AI & TechnologyBolt App Rescue: 8 Problems to Fix Before Launch

Problems with real Bolt apps often show up in a handful of places Bolt's own documentation already warns about: database access rules, secret keys, sign-in emails, publishing and hosting limits. Bolt builds your app from a prompt, publishes it on Bolt's own hosting at a bolt.host address, and stores data in Bolt Database, which you can later claim into your own Supabase account, or in a Supabase project you choose on a paid plan. The free scan at the end of this page works for Supabase projects only.

Below are the eight problems to check before launch, how to test each one, and how to fix it. The facts come from Bolt's help center and Supabase's documentation, and I re-read each source on October 20, 2026. Bolt's public GitHub repository has issues turned off, so this page relies on what Bolt documents, not on complaint counts. The how-to-check and how-to-fix steps are my own advice.

1. Database tables anyone can read or change

Bolt's database security page puts it plainly: "A table without RLS can be read and changed by anyone." It also warns that when you haven't asked for sign-in, "Bolt might write policies that allow any visitor to view, add, change, and delete the data in your database." Row-level security (RLS) is what decides which rows each visitor can reach.

How to check: open the database's Security tab, which Bolt says "uses the same database checks as the Security Advisor in Supabase", and look for warnings about policies that are always true or tables without RLS. Then test as a logged-out visitor, and as one user trying to reach another user's rows. The free scan at the end of this page works only if your app uses a Supabase project (a supabase.co address and a public key your site ships). If your app is on Bolt Database, use the Security tab and the logged-out test above instead.

How to fix: add real sign-in first, then rewrite each table's policies: read-only for public content, insert-only for forms, owner-only for private data. Turn RLS on for every table and re-run the check.

2. Secret keys in front-end code

A Bolt app's front end runs in each visitor's browser, so a key placed there is public. Bolt's security audit checks that private keys and passwords "aren't stored in your project's code or sent to visitors' browsers", and its secrets guide says: "Never store secrets in plain text in your code." A leaked Supabase secret key bypasses every access rule. A leaked payment, email or AI key can be used on your bill.

How to check: search the code for sk_, service_role, sb_secret_ and your providers' key prefixes, including any VITE_ variables, and look at the JavaScript your live site loads.

How to fix: rotate any key that ever appeared in code, store it in the database's Secrets, and call the provider from a server function instead of the browser.

3. Sign-up and password-reset links that break on the live site

Bolt's authentication guide says: "By default, Bolt projects use localhost:3000 as the Site URL. This does not work for live applications." Redirects also only work for addresses on the URI Allow List. And for emails to send at all, Bolt says "you still need to add your own Resend API key".

How to check: on the live site, sign up with a fresh address, click the link in the email, and run Forgot password from start to finish.

How to fix: set the Site URL to your live domain, add every domain and reset page to the URI Allow List (again after you attach a custom domain), and add your email provider's key.

4. The live site doesn't match the preview

Bolt's publishing guide says "changes you make to your Bolt project aren't automatically applied to your published site." Fixing something in the editor and seeing it work in the preview doesn't mean customers see it.

How to check: open the live URL in a private window after every change and compare it with the preview. In the Publish menu, look for a pending update.

How to fix: publish an update after each change, then run a short checklist on the live URL: sign-up, sign-in, payment and email.

5. The site goes offline at the hosting limit, or won't publish

On Bolt's hosting plans, "Free plan sites stop serving content once they hit their monthly data limits," and if you publish several sites, "they share the same monthly bandwidth and request allowance." Separately, publishing fails above a size cap: "The maximum allowed size is 100MB."

How to check: look at usage and the spending limit in your account settings before a launch, and check how much of your project's size is images and video.

How to fix: move to a paid plan with a spending limit before launch day, and move large media to external storage so the project stays well under the cap.

6. Undo doesn't undo your data

Bolt's backup guide says "Restoring to an earlier project version will not change your current Bolt or Supabase databases." After a bad change, the old code can end up running against newer tables. Bolt also warns that connecting a Supabase database to a project that already has a Bolt database "will replace the connection, which may cause data loss", and that there is "no supported way to migrate an existing Bolt database to Supabase" other than claiming it.

How to check: confirm the project is on GitHub, confirm which database the live app really uses, and try exporting your tables.

How to fix: export your data and connect GitHub before launch. If you need your own Supabase account for backups and SQL access, claim the Bolt database rather than connecting a new one to a project that holds data.

7. Files anyone with the link can open

Bolt's file storage guide explains that in a public bucket, "Anyone with the link can see these files, even if they're not signed in to your app," and tells you to "Always confirm a bucket's visibility yourself." User uploads such as IDs, invoices and photos belong in private buckets.

How to check: in File Storage, read whether each bucket is public or private, and open a user's file URL in a private window.

How to fix: make user-upload buckets private, add per-user storage policies, and serve files through signed links. Then test again with two accounts.

8. Fix loops that spend your budget

When an error won't go away, each attempt is another AI edit. Bolt's own advice is to "Avoid clicking Attempt fix over and over, hoping for things to eventually work out." Repeated attempts change more code, spend tokens, and can leave the app half-fixed.

How to check: count how many fix attempts in a row went into one error, and whether the files being edited have grown very large.

How to fix: stop, read the real error in the browser console, ask for one change at a time, split large files, or hand the code to a developer with the exact error.

What to do this week

1. If your app runs on a Supabase project, run the free leak scan below against your live site. If it uses Bolt Database, test the live site as a logged-out visitor.
2. Fix the Site URL and test sign-up and password reset on the live domain.
3. Search the code for secret keys and rotate anything you find.
4. Check every storage bucket's visibility.
5. Export your data and connect GitHub before launch day.

Need a hand?

If you'd rather have someone else check it, the AI-Built App Rescue starts with a $450 Launch Check. You send read-only access, and within 3 business days you get each problem ranked by severity, with where it is and how it was confirmed, plus a fixed price for the Rescue Sprint. The $450 is credited if you go ahead, and you keep the code either way. Built with something else? See the Lovable, Replit and Cursor checklists. Or send me a short description.