By Max Techera · Open-source (MIT) · Updated June 2026
Blog

Claude live artifacts, explained

Live artifacts are Claude artifacts wired to real-time data via MCP — dashboards that refresh themselves. Here's what they are and how to share a snapshot privately.

npxnpx drops-cli report.html --managed

A regular artifact is a snapshot; a live artifact pulls fresh data each time it loads (via MCP), so a dashboard shows what's true right now. They live in Claude and need a paid plan.

Live vs. static — and where drop fits

Live artifacts are great inside Claude. But when you need to hand a client or teammate a stable, private snapshot — on your domain, password-protected, no Claude account required — export the HTML and drop it. drop is for sharing the artifact, not replacing the live view.

Share a snapshot on your domain

drop dashboard.html -p client-2026

Branded, encrypted client-side, live on your domain in ~1s.

FAQ

Do live artifacts need a paid Claude plan?
Yes — live artifacts + persistent storage require Pro/Max/Team/Enterprise. Sharing a snapshot with drop works on any plan.
Is it really open-source and self-hosted?
Yes — MIT licensed, and it runs on your own Vercel Blob + domain. No third party ever holds your content (it's encrypted client-side) or controls your URL.

Share what your AI builds — on your own domain.

Open-source, zero-knowledge, free. Try it in one command:

npx drops-cli report.html --managed