What you’ll know by the end of this check
- What triggers Claude to produce an artifact instead of inline text — and how to force it when it doesn’t
- The six artifact types and which one to reach for
- How to share, publish, and let others remix your artifacts
What an artifact is (and isn’t)
An artifact is Claude’s output when the content is substantial and self-contained — code, a document, a diagram, an interactive React app. Instead of being buried in the chat, it appears in its own panel on the right.
Claude decides automatically whether to produce an artifact. The rough rule: if it’s more than ~15 lines, if you’d want to download or reuse it, if it stands on its own without the conversation — it becomes an artifact. If Claude puts something in chat that you wanted as an artifact, just say “create that as an artifact” and it will.
Artifacts aren’t just formatted text. The interactive ones actually run. A React component responds to clicks. A chart lets you hover. An HTML page renders in the artifact panel. This is not a screenshot of code — it’s the thing itself.
The six types
| Type | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Documents (markdown, Word, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel) | Reports, briefs, templates, anything you’ll export or iterate on |
| Code snippets | Working code in any language — copy it, run it, drop it in your project |
| HTML pages | Landing pages, forms, interactive demos — one file, fully functional |
| SVG images | Logos, icons, diagrams — vector, so they scale |
| Mermaid diagrams | Flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, org charts |
| React components | Calculators, dashboards, games, data viz — actual UI with logic |
The type that surprises most people: React components. You can ask Claude to build a working budget calculator, a prioritization matrix, a quiz, a kanban board prototype — and get something interactive back in 60 seconds. Not a mockup. A thing you can use.
Sharing and publishing
Three options once you have something worth sharing:
- Copy or download — for personal use or sharing through other channels
- Share within org (Team/Enterprise) — sends a link that requires org authentication; stays inside your company
- Publish publicly — generates a public link, no Claude account required to view. The chat stays private; only the artifact becomes public. Other people can “remix” it — open it in their own Claude to modify and build on.
One important note on publish: artifacts are accessible to anyone with the link, but they’re not indexed by search engines. “Public but not discoverable” — not the same as a post on the internet.
When artifacts are overkill
Not everything needs to be an artifact. Quick emails, short responses, conversational exchanges — artifacts add friction for no reason in these cases. The feature shines when you’re producing something you’ll use outside the conversation: share, download, iterate on later. If you’re going to copy-paste it somewhere else anyway, make it an artifact.
Things to try right now (5 minutes)
Ask Claude to build something interactive — a simple expense tracker, a decision matrix, or a process flowchart for something you actually do at work. Describe the end user (“this is for my manager, not an engineer”) and ask for it as an artifact. Toggle between preview and code. Publish it and open the link in an incognito window.
The canonical version
Full official lesson at anthropic.skilljar.com/claude-101/383394 — includes the full artifact types walkthrough and publishing guide.
Ready to verify this check?
Finish the official lesson, then come back and mark this check verified on your flight log.