How to edit an AI-generated website so the changes stick
Match the tool to the change. Fix words where they sit, move and resize things in a layout editor, ask in a sentence for changes that touch several places at once, and open the code only for what nothing else can reach. Save a version before any big change, so you can step back if something breaks.
Pick the tool by the kind of change
| Change | Best done by | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A word, a price, a phone number | Editing the text in place | Exact, instant, and nothing else moves |
| Order of sections | Moving sections in a visual editor | You see the result as you drag |
| Size or position of one element | A layout editor | Snaps to the grid, so it stays aligned on other screens |
| Colour, theme, heading size across the site | Site-wide style settings | One setting changes every page consistently |
| A new section, a rewrite of a page, "make it friendlier" | A change request in words | The builder can update copy, layout and structure together |
| An attribute, a link target, markup no editor exposes | The code | The only place to reach it, and the easiest place to break something |
The rule of thumb: use the most specific tool that can make the change. A request in words for a typo risks rewording things you were happy with; hand-editing code to reorder sections risks breaking the layout on phones.
A safe order for a round of edits
- Save or note the current version before you start, so there's a known good point to return to.
- Make structural changes first: add, remove or reorder sections, or request a rewrite in words. These can move text around, so do them before polishing.
- Then layout: sizes, alignment, spacing.
- Then words: correct names, prices and details in place, last, so a later structural change doesn't overwrite them.
- Check on a phone-width preview after each group of changes, not only at the end.
- Run your pre-publish checks before going live: broken links, missing alt text, forms that still post to the right place.
Why edits sometimes disappear
The most common complaint about editing an AI-built site is a fix that vanished. It usually happens because the page was regenerated after the fix: you corrected a heading by hand, then asked for "a more formal tone", and the builder rewrote the heading again. The cure is the order above, plus being specific in requests. "Make the services section more formal; leave the headline as it is" keeps the parts you've settled.
A second cause is editing an exported copy instead of the project. Once you download the files and edit them elsewhere, changes in the builder no longer reach that copy, and the other way round. Decide where the site lives and edit it there.
Mistakes that break things
- Absolute positions. Dragging an element to a fixed spot can look right on a laptop and overlap text on a phone. Prefer tools that snap to columns.
- Colour by colour. Changing each button's colour one at a time leads to near-matching shades. Change the site's action colour instead.
- Code edits for content. If you change text in the HTML, the next visual edit or regeneration may not know about it. Use the content tools for content.
- One giant request. "Redo the pricing, add a team page, change the colours and shorten everything" is hard to review. Make one change, check it, then the next.
How to check nothing else broke
After each change, look at three things: the section you changed, the sections either side of it, and the same page at phone width. Then click every button and link in the changed area and send a test through any form near it. If something looks wrong and you can't see why, go back to the saved version rather than layering fixes on top.
Editing an Anticode site
Anticode has a tool for each row of the table. The visual editor lets you edit text in place, move sections by dragging or with buttons, and set the direction, theme, action colour and headline scale. The layout editor lets you select any element and drag it within its section or drag its edge to resize; resizes snap to columns, and a keyboard inspector covers size, sticky, layers, gaps, alignment and motion. A change request is a sentence in the builder, and the build updates.
The code editor is in Pro mode, an interface mode that also adds the Code, Map and Report tabs; Simple mode shows only the preview and visual editing. Only text, section order and the :root colour tokens map back to the project; any other markup or CSS change is flagged and not kept, so on Anticode you can't hand-edit links or add elements there. Scripts, inline handlers and javascript: URLs are refused too, so it can't be used to add a script widget. For a link target, ask for the change in words. The Map tab checks that sections, forms and connectors still line up after a change, and the release checklist runs every publish check without publishing.
Recent saves are kept in version history, up to a number set by your plan: open History, preview an earlier version and choose Restore this version. The rolling back guide covers that in detail, and editing with Claude over MCP covers making changes from an assistant.
Questions people ask
Should I edit the code or ask the AI?
Ask in words for changes that span several places or need new copy. Edit code only for markup no other tool reaches. Use the visual tools for everything in between.
Can I undo a change?
If your builder keeps versions, restore the last good one. In Anticode the most recent versions are kept (up to your plan's number), and any of them can be previewed and restored.
Why does my layout look different on a phone after I moved things?
Elements placed at fixed positions don't adapt to narrower screens. Move them within the layout's columns or sections instead, and check the phone preview after each move.