Build Apps for Your Portal with AI

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It started the way a lot of things at Meta start: someone had a Portal on their desk and an idea. They opened an AI coding tool, described a home automation dashboard in plain language, and had it running on the device in one session. Then a podcast player, ported from an open-source app with zero manual code changes. Then a to-do app with touch input. Three apps in an afternoon.
We recently shipped AI-powered developer tools for Meta Quest that let you go from idea to running app in hours. Those same tools now work on Portal. Today, we're opening it up to all developers.

What we built in an afternoon

Now any developer can use familiar AI tools to build or port apps for Portal, like a checkers game or a to-do list, with a single prompt.
Using the same AI coding workflow, we described apps in natural language and had them running on Portal minutes later. Here's what came together:
A to-do app, built from scratch. We described a task manager with touch input and had it running on Portal in one session. The AI agent handled the UI, local storage, and even debugged a rendering issue on its own.
A podcast player, ported from an existing app. We took an open-source podcast app, and asked the AI to adapt it for Portal's screen size. No manual code changes. It was playing audio through Portal's speaker within minutes.
A home automation dashboard, built from a personal project. We described an at-a-glance view of a connected home and had it running on Portal in one session. The AI agent designed the UI, connected to the smart-home APIs, and populated it with live data.
Each of these took less than a day to build.
This is the same workflow we shipped for Quest at the 2026 Game Developers Conference (GDC). The point isn't Portal specifically. It's that the AI tools are hardware-agnostic. If you can describe it, you can build it, on many devices you already have at home.

Get started

  1. On your Portal, enable ADB (Settings > Debug > ADB Enabled)
  2. Open the Portal sample app in your preferred AI coding tool
  3. Describe what you want to build in natural language
  4. Deploy the app via adb install

What else could you build?

Portal's form factor opens up categories that might be awkward on phones or laptops:
  • Smart home controllers with a touchscreen you don't have to unlock
  • Family message boards and shared to-do lists
  • Digital art displays with voice control
  • Ambient information radiators for your home office
We want to see what you build. Share your projects in the What I’m Building forum, and we may feature them in a future post.

Resources

  • Portal Information - Portal's development documentation covers what's supported, including important information about potential impacts on device functionality and account security — check it before you start.
  • AI Tooling - the Portal capabilities are included in our existing CLI/MCP tool. For more information, see our developer documentation.
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