Keep your Streamlit app from sleeping: deploy it always on

Streamlit Community Cloud puts apps to sleep after 12 hours without visitors. Deploy yours where it stays awake, with private code, from $5 a month.

Updated 1 October 2026

Let your agent build this

Copy one prompt and paste it into Claude Code, Codex or Cursor. Your agent builds what this page describes and puts it online on aidrop.it. Fill in the parts in brackets before you send it.

Put my Streamlit app online on aidrop.it. The code is in <folder or GitHub repository>, and the main file is <app.py>. Create a new aidrop.it Project called "<app name>" for it.

Read aidrop.it's runtime rules before you write anything and follow them. Run Streamlit headless, listening on 0.0.0.0 and the port aidrop.it gives it, with the file watcher and usage stats off. The disk is read-only: point HOME at /tmp and pass Streamlit settings as flags or STREAMLIT_* variables, not a file in the home folder. Use /_stcore/health as the health check.

Read API keys from environment variables, not st.secrets: there will be no secrets.toml file. Secrets: ask me for each API key the app uses, store each one with project_secret_set under a clear name, and list those names in required_secret_names when you build. Never print a value back to me, and never write one into code, the repository, a commit or a log.

Pin the dependencies. Estimate how much memory the app needs with its real data (pandas frames included) and pick a size that fits. Anything the app writes to disk is lost on restart; if it must keep data, ask me before adding a PostgreSQL database.

When it runs, open it, click a widget and confirm the page updates. Then tell me the link.

This task comes from the aidrop.it guide "Keep your Streamlit app from sleeping: deploy it always on": https://docs.aidrop.it/playbooks/deploy-a-streamlit-app. Read that page if you need more detail; it says what to ask me for, what it costs and what will not work.
Use the aidrop.it MCP tools (server: https://aidrop.it/mcp). If you do not have them, stop and tell me to connect them first, as described at https://docs.aidrop.it/quickstart#1-connect-your-agent.

See the prompt

Put my Streamlit app online on aidrop.it. The code is in <folder or GitHub repository>, and the main file is <app.py>. Create a new aidrop.it Project called "<app name>" for it.

Read aidrop.it's runtime rules before you write anything and follow them. Run Streamlit headless, listening on 0.0.0.0 and the port aidrop.it gives it, with the file watcher and usage stats off. The disk is read-only: point HOME at /tmp and pass Streamlit settings as flags or STREAMLIT_* variables, not a file in the home folder. Use /_stcore/health as the health check.

Read API keys from environment variables, not st.secrets: there will be no secrets.toml file. Secrets: ask me for each API key the app uses, store each one with project_secret_set under a clear name, and list those names in required_secret_names when you build. Never print a value back to me, and never write one into code, the repository, a commit or a log.

Pin the dependencies. Estimate how much memory the app needs with its real data (pandas frames included) and pick a size that fits. Anything the app writes to disk is lost on restart; if it must keep data, ask me before adding a PostgreSQL database.

When it runs, open it, click a widget and confirm the page updates. Then tell me the link.

This task comes from the aidrop.it guide "Keep your Streamlit app from sleeping: deploy it always on": https://docs.aidrop.it/playbooks/deploy-a-streamlit-app. Read that page if you need more detail; it says what to ask me for, what it costs and what will not work.
Use the aidrop.it MCP tools (server: https://aidrop.it/mcp). If you do not have them, stop and tell me to connect them first, as described at https://docs.aidrop.it/quickstart#1-connect-your-agent.

On this page

What you will have at the end
Words you will meet
What you need
Say this to your agent
What your agent does to deploy the Streamlit app
Check that the app stays awake
When something goes wrong
FAQ
Is Streamlit free?
How do I deploy a Streamlit app?
Why does my Streamlit app go to sleep?
Can I keep my Streamlit app private?
Related

As of October 2026, Streamlit Community Cloud puts any app with no traffic for 12 hours to sleep. The next visitor sees a button to wake it and waits while it starts. This page moves your Streamlit app to aidrop.it, where it keeps running and your code stays private. You paste one paragraph into your AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex or Cursor). It packages the app, builds it, checks that it runs and gives you the link.

A simple dashboard runs on Starter for $5 a month. More memory, a database or your own domain needs Pro, $20 a month. If your app came from an AI builder rather than a Python script, host your Lovable app or move your Base44 or Replit app instead.

What you will have at the end

Your Streamlit app at its own link, open to anyone you send it to.
An app that stays awake, with no “wake this app up” button for visitors.
Your API keys stored as secrets, never written into the code.
Your own domain, if you want one: your agent tells you the one record to add.

Words you will meet

Streamlit is a free, open-source Python tool that turns a script into a web app with charts, tables and buttons.
API key is the private value your app uses to call a service such as OpenAI. Streamlit’s own hosting keeps these in a secrets file; on aidrop.it your agent saves them as secrets in your project, where only your app can read them.
Memory is how much the app can hold in its head at once. Big spreadsheets loaded into the app eat a lot of it.
Size is how much memory and computing power your app gets. You can move to a bigger size if the app needs it.
Live connection is how a Streamlit page talks to its server while you click. If it breaks, the page keeps saying it is connecting.
Database is a place to keep records that must survive a restart.

What you need

An aidrop.it account — start free: a 7-day trial, no card. To keep it running, Starter at $5/month fits a simple dashboard. More memory, a database or your own domain needs Pro at $20/month. See the pricing page.
Your app’s code: a folder on your computer or a GitHub repository.
Enough memory. The smallest size has about half a gigabyte. A simple dashboard fits. An app that loads large spreadsheets may need 1 or 2 GB, which the Pro plan and higher include.
Your agent connected to aidrop.it. See the quickstart.
The API keys your app uses, ready to give to your agent when it asks.

Say this to your agent

Replace the parts in angle brackets before you paste.

Put my Streamlit app online on aidrop.it. The code is in <folder or GitHub repository>, and the main file is <app.py>. Create a new aidrop.it Project called "<app name>" for it.

Read aidrop.it's runtime rules before you write anything and follow them. Run Streamlit headless, listening on 0.0.0.0 and the port aidrop.it gives it, with the file watcher and usage stats off. The disk is read-only: point HOME at /tmp and pass Streamlit settings as flags or STREAMLIT_* variables, not a file in the home folder. Use /_stcore/health as the health check.

Read API keys from environment variables, not st.secrets: there will be no secrets.toml file. Secrets: ask me for each API key the app uses, store each one with project_secret_set under a clear name, and list those names in required_secret_names when you build. Never print a value back to me, and never write one into code, the repository, a commit or a log.

Pin the dependencies. Estimate how much memory the app needs with its real data (pandas frames included) and pick a size that fits. Anything the app writes to disk is lost on restart; if it must keep data, ask me before adding a PostgreSQL database.

When it runs, open it, click a widget and confirm the page updates. Then tell me the link.

What your agent does to deploy the Streamlit app

Reads your app and lists the libraries and keys it needs.
Writes a short build recipe that fits aidrop.it’s rules and saves it with your code.
Asks you for your keys. You paste each one into the chat once, and the agent saves it as a secret in your project. It never shows a key again or writes it into the code, and nothing can read one back. Under Secrets in your Project on the aidrop.it dashboard you can check which secrets exist, by name only.
Builds the app and waits until Streamlit’s own health check answers. A library that will not install is the usual first failure, so it fixes the dependency list and builds again.
Opens the app, clicks a widget to check the live connection and gives you the link.

Check that the app stays awake

Open the link. The app appears and stops showing its “running” indicator.
Change a slider or a filter. The chart or table updates. This shows the live connection works.
Load your biggest real file or query. The app should not restart or freeze.
Come back the next day. The app opens right away, without a wake-up step.

When something goes wrong

What you see	What to tell your agent
The page keeps saying it is connecting	“The page never finishes connecting. Check the live connection through the aidrop.it address and read the logs.”
The app restarts or crashes when loading data	“The app runs out of memory. Make it use less, or move it to a bigger size.”
An error about missing secrets	“Read the keys from the project’s secrets, not from a secrets file.”
Files the app saved are gone after a restart	“Saved files vanish on restart. Keep that data in a database.”
The build fails on a library	“Read the build log and fix the dependency list.”

FAQ

Is Streamlit free?

Yes. Streamlit is open source, so the library costs nothing. Streamlit Community Cloud, the official hosting, is also free, with limits. As of October 2026, its documented limits are: apps with no traffic for 12 hours go to sleep, memory is capped at about 2.7 GB, and you may have one private app at a time.

How do I deploy a Streamlit app?

You need a host that runs Python and keeps a live connection to the browser open. Install your libraries, start the app with Streamlit’s run command, and make it listen on the address and port the host gives it. Keep keys out of the code. Check that clicking a widget updates the page.

Why does my Streamlit app go to sleep?

Streamlit Community Cloud puts apps to sleep after 12 hours without visitors. The next visitor sees a button to wake the app and has to wait while it starts. A host that keeps the app running all the time avoids that wait, which matters for a tool people open once a day.

Can I keep my Streamlit app private?

On Community Cloud, an app from a private repository is private, but only one at a time. On aidrop.it your code stays private, while the app’s link opens for anyone who has it. If the app itself must be private, ask your agent to add a password or sign-in page to it.

Put my Streamlit app online on aidrop.it. The code is in <folder or GitHub repository>, and the main file is <app.py>. Create a new aidrop.it Project called "<app name>" for it.

Read aidrop.it's runtime rules before you write anything and follow them. Run Streamlit headless, listening on 0.0.0.0 and the port aidrop.it gives it, with the file watcher and usage stats off. The disk is read-only: point HOME at /tmp and pass Streamlit settings as flags or STREAMLIT_* variables, not a file in the home folder. Use /_stcore/health as the health check.

Read API keys from environment variables, not st.secrets: there will be no secrets.toml file. Secrets: ask me for each API key the app uses, store each one with project_secret_set under a clear name, and list those names in required_secret_names when you build. Never print a value back to me, and never write one into code, the repository, a commit or a log.

Pin the dependencies. Estimate how much memory the app needs with its real data (pandas frames included) and pick a size that fits. Anything the app writes to disk is lost on restart; if it must keep data, ask me before adding a PostgreSQL database.

When it runs, open it, click a widget and confirm the page updates. Then tell me the link.

This task comes from the aidrop.it guide "Keep your Streamlit app from sleeping: deploy it always on": https://docs.aidrop.it/playbooks/deploy-a-streamlit-app. Read that page if you need more detail; it says what to ask me for, what it costs and what will not work.
Use the aidrop.it MCP tools (server: https://aidrop.it/mcp). If you do not have them, stop and tell me to connect them first, as described at https://docs.aidrop.it/quickstart#1-connect-your-agent.