Get Started with Polaris

Note For access, please talk to our Support team.

Polaris is an AI-powered co-pilot embedded directly within the Contentstack CMS. It allows you to use natural language prompts to perform real CMS actions, such as creating or updating entries and assets, all while staying fully within the CMS interface and permission model.

This guide shows how to get started with Polaris across three common CMS contexts. For each context, we will detail how Polaris works, the types of prompts you can use, and how it safely executes actions using previews and confirmations.

• Entry Editor
• Assets Editor
• Visual Editor

1. Contentstack account
2. Admin/Owner access for the Contentstack stack
3. Polaris plan for your organization

Let's start by logging into the Contentstack account and following the steps given below:

1. Open the stack.
2. Navigate to an Entry, or Asset, or Visual Editor page.
3. Click the Polaris icon to open the Polaris panel within the CMS interface.

   The Polaris panel opens as a side panel within the CMS UI. This panel is where you enter prompts and review planned actions and results.

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This section shows how Polaris works when you are inside an Entry Editor page.

1. Navigate to your stack.
2. Open a content type.
3. Open an existing entry or create a new one.

Once the Entry Editor is open, Polaris automatically receives the entry context, including the content type schema and fields.

In the Polaris panel, enter a prompt related to the open entry.

Prompt example: Improve the tone and clarity of this entry to make it more engaging.

This prompt is interpreted by Polaris using:

• The currently open entry
• The existing field content
• The content type structure

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After you submit the prompt, Polaris enters a planning state and analyzes the request.

• Identifies the relevant entry fields
• Determines that the request requires updating content
• Prepares a write action for review

At this stage, no changes are made to the entry.

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Because this is a write operation, Polaris displays a preview showing:

• The current content
• The proposed improved version of the content

This preview allows you to clearly see what will change before anything is applied.

Note If a prompt is identified as a read-only operation (for example, asking for explanations, summaries, or insights without requesting updates), Polaris:

• Executes the request immediately
• Does not display a preview step
• Does not require confirmation
• Does not modify entries, assets, or pages

The result is shown directly in the Polaris panel.

To proceed:

1. Review the proposed changes.
2. Click Update to apply the update.

If you click Cancel, Polaris stops execution and the entry remains unchanged.

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Once confirmed:

• The entry fields are updated with the improved content.
• The entry remains in draft state unless otherwise modified.
• Polaris displays a confirmation message in the panel.

You can continue working on the entry or enter additional prompts to refine the content further.

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This section explains how Polaris works in the Assets Editor.

1. Navigate to your stack.
2. Go to the Assets section.
3. Open an existing asset in the Assets Editor.

Once the asset is open, Polaris automatically receives the asset context, including available metadata fields.

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In the Polaris panel, enter the following prompt:

Prompt example: Update metadata for this image to include SEO-friendly tags and publish the image to the development environment.

This prompt is interpreted by Polaris using:

• The currently open asset
• Existing asset metadata
• The user’s permissions for asset updates

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After submitting the prompt, Polaris enters a planning state.

In the panel, Polaris:

• Identifies editable asset metadata fields
• Determines that the request requires updating metadata
• Prepares a write action for review

At this stage, no changes are applied.

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Because this is a write operation, Polaris displays a preview showing:

• Existing asset metadata
• The proposed SEO-friendly tags to be added or updated

This preview allows you to verify the changes before execution.

Note If a prompt is identified as a read-only operation (for example, asking for explanations, summaries, or insights without requesting updates), Polaris:

• Executes the request immediately
• Does not display a preview step
• Does not require confirmation
• Does not modify entries, assets, or pages

The result is shown directly in the Polaris panel.

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To apply the changes:

1. Review the proposed metadata updates.
2. Click Publish to proceed.

If you click Cancel, Polaris stops execution and the asset metadata remains unchanged.

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Once confirmed:

• Polaris displays a confirmation message in the panel.
• The asset metadata is updated successfully.
• The updated values are visible in the Assets Editor.

You can continue refining the asset or enter additional prompts to improve metadata or accessibility.

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This section shows how Polaris works in the Visual Editor, where it knows the open page, its language, the audience you are viewing, and the entries behind the page.

1. Navigate to your stack.
2. Click Visual Experience in the top navigation to open the Visual Editor.
3. Select the page you want to work on, and the language you want to view.
4. Click the Polaris icon to open the Polaris panel.

The Polaris panel shows the open page as context above the message box (for example, Page: Docs QA Campaign). When you open another page in the Visual Editor, the context updates.

Before you make changes, you can ask Polaris about the page you are viewing. This is a read-only request, so Polaris answers right away and changes nothing.

Prompt example: Which page am I on, which language and audience am I viewing, and which entry does each section of this page come from?

Polaris responds with:

• The page and its language
• The audience you are viewing, or the base experience if no audience is selected
• The entries that make up the page, such as the page entry, header, footer, and linked content, each with a link to the entry

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To focus a request on one part of the page, click the element in the Visual Editor canvas (for example, a heading or a text block). The Polaris context shows the content type and field of the selected element (for example, Campaign › Name), and Polaris applies your request to that field.

If you don't select an element, Polaris uses the whole page as context.

In the Polaris panel, describe the change you want.

Prompt example: Change only this text to 'Docs QA Winter Campaign'. Keep the page URL as it is.

Polaris interprets this prompt using:

• The open page and the selected element
• The entry and fields behind the page
• The language and audience you are viewing

Tip When you change a page's title, Polaris also updates the page URL to match the new title. Check the URL on the confirmation card before you click Update.

Because this is a write operation, Polaris displays an Update an entry card before it changes anything. The card shows:

• The Content Type, Entry, and Locale that Polaris will update
• Each field that will change and its new value. If a value such as the URL changes, the card shows the old and new values.

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Note If a prompt is identified as a read-only operation (for example, asking for explanations, summaries, or insights without requesting updates), Polaris:

• Executes the request immediately
• Does not display a preview step
• Does not require confirmation
• Does not modify entries, assets, or pages

The result is shown directly in the Polaris panel.

To apply the changes:

1. Review the proposed updates.
2. Click Update to proceed.

If you click Cancel, Polaris stops execution and no changes are applied.

Once confirmed:

• Polaris saves the change to the entry and language shown on the card.
• The Visual Editor preview shows the change without a page reload.
• Polaris shows Entry updated and a summary of what was saved on the page.

Polaris saves the change as a new version of the entry. It doesn't publish the entry. To make the change live, publish the page from the Visual Editor or the entry.

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You can continue refining the page or select another element and enter additional prompts.

Polaris can check whether a page exists in another language and add the missing version, including a page URL for that language.

Prompt example: Does this page have a French version? If not, add a French version with a suitable French page URL and translated title and description.

Polaris shows a Localize this entry? card with the language, the translated fields, and the proposed URL. Click Confirm to save the new language version. If the Visual Editor is showing a different language, Polaris tells you the new version isn't visible on the current page yet and gives you a link to open it.

Polaris doesn't switch the page you are viewing. When you ask for another page or another language, Polaris replies with a link to open that page in the Visual Editor. Click the link to open it. The Polaris panel and your conversation stay open.

Prompt example: Give me a link to open the French version of this page.

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If your stack uses Personalize, you can view the page as an audience in the Visual Editor and ask Polaris to change the content for that audience. Polaris applies the change to that audience's variant of the entry and leaves the base page unchanged.

If the page has no variant for the audience you mention, Polaris tells you that the audience must be set up and linked to the page first. It doesn't change the base page instead.

Prompt example: Adapt this page for new visitors: write a more welcoming headline, but only for that audience.