What can Subframe's design and code agent do?

Updated

Subframe's agent works on both sides of a product at once: it can research your codebase to plan how a feature would be implemented, and it can capture your existing product so you can explore new ways to present it. That makes it useful when you want a feature plan and design directions from the same starting point — for example, planning photo geotagging by studying the codebase and then exploring how geotagged photos could be shown in the current UI.

One agent for design and code

Subframe describes itself as "a design tool connected to your codebase, and a coding agent with a canvas," with the agent positioned as "one agent for design & code." The intended workflow is a roundtrip: designing and building feed into each other rather than happening in separate tools.

In practice, the agent's work falls into two connected activities:

  • Researching the codebase to understand how something is currently built and propose an implementation approach.
  • Capturing the existing product so new designs can be explored against what already exists, instead of in isolation.

What the agent can do

Plan a feature from the codebase

The clearest example in Subframe's own material is planning photo geotagging. The described task is to "plan a new feature for geotagging where photos are taken" by researching the codebase to arrive at an implementation approach. So the agent's output here is a plan grounded in your actual code, not a generic spec.

Explore new designs from the live product

The same task continues: "capture the existing product to explore a few new designs of how to present it to" users. The agent uses the current product as the reference point, then generates design options for presenting the feature.

Work against a running app

Subframe's canvas shows a live app alongside the design surface — the page evidence includes a localhost:3000/home launch target and a browser view next to the canvas. That means the agent's design and code work is anchored to a running app you can preview and edit, rather than a static mockup.

How the pieces fit together

Capability What it draws on What you get
Feature planning Your codebase An implementation approach for a new feature
Design exploration A capture of the existing product New ways to present that feature
Design & build roundtrip Canvas, browser, and agent together Changes that move between design and code

When this fits

This setup suits you if you want feature planning and design exploration to start from the same source of truth — your existing code and product — rather than handing a spec to design and a separate spec to engineering. If your work is purely visual with no codebase connection, or purely backend with no UI to present, the design-and-code roundtrip adds less.

For pricing and plan details, Subframe points to its billing settings and a docs page on pricing and plans and AI credits; check those for current terms rather than assuming a free tier.