By You can fix this yourself. Download or GitHub sync, both inside the Bolt UI
- How serious
- Medium
- Fix it yourself?
- Yes, you can fix this yourself
- Typical cost
- Nothing yourself, $300–$25,000 to move off the builder with help (prices)
- Top rated for Bolt
- Afterbuild Labs · 10.0/10
What you see. You want the Bolt project on your own computer, in GitHub, or on a different host, and are not sure what comes with it.
Why it happens
Bolt runs your project in a browser-based environment and keeps the files in its own storage. There are two ways out. The download gives you a zip of the project, which you unpack and run with npm install && npm run dev after installing Node.js. The GitHub integration creates a private repository on a main branch and commits each change Bolt makes that does not break the project. Bolt also checks GitHub about every 30 seconds and pulls in changes made outside it.
Two things to know. Disconnecting a project from GitHub is permanent and you cannot reconnect it yourself. And the export is code only. Your Supabase database, your users, your Stripe keys and your Netlify settings are not in the zip or the repository. The older Export to StackBlitz option is unavailable for projects on Bolt's new code storage format.
Fix it yourself
- Connect GitHub first. Click the GitHub icon top right, log in, install the GitHub App, enter a name and click Create repository. Wait for Synced to GitHub in the status panel.
- Take a snapshot too. Click the project title top left, then Download, and keep the zip somewhere safe.
- To run it on your computer, install Node.js, unzip the folder, open a terminal there and run
npm install && npm run dev. - Set the environment variables in the new place. The Supabase URL and publishable key are safe in a frontend build. A secret key never is.
- Deploy from the GitHub repository to Netlify or Vercel. Keep Bolt connected if you still prompt in Bolt, and remember Bolt keeps its own version when both sides change at once.
- Do not click Disconnect to tidy up. It is permanent, and reconnecting to the same repository needs Bolt support.
When to get an engineer
Hire help when the app has a backend you do not understand, when the Supabase project is tied to the Bolt integration, or when you want the move done with no downtime. Give the engineer the GitHub link, the Supabase project reference, and a list of every third-party service the app uses. Moving off the builder costs $300–$25,000 depending on how much backend has to be set up again. A simple frontend move sits at the low end.
Top-rated companies for Bolt apps
Ranked by our score: published prices, scope of work, AI tools named, timing and a low-risk first step. How we score.
- 1Afterbuild Labs10.0/10Best for: A check before launchFree first step · from $49
- 2Redlab10.0/10Best for: A full rescue by one team that keeps buildingFree first step · from $490
- 3Vibe Code Rescue (Lev Arakelyan)9.0/10Best for: A one-off check and a cleanupFrom $299
Check these
The code lives in a Git repository you own
Connect GitHub or export the project. If the builder account is lost, the product should not be.
Secrets live in the host's environment settings
Keys belong in environment variables on the server, not in the repository or in front-end code.
Dependencies are current and audited
Run npm audit. Critical advisories in packages you ship should be fixed before launch.
Testing and real users use separate databases
Experiments and AI agents should never run against production data.
Questions
Will I lose the ability to keep building in Bolt?
No. GitHub sync is two-way. Bolt pushes its changes and pulls changes made outside it, so you can keep prompting while a developer works in the repository.
Does the export include my database and users?
No. Only code. Your data lives in Supabase or whichever backend Bolt connected, and moves separately.
Sources: Bolt Help Center: GitHub for version control; Bolt Help Center: Manage your projects; Supabase docs: API keys.