Use the working website to review what Tracy has changed. A design demo, a design-system preview and a recorded check each show something different, so check the actual pages before sharing or publishing the result.
Your Tracy role applies to a particular site. Owners and Editors can request website changes. Viewers can review and comment. Opening a preview or an admin link does not change anyone’s Tracy role. Read Team, roles and invitations for access details.
Where do I preview the website Tracy is editing?
Owners, Editors and Viewers with accepted site access can open the working website in Tracy’s Browser tab.
- Open “My Sites” and find the website you want to review.
- Open its “More” menu and choose “Open live site”. This opens that site’s working address in “Browser”.
- Check the address and page you are viewing, then follow the site’s navigation to review the relevant pages.
WordPress, Joomla and EmDash websites can be shown inside Tracy. The Browser preview can also open with the site’s workspace. You do not need to find a Browser entry in the tab menu to use the site’s own preview action.
The menu label “Open live site” does not publish the website. For an imported website, the working address opens the copy in Tracy rather than proving that the original website has changed. Read Import a site and Publish and go live before treating a preview as the public result.
Is a design preview the same as my finished website?
A template demo shows the starting design, not proof that your own website has been built or checked.
A template demo contains the design’s sample pages and content. During a build, the preview can also start with the template’s own layout while Tracy writes the words and lays out your pages. Sample text at that stage does not by itself prove the build has failed.
A design-system preview shows how a colour and font system would look on the selected demo or your working website. Opening that preview does not itself apply the system. Read Design templates and brand before using an action that applies it to the site.
When the build finishes, review your actual working website. Check business details, contact information, navigation, text, images and any pages that still contain sample content. A completion message or an attractive demo cannot replace that review. See Create a new site for build results and retries.
Why can forms or effects differ in a design-system preview?
Design-system previews block form submissions, and a static preview also disables the page’s scripts.
The live version of a design-system preview can run the site’s scripts, which helps show features such as carousels and sticky headers. A static version is more restricted. When the warning “The preview may not show every effect on the page.” appears, effects that depend on scripts may be missing.
Use the design-system preview to judge appearance. Do not use it to prove that a contact form sends, a checkout works or every interactive feature behaves correctly. Review the working website separately, and understand what a submission or purchase will do before testing it. External effects cannot be recalled.
How do I open my website’s admin?
Open admin opens the website’s CMS administration in a separate browser tab or window.
Owners, Editors and Viewers can use the admin link when the site has one. In “My Sites”, open the site’s “More” menu and choose “Open admin”. Use this action rather than trying to sign in to the CMS inside the Browser preview, where sign-in cookies may not work as expected.
The link goes to the administration area for that website’s platform. On Joomla and WordPress sites configured with Tracy’s access integration, an Owner or Editor can be signed in automatically through their Tracy sign-in. Owners can receive CMS administrator access. Editors normally use the site’s configured work role, and existing CMS permissions can affect the result. A Viewer does not receive a CMS backend session through that integration.
Admin access still depends on the website’s platform, setup and CMS permissions. Opening the link does not give every Tracy role every CMS permission. If the CMS asks you to sign in separately, use an authorized CMS account for that website.
If the admin action is disabled, Tracy does not have an admin address to open for that site. Do not assume that a disabled link means the public pages have failed.
Can a Viewer leave feedback without changing the website?
A Viewer can review the website, leave comments and ask read-only questions without gaining permission to change the site.
Owners and Editors can do the same review work and can also send requests for Tracy to edit. “Note for team” saves feedback for the site’s people; “Ask Tracy to edit” is a separate action for an Owner or Editor that requests a website change.
Feedback should identify the page and the exact block, text or image concerned. Page and element context can identify a review target without changing it. Include the page address and describe the target in words so colleagues can understand it even if the page changes. See Comments, page pins and team notes for comment permissions and sending feedback to Tracy.
What do Passed, Failed, Unverified and Outdated mean?
A quality status describes a recorded check, not a guarantee that the whole website is correct.
Where a build has review information, its “Quality” view can show checks from the build’s stages and Tracy’s inspection. Read each check’s scope, time and evidence:
- “Passed” means that the particular check was recorded as successful.
- “Failed” means that the particular check was recorded as unsuccessful.
- “Unverified” means that success has not been established for that check. A build stage still waiting or running is also unverified.
- “Outdated” means that the check refers to a different recorded revision from the site’s current one. Its earlier result should not be treated as confirmation of the current version.
“No checks recorded yet.” means that no checks are recorded in that view. “No evidence recorded.” means that the displayed check has no evidence recorded there. Neither message means the website passed a review. A failure to load the view is also different from an empty result.
A read-only inspection asks Tracy to examine the site; it does not itself request website changes. Owners, Editors and Viewers can ask read-only questions. An Owner or Editor must request any resulting website edits. Review the affected pages and See what Tracy changed before deciding that a reported result meets your needs.
Does editing the build brief change my website?
Sending a changed build brief can rewrite the website’s words and lay out its pages again.
The “Build brief” records the questions and answers used for a build. Treat “Edit brief” as preparation for a website change, not merely a way to rename or annotate a saved questionnaire. An Owner or Editor should send a changed brief only when that broader rewrite is intended. A Viewer must ask an Owner or Editor to request website changes.
For a small correction, an Owner or Editor can instead describe the exact page and change in chat. Check the result after either kind of request, including shared parts such as a header or footer that may affect several pages.
AI can make mistakes. Not every change can be undone, and external effects cannot be recalled. Read Undo and backups before relying on recovery, and Publish and go live before making the result public.
What should I do if a preview or admin page will not open?
Check the displayed error and the website’s address before assuming that the site itself has failed.
- Confirm that you are signed in with accepted access to the correct site.
- Check the existing site’s build state. A site still being prepared may not have a working page to show.
- If a design-system preview fails, check the working website separately. A preview failure does not by itself establish that the website is down.
- If CMS sign-in fails, use “Open admin” in a separate browser tab or window and check the CMS account you are using.
- If a review view cannot load, retry the view rather than treating missing information as a successful check.
For a persistent problem, see Site not loading or contact Tracy Discord. Include the affected site, the action, the exact displayed message and the time with its time zone. Remove passwords, tokens, sign-in codes and private customer information from screenshots or copied details.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I preview the website Tracy is editing?Owners, Editors and Viewers with accepted site access can open the working website in Tracy’s Browser tab.
Is a design preview the same as my finished website?A template demo shows the starting design, not proof that your own website has been built or checked.
Why can forms or effects differ in a design-system preview?Design-system previews block form submissions, and a static preview also disables the page’s scripts.
How do I open my website’s admin?Open admin opens the website’s CMS administration in a separate browser tab or window.
Can a Viewer leave feedback without changing the website?A Viewer can review the website, leave comments and ask read-only questions without gaining permission to change the site.
What do Passed, Failed, Unverified and Outdated mean?A quality status describes a recorded check, not a guarantee that the whole website is correct.
Does editing the build brief change my website?Sending a changed build brief can rewrite the website’s words and lay out its pages again.
What should I do if a preview or admin page will not open?Check the displayed error and the website’s address before assuming that the site itself has failed.