Zoho upgrades Catalyst platform with AI development tools

Zoho Corporation has announced significant upgrades to its Catalyst cloud platform, a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solution designed to streamline application development, testing, and deployment. The updates focus on integrating AI-powered tools to help developers transition from computer-generated code to fully functional, deployable applications.

Key features include Catalyst Agent Skills, which provide AI assistants with the necessary information and instructions to follow recommended development procedures. The platform also introduces a non-interactive command-line interface (CLI) that allows AI coding assistants to execute multi-step development tasks without requiring constant manual input from developers. Additionally, support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP) enables developers to perform tasks, such as creating database tables, directly from their existing coding environments.

The platform integrates with agentic AI coding assistants like Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex. By providing serverless infrastructure, Catalyst aims to reduce the time developers spend managing underlying technology and connecting disparate cloud services. Zoho has also made Catalyst free for students to use for non-commercial projects, providing access to hosting, databases, and AI tools without requiring subscriptions or credit cards.