---
title: "Work on a team app"
description: "Open a team app, work on your own branch, preview changes locally and in Fabric, and bring in teammates' published changes."
url: https://spatney.github.io/rayfin-fabricator/docs/team/work-on-an-app
markdown_url: https://spatney.github.io/rayfin-fabricator/docs/team/work-on-an-app.md
app_version: "1.20.1"
section: team
product: Fabricator
last_updated: 2026-10-06T18:27:57-07:00
source: team/work-on-an-app.mdx
---

# Work on a team app

> Open a team app, work on your own branch, preview changes locally and in Fabric, and bring in teammates' published changes.

> [!WARNING]
> Team workspaces are an experiment. Turn them on in **Settings → Experiments**. They may change or be removed in a future update.

When you open a team app, Fabricator gives you your own working branch. Your edits are saved to GitHub after each change, and the team pipeline deploys your personal preview.

## Open a team app

1. On Home, find **Team workspaces**.
2. Open the workspace.
3. Select **Open** on the app you want to change.

Fabricator opens a working branch named like `fabricator/<login>/<app>-<timestamp>`. Your local files live in a worktree for that app.

## Preview while Copilot works

While Copilot is changing files, Fabricator starts a local Vite preview so frontend changes appear as they are made. See [Preview your app](https://spatney.github.io/rayfin-fabricator/docs/build/preview) for the general preview controls.

For a team app, the local preview uses your preview deployment's data when one exists. Until your first preview has deployed, the badge says **Local · published data**. Changes you make in that state use the published app's data. If nothing is deployed yet, the badge says **Local · no data yet**.

If the local preview stops responding after a package install or another change, Fabricator starts it again.

## Save and deploy your preview

After each chat turn, Fabricator saves your changes to GitHub and opens or updates your pull request. The pipeline deploys your personal preview.

You can see progress in two places:

- the team app control in the app bar, which shows **Deploying preview…**
- the preview pane, which shows **Deploying your first preview** for the first deploy or a progress bar above the existing preview later

When the pipeline finishes, the preview switches to the deployed version.

## Switch between your preview and the published app

1. Open the team menu in the header.
2. Under **Preview shows**, choose **My preview** or **Published**.

The preview toolbar's status label shows which one you're looking at: **My preview** or **Published**.

## Bring in teammates' changes

If teammates publish changes after you started, the team menu shows **Teammates' changes** and the button **Bring in their changes**.

Select **Bring in their changes** to merge the published app into your working branch. If you both changed the same files, Fabricator reports the conflict. Select **Ask Copilot to finish** or **Let Copilot combine them** when offered so Copilot can combine the changes.