How to build your first flow
To build your first flow, open Flow Studio, describe the checkout experience you want, and click Start. Flow Studio names your flow and starts building it right away, showing a live preview as it goes. Refine it by chatting, then click Deploy to run a pre-flight review, set a version, and publish it to your stations.
This quickstart walks you through how to build your first flow in Flow Studio, from describing what you want to deploying it live on your stations. A flow is a checkout experience that runs on your Final POS stations, and Flow Studio creates it for you from a plain-language description.
Before you start
Log in to your Final account. You can experiment while logged out, but you'll need to be signed in to save your flow and deploy it. New to Final? Enter your email to create an account. You'll get a one-time code by email (no password to set), then complete a short setup (your name, company, country and currency, and business type) before you land in Flow Studio.
Step 1: Describe the flow you want
On the Flow Studio home, the "What will you build?" screen, describe the checkout experience you want in the prompt box. To give Flow Studio more to work with, you can also:
Choose your hardware, industry, and style.
Add your logo and brand colors.
Drop in a screenshot as a design reference to reproduce.
Step 2: Click Start
Select Start. Flow Studio names your flow and starts building it right away, so clicking Start kicks off the build and there's no separate approval step. You'll see a summary of what Flow Studio is creating (your request, plus any branding you added). If you'd rather build with your own AI tool, choose Connect your own AI (MCP) instead.
Step 3: Watch the live preview
Flow Studio generates your flow and opens the workspace, with your chat on one side and a live, interactive preview on the other. The preview appears as soon as your flow is serving, so you can click through it to try your flow as it comes together.
Step 4: Refine by chatting
Building is a conversation. In the composer at the bottom of the chat, pick a mode:
Build: writes and edits the code to ship your changes (the default).
Plan: proposes an approach for review and waits for you to click Approve & Build before making any changes.
Ask: answers questions about your flow, read-only.
You can switch modes with Shift + Tab. Describe what you want changed, such as adding a screen, adjusting the design, or wiring up a feature, and the preview updates.
Tip: Every change is saved as a restorable checkpoint, so you can always roll back if a change isn't what you wanted.
Step 5: Deploy your flow
When your flow is ready, click Deploy in the top bar. (Deploy becomes available once the flow has finished building.) Flow Studio then:
Runs a quick pre-flight review of your flow. If it finds anything, you can Fix the issues or choose Deploy anyway.
Lets you set a version number and an optional changelog (or Draft with AI to generate one from your conversation).
Builds, uploads, and activates your flow. When it's live you'll see "You're live!"
What's next
Once your flow is deployed, head to Manage in the Merchant Hub to set up your store, add products, and start taking orders. You can come back to Flow Studio anytime to keep refining your flow and deploy a new version.
Step by step
- 1
Describe the flow you want
On the Flow Studio home ("What will you build?"), describe the checkout experience you want in the prompt box. Optionally choose your hardware, industry, and style, add your logo and colors, or drop in a screenshot as a design reference.
- 2
Click Start
Select Start. Flow Studio names your flow and starts building it right away, so clicking Start kicks off the build and there's no separate approval step. You'll see a summary of what Flow Studio is creating (your request plus any branding you added). Prefer to build with your own AI tool? Choose "Connect your own AI (MCP)" instead.
- 3
Watch the live preview
Flow Studio generates your flow and opens the workspace with a live, interactive preview. It appears as soon as your flow is serving, so you can click through it to try your flow as it takes shape.
- 4
Refine by chatting
In the composer, stay in Build mode to make changes (it writes and edits the code for you). Switch modes with Shift + Tab: Plan proposes an approach and waits for you to click Approve & Build before it edits anything, and Ask answers questions read-only. Describe what you want and the preview updates.
- 5
Deploy your flow
When it's ready, click Deploy in the top bar. Flow Studio runs a quick pre-flight review, so you can fix any flagged issues or choose Deploy anyway, then set a version number and an optional changelog (or Draft with AI) and deploy. When it's live you'll see "You're live!"
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know how to code to build a flow?
No. You describe the checkout experience you want in plain language and Flow Studio creates it. You refine it by chatting, with no coding required.
Why is the Deploy button unavailable?
Deploy turns on once your flow has finished building. Until then it shows "Build your app first" or "Hang tight" while the flow is still generating.
Can I change my flow after Flow Studio creates it?
Yes. Keep chatting in Build mode to change it. Plan mode drafts an approach without touching anything, and Ask mode answers questions read-only.
What happens when I deploy?
Flow Studio runs a pre-flight review of your flow, then you set a version number and an optional changelog. Flow Studio compiles, uploads, and activates it so it goes live on your stations.
Can I undo a change?
Yes. Every change is saved as a restorable checkpoint, and deploys are versioned, so you can roll back to an earlier point.