> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.chirpwireless.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.chirpwireless.io/applications/creating-an-application.md).
# Creating an Application
Build your own Chirp application from scratch: name it, add a note for your household, edit it later, or create one while adding a sensor.
An application keeps everything for one job in a single place. Make one when no ready-made solution fits your home, or when you already own sensors and want them grouped. Starting a new one is quick, but it begins empty. You add the sensors, dashboards, automations, and alerts yourself.
Prefer a head start? [Install a ready-made solution](/applications/installing-a-ready-made-solution.md) and you get the same kind of application, already filled in. Below, **Home Watch** is just a sample name. Pick one that tells the people in your home what the application is for.
You need to belong to the organization shown in the sidebar. That organization is your Chirp account space, and for a single household it is your home. There is no separate permission for applications. What you can see or change inside one depends on your permissions for sensors, dashboards, automations, and alerts.
The dialog with a name and description filled in.
## How do I make my first application?
1. Choose **Applications** in the left sidebar.
2. On the **My applications** tab, select **Create an application**. A dialog opens. Its subtitle, "Organize everything for one use case in one place", says what an application is for.
3. Type `Home Watch` into **Application name**.
4. Add a **Description** if you like, for example `Home conditions and alerts while we are away.`
5. Select **Create application**.
Leave the name empty and the field turns red with **Application name is required**. When it works, a message reads **Application created successfully**. If not, you see **Failed to create application**.
The description is only a note for the people at home. It does not set up any sensors or automations. Open the new application and go to **Content**. It starts out empty.
## How do I change an application's name?
Open the application. At the top right, next to the trash can, you find a pencil icon. It opens **Edit application**, where you can change the **Application name** and the **Description**.
Select **Save** to keep your changes, or **Cancel** to leave everything as it was. A message reads **Application updated successfully**. A clear name pays off later, when you choose an application for a new sensor or dashboard.
The Edit application dialog.
## Can I create an application while adding a device or dashboard?
Yes. Any form with an **Application** field lets you do it, including **Add device**, **Add dashboard**, a rule, or an alarm. The field's list shows **Default**, then your applications, and **Add new application** at the very end.
1. Pick **Add new application**. A box labeled **Application name** appears, next to a **Create** button.
2. Type a name and select **Create**, or press Enter. Chirp creates the application and selects it for you.
3. Finish the form and save it as you normally would.
A hint under the field points to the **Applications page**, and it is a link. Close the form without saving and the new application stays.
## What is on the My applications screen?
Choose **Applications** in the sidebar, then the **My applications** tab. A line under the **Applications** heading says that installed setups and ones you built yourself live in the same list.
* **Create an application** is the orange button at the top right.
* **Search** narrows the list while you type. It looks at names and descriptions.
* The table shows **Name**, **Description**, **Dashboards**, **Devices**, **Rules**, and **Alarms**. The last four columns count what each application holds. A dash means Chirp could not read the count. That is different from zero.
* The arrow at the end of a row opens that application.
No applications yet? You see **Create your first application** with the same button. If the list does not load, the screen says **Could not load applications**. A search that finds nothing shows **No applications found**.
Next, [sort your sensors, dashboards, automations, and alerts into it](/applications/organizing-content.md).
