have to be brought together and reviewed. Replit Pro lists “up to 10 tasks simultaneously” as a plan feature.

What it costs

Replit hasn’t published a separate price for Cloud Agents. The work runs as Agent usage on your plan:

• Plans: Cloud Agents for existing repos are for Pro and Enterprise. Per Replit’s Pro plan page, Pro supports up to 15 builders with pooled credits and no per-user fees, and unused credits roll over for two months. Current prices are on replit.com/pricing.
• Modes: in the prompt box you can choose Free Mode (an allowance that refreshes every five hours on Core and Pro), Power Mode, or Max Mode. Power and Max use monthly credits, and Replit warns you before a request moves from Free to a paid mode (Agent modes docs).
• Check usage: Settings → Usage shows how much Free allowance is left and when it refreshes.

Practical tip: explore and ask questions in Free Mode, and save Power or Max for the actual change on a large codebase. Small, well-scoped requests cost less and review faster.

Safety: what to keep in mind

Replit’s security page treats repository work as “privileged development work”. In plain terms:

• Connect only the repositories you need, and keep personal access to the minimum.
• Never paste tokens or passwords into chat. The docs say this directly: “Never paste a personal access token into chat to work around an access error.” Use the Secrets panel.
• Use test accounts and development data in previews. The sandbox is isolated, but credentials you give it can still reach real services.
• A passing test or an agent summary doesn’t replace review. Keep merge and deploy permissions with the people who have them today.

A useful habit from the docs is to ask before any pull request: “List the files changed, explain why each changed, run the relevant tests, and flag any credential, dependency, or permission changes for review.”

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	What to do
Repository isn’t in the list	Your connected GitHub/GitLab account can’t see it	Check repo permissions with your Git admin; you may be signed in with a different account
Chat can read the repo but can’t push or open a PR	You don’t have push rights	Ask for branch push access or use your team’s fork workflow
”Save environment” build can’t fetch code	No workspace repository access	A Replit admin opens Repositories → Manage and connects the GitHub organization or GitLab group under Workspace connection(s)
GitHub org installed but builds still fail	Installing the GitHub App isn’t enough	In Replit, select Refresh, then Connect beside the organization, and confirm it shows Connected
App starts but can’t reach an API or database	Repository access doesn’t include app credentials	Add development credentials via Secrets, or ask an engineer to set up environment secrets
Preview is blank or stops responding	Dev server crashed or not started	Ask Replit to check the server and preview endpoint, or restart the app
Review comments don’t appear in chat	Git provider app not installed, or PR not linked	Paste the PR link and ask Replit to address the comments; ask an admin about the Git provider app
The fix keeps growing	Request too broad	Ask for “the smallest useful change” and move the rest to a follow-up

FAQ

Do I need to know Git? No. You ask in plain English and Replit handles branches and pull requests. Replit has a short Git essentials page if you want to understand the terms your reviewers use.

Can it change our live site? Not by itself. The preview is a development copy, and a pull request neither merges nor deploys. Your team’s normal process decides what ships.

Does it work with GitLab? Yes. Ask for a merge request instead of a pull request. Workspace access for GitLab uses group and project grants rather than a GitHub App.

Can I use it just to ask questions about the code? Yes. Replit’s docs list “understand your codebase” as a main use, for example “why does this customer keep hitting this error?”, without editing anything. The launch post gives examples like a support lead tracing an error or a marketer checking that a feature works the way the launch copy says.

How is this different from Replit Agent building a new app? Replit Agent builds apps inside Replit. Cloud Agents work on a codebase that already lives in your company’s GitHub or GitLab, and the result goes back there as a reviewed pull request. If you already publish apps on Replit, our Monitoring Agent setup guide covers the production side.

Is there a webinar? Replit says it is hosting one on November 5 on getting started with Cloud Agents and the Slack integration.

Bottom line

If your team already uses Replit Pro or Enterprise and keeps its code in GitHub or GitLab, try one small, real fix this week. Connect at replit.com/repos, run the app, ask for the change, check the preview and test report, and open a pull request. Ask an admin to save a shared environment and connect Slack, and anyone on the team can do the same thing from a Slack thread. For more on how AI coding agents handle permissions and approvals, see our guide to Claude Code permission modes, or browse the latest tutorials on the 7minai homepage.