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Handing a Bolt App to Engineering

How GitHub sync, branches, the Supabase database claim, Netlify, and Expo work, where each stops, and the setup an engineer or a coding agent needs to take the code over.

Reading time
3 min read
Sources
15 cited
In this piece
3 products

Connect GitHub on day one, because engineers and coding agents take over a Bolt app through its synced repository. Bolt commits each working change there, but it cannot merge branches or restore a database, so those jobs move to your team. Settle the repository, the database, and the host before the move so the handoff does not break the Bolt project.

When you need this

  • A Bolt prototype has been approved for real development.
  • An app now has enough users that engineering must own it.
  • Builders keep hitting problems the agent cannot fix.

Evaluation criteria

  1. Connect GitHub first

    Where does the code live?

    Look forCreate a new private repository from Bolt or import an existing one. Bolt commits every change that does not break the project and pulls outside commits every 30 seconds. If both sides change at once, Bolt keeps its own version. Use a GitHub organization install to choose which repositories members can reach. Disconnecting a project is permanent without help from support.

  2. Agree the branch rules

    How do engineers and builders share the code?

    Look forHave builders work on branches and open pull requests into the default branch for engineering review. Bolt creates and switches branches, each with its own memory. Merge in GitHub.

  3. Move the database deliberately

    Who owns the data?

    Look forOn Pro or Teams, have a Supabase org owner claim the Bolt database into a team-controlled project. Connecting a different Supabase database replaces the connection and risks data loss. Bolt's version history never restores databases.

  4. Decide where it runs

    Bolt Cloud, Netlify, or your own platform?

    Look forPick the host before the move. Bolt Cloud is the default. A project moves to Netlify only if it was never published to Bolt Cloud, and a Netlify project must be unpublished before it moves back. Teams admins can set the provider for all projects. With the code in GitHub, engineers can deploy it anywhere that runs the stack. Bolt hosting serves one index.html for every route, so one builder's prerendered SEO pages never reached the social sites that read them, and Bolt kept resetting the build command.

  5. Plan the mobile path

    How does an Expo app reach the stores?

    Look forBolt's Expo integration publishes to TestFlight, the App Store, Google Play Beta, and Google Play. Check every permission before a build ships. Bill Prin built a flashcard app in Bolt, synced it to GitHub, and finished App Store publishing locally in Cursor, where review flagged camera permissions the agent had added without need.

  6. Review it like any other code

    What does engineering check first?

    Look forReview database access rules, check that secrets stay server-side, prune the dependencies the agent added, and write the tests Bolt does not maintain. Coding agents such as Cursor and Claude Code work in the synced repository like any other. One product manager designed and prototyped in Bolt and built the full product in Cursor. Another builder moved a Bolt site's repository into Google Antigravity.

Questions to ask vendors

  1. Who owns the GitHub repository, and is the default branch protected?
  2. Do builders keep editing in Bolt after engineering takes over, and on which branch?
  3. Is the database claimed into a Supabase project the team controls?
  4. Where will the app run after handoff, and who moves it?
  5. Which dependencies and permissions did the agent add that the app does not need?

Red flags

  • Builders and engineers committing to the same branch with no review.
  • Connecting a new Supabase database over an existing Bolt database without claiming it first.
  • An app whose only copy is a Bolt project with no repository.
  • Shipping an Expo build without checking the permissions the agent requested.

Products in this piece

Sources

Official documentation
11
Public source
4
  1. Bolt Help Center: GitHub for version controlOfficial documentationsupport.bolt.new
  2. Bolt Help Center: Set up GitHub organization accessOfficial documentationsupport.bolt.new
  3. Bolt Help Center: Collaborate with othersOfficial documentationsupport.bolt.new
  4. Bolt Help Center: Supabase for databasesOfficial documentationsupport.bolt.new
  5. Bolt Help Center: Database advanced settingsOfficial documentationsupport.bolt.new
  6. Bolt Help Center: Backups, restore, and version historyOfficial documentationsupport.bolt.new
  7. Bolt Help Center: Netlify for hostingOfficial documentationsupport.bolt.new
  8. Bolt Help Center: HostingOfficial documentationsupport.bolt.new
  9. Bolt Help Center: Team settingsOfficial documentationsupport.bolt.new
  10. Bolt Help Center: Expo for mobile appsOfficial documentationsupport.bolt.new
  11. Bolt Help Center: Supported technologiesOfficial documentationsupport.bolt.new
  12. Reddit post by EuphoricMaintenance6 in r/boltnewbuilders on Bolt hosting serving one index.html for every route (Jan 17, 2026)Public sourcereddit.com
  13. Bill Prin, AI Engineering Report: From zero to a monetized iOS app in 10 hours with Bolt.new (Jun 25, 2025)Public sourceaiengineering.report
  14. Hacker News comment by yonatan-horan, a product manager, on prototyping in Bolt and building in Cursor (Feb 21, 2025)Public sourcenews.ycombinator.com
  15. Reddit post by Ilikethishandle in r/boltnewbuilders on moving a Bolt site's repository to Google Antigravity (Jan 21, 2026)Public sourcereddit.com

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  2. Buyer guideCodeRabbit in Your Coding Agents' LoopHow to wire the CodeRabbit CLI into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or Gemini, for teams whose agents open pull requests faster than reviewers read them.
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