Publish changes the state of the copy hosted by Tracy; it does not send your edits back to the original host. Owners and Editors can publish a site and take it back to draft; Viewers cannot.
Is a draft site private?
Anyone with the Tracy site link can open a draft site without a Tracy sign-in or a draft password.
“Draft” is a publishing state, not an access restriction. Tracy asks search engines not to index a draft, but this is not protection against someone opening or sharing the link. Do not put confidential material on the site on the assumption that Draft keeps it private.
Do I need to publish after every chat edit?
Ordinary chat edits apply directly to the site you are working on, so you do not publish each edit separately.
An edit to a live Tracy site can therefore affect what visitors see immediately. Publishing is not an approval step for each request. Tracy can ask for confirmation before particular consequential actions, but this does not guarantee that every risky change will be detected.
Review the affected pages after editing. AI can make mistakes, and not every change can be undone. See Chatting with Tracy and Undo and backups.
If this does not work: Check the actual website and See what Tracy changed before repeating a request whose result is unclear.
How do I publish my site?
An Owner or Editor can publish the site from its “Publish” tab.
Before publishing, review the pages visitors will see and test the links and forms that matter to your site.
- Open “My Sites”.
- Open the site’s three-dot menu and select “Publish”.
- Under “Domains”, check “Site address” to confirm which site you are publishing.
- Select “Publish” and wait for the operation to finish.
- Check that the state reads “Live”, then open the site address and inspect the website.
Publishing removes Tracy’s draft restrictions on sending site email and search indexing. It does not guarantee email delivery or inclusion in search results.
If this does not work: Read the displayed state and error before selecting another action. If you are a Viewer, ask an Owner or Editor to publish the site.
Can I publish without connecting my own domain?
You can publish on the site’s Tracy address without connecting your own domain.
Connecting, checking and removing a custom domain are Owner-only actions, even though Editors can publish. A custom domain must pass the required checks before it can serve the site. A site can be live on its Tracy address while its custom domain still needs attention.
If this does not work: Check the domain’s own status rather than treating “Live” as proof that the domain works. Follow Domains, DNS and HTTPS.
Does Publish replace the original site I imported?
Publish changes the state of the copy hosted by Tracy; it does not send your edits back to the original host.
Treat publishing the Tracy copy and directing visitors to that copy as separate tasks. For an imported site, check the intended public address before changing DNS. Read Import a site and Domains, DNS and HTTPS before changing where visitors arrive.
If this does not work: Compare the original site’s address with “Site address” in Tracy before making further changes.
How do I take a site back to draft?
Returning to draft stops site email, asks search engines not to index the site, and stops a connected custom domain from opening it, while the Tracy link remains accessible.
An Owner or Editor can do this. Search indexing controls are requests to crawlers, not a password or a guarantee that previously indexed information disappears.
- In “My Sites”, open the site’s three-dot menu and select “Publish”.
- Select “Back to draft”.
- Read the confirmation, including the warning about any connected domain.
- Select “Back to draft” in the confirmation.
- Wait for the operation to finish and check for any failure message, as well as the “Draft” state.
The site reads “Draft” as the return starts, before all server work has finished. If part of that work fails, the draft label alone does not prove that email restrictions or domain removal completed.
If this does not work: Open “Details” if shown, read what remains incomplete, and use “Try again” when offered for the failed return to draft. Report a persistent failure through Tracy Discord.
What should I do while publishing is running or unconfirmed?
Waiting for server confirmation means the outcome is unconfirmed, rather than a confirmed success or failure.
During an ordinary publish, the state shows “Publishing…”. If the server has not confirmed the outcome, Tracy displays “Waiting for the server that runs this site to confirm. Nothing else can be started until it answers.”
Tracy checks the existing operation rather than starting a separate publish. Publishing, returning to draft, domain removal and site deletion cannot run as separate operations on the same site at the same time.
- Keep the “Publish” tab open to follow its state.
- If Tracy reports a connection problem or an unclear result, check your connection and reload to read the current state.
- Check whether the operation is still running, has finished, or has a confirmed failure before trying again.
If this does not work: Share the site address and the displayed message through Tracy Discord. Do not assume that a lost connection means nothing changed.
What should I do after a confirmed failure?
Read the failure message and “Details” before retrying, because a failed operation can leave different parts of the site in different states.
For an initial publish failure, Tracy reports “Couldn’t publish. The site is still a draft.” A failed publish attempt on a site that was already live can leave it live. A failed return to draft can leave the site labelled draft with part of the change incomplete.
- Open “Details” and read the reason.
- Keep the displayed reference and time, when shown, for a support report.
- Resolve the stated issue before using “Try again” when offered.
- Recheck the publishing state and the actual site after the retry.
If this does not work: Send the site address, exact error and displayed reference through Tracy Discord. For a domain-specific failure, also follow Domains, DNS and HTTPS.
Frequently asked questions
Who can publish a Tracy site?Owners and Editors can publish a site and take it back to draft; Viewers cannot.
Is a draft site private?Anyone with the Tracy site link can open a draft site without a Tracy sign-in or a draft password.
Do I need to publish after every chat edit?Ordinary chat edits apply directly to the site you are working on, so you do not publish each edit separately.
Does Publish update my original imported website?Publish changes the state of the copy hosted by Tracy; it does not send your edits back to the original host.
Do I need my own domain to publish?You can publish on the site’s Tracy address without connecting your own domain.
What happens when I return a site to draft?Returning to draft stops site email, asks search engines not to index the site, and stops a connected custom domain from opening it, while the Tracy link remains accessible.
Does waiting for server confirmation mean publishing failed?Waiting for server confirmation means the outcome is unconfirmed, rather than a confirmed success or failure.