# Preview and publish content | answer.cloud Docs

> Canonical source: [Preview and publish content | answer.cloud Docs](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/cms/publishing/)

Preview a saved draft, check its template and publishing destination, publish the reviewed entry, and verify the public page and collection listing.

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# Preview and publish content

Preview a saved draft, check its template and publishing destination, publish the reviewed entry, and verify the public page and collection listing.

Reviewed November 1, 2026

Publishing makes an entry's reviewed draft public. Saving and previewing are separate steps, so you can inspect changes before replacing the published version.

## Check the destination and prerequisites

Open the selected site's **CMS**, find the collection, and inspect **Settings**. Collections publish either to **Answer Cloud HTML** or a connected **Webflow CMS**.

For Answer Cloud HTML, the site must have a live deploy before its first CMS publication. A never-deployed site returns `cms_no_live_deploy`. The collection's show and index templates should also be healthy. Missing templates can produce a fallback theme instead of your intended design.

Webflow collections use a separate connection and publication process. Follow the [Webflow guide](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/cms/webflow/) for that destination; an Answer Cloud template does not control a Webflow collection page.

## Preview and publish in the dashboard

1. Open the entry and choose **Save draft**.
2. Select **Preview** to inspect the saved draft.
3. Check the title, summary, body, layout, links, images, and intended URL.
4. Return to the editor and choose **Publish** when the content is ready.
5. Open the live page directly and visit its collection listing.

[![Publish panel for a published CMS entry, showing healthy templates and Save draft, Publish, Preview, and Archive controls.](https://www.answer.cloud/assets/docs/cms-publish.jpg)](https://www.answer.cloud/assets/docs/cms-publish.jpg)

A published entry still provides Save draft, Publish, Preview, and Archive actions.

Save before opening Preview so the preview reflects your latest edits. A private preview renders the draft without writing public files, updating discovery, or publishing it into search. It can use the current live site's assets; a preview with an unpublished stylesheet does not prove the final design is available.

[![Private preview notice above Edit, Preview, Live, and AEO tabs, with Preview selected.](https://www.answer.cloud/assets/docs/cms-preview.jpg)](https://www.answer.cloud/assets/docs/cms-preview.jpg)

The Preview tab shows staged content without publishing it to the live website.

## Publish with your agent

Ask the agent to inspect the target collection and entry, save with `upsert_cms_entry` using `save_mode: "draft"` then request `preview_cms_entry`. After review, `publish_cms_entry` publishes that entry. `save_mode: "publish"` combines saving and publication, so use it only when publication is intended.

For Answer Cloud HTML, inspect the returned `live_url`, `index_url`, and written paths. Publishing updates the page, listing, generated Markdown mirrors, and discovery resources. CMS operations do not consume the daily deployment quota, although normal request limits still apply.

## Verify the result

Open the canonical live URL in a fresh tab. Confirm the corrected fact appears in the main content, not just the editor. Check the listing, navigation, image URLs, and an appropriate site-search or chat question. Retrieval can fail independently of public rendering, so inspect both when the change affects answers.

If publication fails, inspect the entry again before retrying: a staged draft can remain available. Resolve `cms_path_collision` by removing the conflicting artifact file or choosing the intended CMS path. Avoid changing an established slug just to bypass a template or deployment problem.

See [content lifecycle](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/cms/content-lifecycle/) and [content troubleshooting](https://www.answer.cloud/docs/troubleshooting/content/).

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