Build and Host a Custom CRM with Google Antigravity

Go to antigravity.google/download (https://antigravity.google/download), install the desktop app, and sign in with Google.

Then create a clean folder for the project and open it in Antigravity. In the recording, the project folder was called 242-northstar-crm, but any clean folder name works.

Start clean because the agent will inspect the folder and use whatever it finds as context. If you point it at a messy old project, you are making the first build harder than it needs to be.

Pro tip: Before you start, turn on the Firebase and Google SDK skills in Antigravity. This is what lets the agent help with the Google stack instead of only writing local code.

To find them, open Antigravity settings and go to Customizations. Turn on the Google/Firebase skills you plan to use. The most important ones for this build are Firebase, Google SDK guidance, modern web guidance, and Chrome DevTools.

For the model, use Gemini 3.5 with Medium Thinking. That was a good balance for this build: smart enough to plan and wire the stack, but not so slow that it overthinks every small UI choice.

Do not start by saying, "Build me a CRM." Make the job concrete and tell Antigravity to plan before it writes code.

Use this prompt:

Build Northstar CRM with login, contacts, companies, deals, notes, search, and dashboard cards.
Use React, Vite, TypeScript, Firebase Auth, Firestore, and Firebase Hosting; plan first.

That two-line version is enough for a fast build. If you want more control, add a short out-of-scope list:

Keep this as a version-one internal tool.
Do not add billing, teams, roles, CSV import, email sending, automations, or SaaS admin features.

When Antigravity returns a plan, review it before approving the build. This is where you catch scope creep. If the agent starts adding a multi-tenant SaaS platform, push it back to the smallest working internal app.

In the recording, Antigravity asked a few clarifying questions and started a task list before coding. That is what you want. The plan is the control layer.

After you approve the plan, let Antigravity build the first version. It should create the React/Vite app, build the CRM screens, add local or seed data, and run the app locally.

If Antigravity does not start the dev server on its own, open the project terminal and run:

npm run dev

Then test the app like a user, not like a code reviewer. Open the local URL and click through:

• Dashboard
• Contacts
• Companies
• Deals
• Notes
• Create or add record flows
• Search and filtering

In the recording, the first version already had a functional CRM shape: contacts, companies, deals, notes, dashboard cards, and a dark internal-tool UI. It was not perfect, but it was usable enough to move to backend setup.

The important test is not whether the UI looks polished. The important test is whether the app has the right shape before you connect real services.

Once the app shell works, ask Antigravity how to install and connect Firebase.

Use this prompt:

How do I install and connect Firebase for this app?
Walk me through Firebase Auth, Firestore, and Firebase Hosting for this project.

In the recording, the key terminal command was:

npx firebase-tools login

That command signs you into Firebase from the terminal. You do not need to be a Firebase expert, but you do need to authenticate the CLI so Antigravity can guide the setup.

Antigravity may also ask whether it should create a Firebase project for you or whether you want to create one yourself in the Firebase Console.

For a demo, either path is fine. The cleanest version is:

• Create or select a Firebase project for this app.
• Add Firebase to the project.
• Enable Firestore.
• Enable Firebase Hosting.
• Enable Authentication.
• Turn on email/password sign-in.

In the recording, Antigravity still needed a manual Firebase Console step for email/password authentication. That is normal. If the agent gets stuck, ask it for the exact click path instead of trying to guess inside the Firebase dashboard.

Use this follow-up:

I am authenticated in terminal.
Tell me the exact Firebase Console steps I need to finish before you deploy this app.

For Firestore rules, keep the demo simple. Authenticated users can read and write the demo CRM records. Unauthenticated users should not be able to read or write anything.

Pro tip: That rule is fine for a demo internal tool. It is not a final permission model for a multi-tenant SaaS app.

Once Firebase Auth, Firestore, and Hosting are connected, ask Antigravity to prepare the deploy. Do not skip the pre-deploy check.

Use this prompt:

Prepare this app for Firebase Hosting.
Verify the production build, Firebase Hosting config, required environment variables, Firestore rules, and exact deploy command before running it.

Have Antigravity show you what it plans to run. Then approve the deploy.

After deployment, open the live URL and test the app again. In the recording, the app deployed to a web.app URL and the final test was simple:

• Sign up or log in.
• Create a company.
• Add a contact connected to that company.
• Add a deal.
• Add a note.
• Confirm the dashboard updates.

That final smoke test matters. A local preview does not prove the app is done. The guide is finished when the hosted app has login, saved data, and a workflow you can repeat from the live URL.