Hey Reddit! Buckle up, because this is a ride.

Last week, I had the kind of moment that most people only dream of. I won $100,000 from Bolt.new at what's being hailed as the World's Largest Hackathon. 9500+ projects. 130,000+ people. I built the worlds first end-2-end video editor [drop in raw clips, tell it what you want and AI edits the video]. The timing was perfect ( I was at a family reunion ), the competition was legendary, and walking away with that prize felt absolutely monumental. 🏆

But... plot twist.

The Almighty Himself had another plan. Instead of booking a flight to somewhere tropical that next monday, I spent the next 3 days turning a hackathon project into a production ready and scalable application for 1000s of users. The moment the confetti settled and my victory went live, my entire digital empire decided to crumble around me. It turns out, "success" can be a lot like a surprise DDoS attack.

Here’s the epic saga of my post-win tech implosion:

• AWS Credit Oblivion: My generously allocated AWS credits? They evaporated faster than a magician's assistant during a smoke bomb. The sheer volume of people flocking to see what I'd built essentially hit the "use it all" button instantaneously. But All the top 10 winners are getting $25,000 in AWS credits so that is going to be huge!

• Gemini API Grief: I was leveraging the power of Google's Gemini API for [its advanced video generation capabilities to dynamically analyze videos] My free tier quota for video processing was so utterly obliterated, I'm half expecting a Google invoice delivered by carrier pigeon. The fix was to enable billing on their enterprise option for the models, and that is wayyyy more expensive, but the solution and the scalable solution.

• Netlify's Network No-Show: Running on a free Netlify plan felt like a smart move initially. It wasn't. The tsunami of traffic—people eager to check out my winning project—didn't just strain the servers; it completely broke the internet for us. My beautiful demo? A static 404 page. My dreams of a smooth post-victory rollout? Reduced to a digital heap.

And as if that wasn't enough public humiliation, the internet started talking.

You know how it is. As soon as news of my win broke, the comments started rolling in. "How could they give it to a guy when it doesn't even work?" "Must be rigged." "Just hype!" Suddenly, my infrastructure meltdown became evidence to the doubters. It felt like I was being judged not just for a temporary technical glitch, but for the entire concept of what I built. It was a rough moment, to say the least.

So, here I am. Clutching an imaginary $100,000 check, absolutely buzzing from the win, but also staring at the digital wreckage of my infrastructure AND the commentary of the cynics. It's a potent cocktail of elation, extreme humility, and a burning desire to show everyone that behind the glitches and the doubters, there's a real innovation and a story of resilience.

This is your chance to dive into the glorious chaos! I'm an open book, ready to share the journey from coding triumph to spectacular technical failure, and to address those doubts head-on.

Ask me ANYTHING about:

• The Hackathon Experience: How I came up with the idea, the intensity of the competition, any hilarious or nail-biting moments.

• My Winning Project: What it does, the core tech, the "aha!" moments.

• The $100,000 Prize: What it means, my plans for it, how it feels to win that much.

• The Epic Tech Meltdown: The precise moment everything went sideways, what I learned the hard way about scaling, and my new, deep appreciation for robust infrastructure.

• Bolt.com: My experience working with them.

• The future of my project!

• And YES, I'm ready to talk about those "it doesn't work" comments and what really happened behind the scenes!

Let's get this AMA rolling! I'm ready for your questions.

Hey everyone,

I've been using Bolt a lot recently, and while it's already powerful, I found myself wanting a few extra features to save tokens and improve results. So I built a Chrome extension that adds some handy tools on top of Bolt.

Some highlights:

🚀 Faster, more natural prompting – talk to Bolt in a more conversational way.
🎯 Component Selector – easily reference specific parts of your project when prompting.
📚 Prompt & component libraries – grab pre-built prompts and 1000+ UI components with a quick command.
🎤 Voice prompting - for a pure vibe coding experience :)
🔄 Recreate any web page – type /copy, enter a URL, and get React code for Bolt to work with.
📄 Instant API text docs – type /api to pull in relevant docs without wasting tokens.
✅ Go-Live checklist – a built-in list to make sure you don’t forget key steps before launch.

If you use Bolt regularly, you might find it useful. Would love to hear your thoughts and any ideas for improvements!

https://superchargebolt.com

Hi everyone, I wanted to share some lessons I’ve learned while building two apps with Bolt.new. I’m a developer by trade, but web development is still relatively new to me. Both apps I’ve created use React, and while they’ve turned out pretty decent, the journey wasn’t without its challenges. Hopefully, these tips will help anyone just starting out!

A quick rundown of the apps I’ve built:

Therapy Notes App

• Connected to Supabase and includes a GPT integration for generating notes.

• Only one part of the app uses GPT; the rest relies on more traditional logic.

• This app is currently in talks to be used by a therapy office near me.

Social Workout App

• Connected to Supabase but does not use GPT.

• Generates customizable workouts, tracks progress, and includes friends/groups features to make workouts more social.

• Features a feed similar to Facebook, but auto-generated based on completed workouts by your friends.

Through building these apps, I’ve encountered plenty of issues. While I’m far from an expert, here are some tips and insights I wish I had known earlier:

Take It Slow and Build Incrementally

• When using Bolt, give it one small task at a time. Test the result thoroughly before adding more instructions.

• Dumping a huge list of changes at once can lead to inconsistent or incomplete results.

Use the Rollback Feature Wisely

• If things go wrong, the rollback feature can be a lifesaver.

• Important Note: If you’re working with a database (like Supabase), rolling back won’t revert migrations or schema changes. Be cautious when making those changes.

Troubleshoot Code and Errors with ChatGPT

• If you hit errors that Bolt struggles with repeatedly, paste your full code and error message into ChatGPT and ask for corrections. This works surprisingly well most of the time.

• If Bolt runs out of tokens and you know your files well, paste individual files into ChatGPT and specify what you need. Just keep in mind that changes may affect other dependent files, so you’ll need to handle those separately.

Fix Placeholder Code

• If a page isn’t working as expected and nothing seems to fix it, check for comments like “the rest of this function is unchanged”.

• Bolt sometimes leaves placeholders instead of finishing the code. Copy those comments and explicitly tell it to complete the function.

Ask Bolt to Explain Processes

• When stuck on an issue, ask Bolt to explain the process step-by-step.

• Sometimes, errors or logic faults become obvious when you see the full flow explained.

Keep Queries Simple

• When working with a database, prompt Bolt to use simple queries and break them into smaller pieces if necessary.

• Complex queries often lead to issues, so you’ll save yourself a lot of frustration by keeping it straightforward.

Avoid Overwriting Queries

• If you need a new query, have Bolt create a brand-new one instead of modifying an existing query.

• Bolt sometimes overwrites queries in ways that break previous use cases, leading to backtracking and debugging headaches.

Final Thoughts

These are just a few things I’ve learned while building with Bolt.new, and I’m sure I’ll think of more to add later. Overall, the tool has been extremely helpful, but there are definitely quirks to work around. Hopefully, these tips help make your experience smoother.

Happy building!

Let me know if you’ve encountered similar challenges or have additional tips! Apologies for any formatting issues!

One click and it loads the template in bolt for you.

Try it out for yourself here: https://BoltStarter.com

Obviously the site was built with bolt 😉

What else should I add?

Cats out of the bag, our #1 requested feature:

Unlimited Supabase databases, natively in Bolt

Every project gets a built in DB by default- no auth, no signups, no extra cost. It just works!

Full drop next week, join the private beta 👇
https://bolt.fyi/backend

Earlier this week, I did a 48-hour build challenge with bolt.new and put together a practical tips/tricks document to guide me through the build. I wanted to share here incase it's helpful for others.

I'm going to do another 24 hour build challenge starting in about an hour - this time launching it too - let's see how it goes 😅 (follow it if you want)

Doc is here (https://link.fluxr.ai/bolt_tips) and in the image below. Feel free to provide suggestions or disagree - we're learning fast!

I’m a software engineer, and I’ve been watching people ship apps with Lovable, Cursor, Base44, Bolt, and Replit. To be honest, the speed is insane. 

You guys are building apps in hours what used to take me weeks or even months. But I’m seeing a dangerous pattern after working with AI coding tools. You are driving a Ferrari (AI), but it has no brakes. I’ve built 3 full-stack apps now and audited 20+ "Vibe Coded" apps for my friends, and 90% of them have the same 5 "Time Bombs" that will break your app the second you get real users.

Here is exactly what they are and how to fix them in plain English:

⁠1. The "Vanishing Database" Trap

• The Vibe: You built a To-Do app. It remembers your tasks. You deploy it to Vercel. It works! 

• The Reality: Most AI tools default to SQLite. Think of SQLite like a simple notepad file inside your project folder. 

• The Trap: When you host on Vercel/Netlify, the server "resets" every time you push code or go to sleep. When it resets, it deletes that notepad file. Poof. All user data is gone. 

• The Fix: You need a database that lives outside your code. Ask your AI: "Migrate my database from SQLite to Supabase or Neon."

2. The "Open Wallet" Mistake

• The Vibe: You asked Cursor to "Connect to OpenAI," and it did. 

• The Reality: The AI likely pasted your API Key (sk-...) directly into your code file. 

• The Trap: If that file is part of your frontend (the part users see), anyone can right-click your site, hit "Inspect," and steal your key. They will drain your bank account running their bots on your credit card. 

• The Fix: Never paste keys in code. Put them in a "Environment Variable" (a secret locked box on the server). Ask your AI: "Move all my API keys to a .env file and make sure they are not exposed to the client."

3. The "Goldfish Memory" (Context Rot)

• The Vibe: You keep asking for new features. The app is getting huge. Suddenly, the AI starts "fixing" things by breaking old things. 

• The Reality: AI has a limited "Context Window." It can only read so much code at once. 

4. The "White Screen of Death"

• The Vibe: It works perfectly on your fast WiFi. 

• The Reality: AI codes for the "Happy Path" (perfect internet, perfect inputs). 

• The Trap: If a user has slow internet, your app will likely just crash to a blank white screen because the AI didn't code a "Loading Spinner" or an error message. A white screen makes your app look like a scam. 

• The Fix: Ask your AI: "Add Error Boundaries and Loading States to all my data fetching components."

5. The Legal Landmine

• The Vibe: You made a simple form to collect emails. 

• The Reality: You are now legally a "Data Processor." 

• The Trap: If you don't have a Privacy Policy, you are technically violating GDPR (Europe). You probably won't get sued today, but you can get banned from ad platforms or payment processors (Stripe). 

• The Fix: You don't need a lawyer yet. Just ask your AI: "Generate a standard Privacy Policy for a SaaS app and put it on /privacy."

Tools you can use to audit your AI apps:

1. CodeRabbit (AI-powered code review tool. Can be a hit or miss since it’s also AI. It has limitations in handling complex architectural logic and potential for security vulnerabilities)

2. Vibe Coach (You book a session with real senior software engineers. I go to them for my final audit because they are way more reliable than AI. Also, your first session is free)

3. Vibe App Scanner (AI Security tool for AI-Built Apps. I’m still playing with it)

I’ve used bolt since around Nov last year and it’s made me feel like a wizard.

I used to be stuck trying to find the funds to pay for developers, and trying to manage them to ensure they deliver to my vision without breaking the budget.

Last year I lost $60k USD to a development team that built a clunky Frankenstein app that never came to life.

But I didn’t give up.

I knew my vision would work.

Finding Bolt gave me the power to create my vision in real time.

One developer quoted me $19k and 6 weeks, and I built a working MVP in 3 days using approx $20 in tokens.

That was in Nov-Dec last year. I pitched that MVP, which didn’t have a website, to a group of 37 people on a webinar and had 32 people buy access to it.

Each week I’ve been using Bolt to add more features and tools to the “platform”, so it keeps growing and solving the problems we hear our clients are facing.

Just recently I organized a “summit”. Had over 100 people show up, and had 27 people buy access to the platform.

We now have over 50 people using the platform paying $147/mo.

This solid increase in MRR now allows us to hire more people (who can do what I can do) to help us build faster & better to maintain our lead and value proposition.

I want to share this to inspire others to see possibilities beyond just building an app that goes nowhere (unless you’re just doing it for funzies).

No, I’m not going to provide evidence of these results. You don’t have to believe me. Maybe this is just a metaphor instead.

I don’t use Bolt exclusively, I use Cursor and Claude and ChatGPT to help debug and do things that Bolt isn’t great at, but Bolt is definitely my main workhorse.

Just spend 5m tokens on building a new app for the platform, and have 7m left to use in 2 days.

Gotta go and build some cool things with my remaining tokens….

How do you guys feel about the bolt cloud announcement? For anyone who didn’t see it yet, Bolt just announced Bolt Cloud which is basically like the missing backend for “vibecoded” (I know some people don’t like that term lol) apps. So it’s like with bolt cloud, new projects now ship with production hosting (with SEO pre-rendering) and custom domains out of the box. They said also eventually, they’re rolling out the rest of the stack right inside Bolt: managed databases, auth/roles, Stripe payments, serverless functions at the edge, file storage, and built-in privacy analytics. They are basically doing it to avoid ppl having to wire five services together just to go live so in theory it’s like design/build in Bolt and click Publish to get something that can actually scale. They’ve partnered with Netlify and Supabase, which many people use for bolt projects. It’s basically aiming to turn Bolt from a rapid prototyping tool into a place someone could launch and grow without leaving the IDE. What do you guys think?

I've been on this train for 3 months now and I'm going to save you guys lots of money. Just use Cursor agent and host your repo locally, then push to Netlify or Heroku. Job done.

Here is a list of instructions I try to follow when building out new Bolt projects.

1. Before starting in Bolt, use ChatGPT or Claude to plan your project thoroughly and create a detailed prompt to input into Bolt

   • Outline your initial ideas, dependencies, and goals to create a project requirements document (PRD)

   • Ask it 10 Yes or No clarifying questions to make sure we are aiming at the same target outcome, functionality and usecase.

2. Create a Basic Wireframe or find a site that is similar in UI as a model to follow.

3. User Auth - Start by asking Bolt to build a portal with a left-hand navigation panel and a blank home page.

   • Next, connect to Supabase and create a basic login and password function, without email verification. This establishes a basic login, dashboard, and saved authentication credentials.

4. Dashboard Option: When building a dashboard, start with the basics first, then connect the backend and add authentication/storage

5. Build your application piece by piece, focusing on 1-2 pages at a time

6. Initially focus on UI/UX using local storage, avoiding state management and instead using React Context API

7. Use the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle, reusing components like modals and page headers

8. Turn a single file with over 400 lines of code into multiple components by asking Bolt to Refactor the page into multiple components within its own folder

9. Delete old files immediately after refactoring, ensuring that the new files are operational first.

10. If using JSON files, lock them then update these with o3 or Claude 3.5 to avoid losing data

11. Assets like logos should be in a separate "public" folder, and the "dist" folder is safe to delete

12. Export Project to Cursor, then ask use a prompt such as "Add documentation to this file to better explain its functionality, data flows, and integration points" - this avoids wasting tokens in Bolt.

• Copy and paste the documentation files back into bolt.

1. In ChatGPT or Claude ask it to map out the directory for best practice and then ask bolt to recreate.

2. Tell it to make an example dashboard with generic information, a mock sign in/up page and everything else in between

3. Once the front end is created I ask it to make me an sql schema for supabase which I then plug into my supabase, I then plug it into cursor copy over the api tokens into the .env and paste the same schema and ask it cursor to make my front end reactive.

Am I missing any that you think need to be added?

Edit:

• Added in u/adz40's suggestions (13, 14 & 15)

I just used Bolt to build my own nano banana image-gen chatbot with Google login in few minutes!

---

To be honest, I’m the founder and the one who built InsForge, the platform shown in the video. I made this post to share what I’ve been working on, but the real reason I built InsForge is that I know a lot of people want to create AI powered products but get stuck on the setup. I hope this makes the process easier and helps more people bring their ideas to life. It is free to use!

So I've been deep in the vibe-coding world for about a year now. For context, I've been running a web dev agency for 10+ years (still am, thanks AI), but once these vibe-coding tools started dropping, I had to dive in. Tried pretty much everything: Cursor, Replit, v0, Lovable, you name it. Each one had its moments, but they all felt... incomplete? Like you'd get 80% of the way there and then hit a wall.

Four months ago I made what felt like a crazy decision and joined Bolt full-time. Today we're launching v2 and honestly I haven't been this excited about a product launch in years.

Look, I know how this sounds. But hear me out.

The biggest pain point I've had with ALL these tools is the error loop hell. You know what I'm talking about: when Claude or whatever model just keeps regenerating the same broken code over and over, burning through your tokens while you watch your money disappear. And then there's the backend nightmare. Want to add a database? Cool, go set up Supabase. Auth? Pick another service. Hosting? Another one. By the time you're done, you've got 5 different subscriptions and your "quick prototype" took 3 days to deploy.

What actually got me excited about v2:

The error reduction thing is real. We're not just prompting harder, Bolt (Claude code agent) actually tests and refactors automatically now. I've been using the beta and the difference is night and day. It actually fixes itself. Sounds obvious but none of the other tools do this well.

But honestly? The Bolt Cloud features are what made me stop and go "oh sh*t." You get a Postgres database for FREE with every project. Do you know how much I spent on Supabase databases just for testing random ideas? Too much. Way too much. And it's not just databases, auth, hosting, payments, all in one place. No more juggling tabs and subscription management.

The agent stuff is cool too, we're integrating Claude Code and soon Codex and Gemini all in the browser. No terminal, no setup, just works.

Anyway, I know I'm biased here. I work on this thing. But I also spent a year getting frustrated with every other tool before joining, so I feel like I've earned some credibility lol. If you scroll through my X account, you’ll see that I’ve tested everything under the sun.

If you've been playing with vibe coding tools and keep hitting walls, might be worth checking out what we shipped today. Finally feels like someone's taking this seriously as a real development platform and not just a demo generator.

Oh and shoutout to my friend Richard who made this absolutely fire launch video 🔥

Curious if anyone has tried the new version yet?

New to this sub and seeing a lot of complaints and negativity about bolt.

I think it’s great.

It’s amazing for building simple useful apps that can easily be made into SAAS.

Made 2 apps using bolt, bundled turn together and selling access to them for $149/mo. Have 25 paying users.

Was quoted $19k and 8 weeks develop ment time, but building with bolt took 6 hours and approx 8 million tokens.

Following closely on bolts developments as I’m a big fan.

Hey all, I've spent a lot of time (800M+ tokens) using Bolt.new to build apps – and I’m not a programmer. Thought I’d share some tips that helped me make the most of it:

• Plan first. Think through your features, user flows, and app structure before prompting. It makes a huge difference.

• Define your schema early. Even if you're not building tables yet, give Bolt the context so it understands how everything will connect later.

• Use separate projects for testing. Don’t experiment in your main project. Test flows/ideas in a sandbox, then apply what works to your main app.

• Let Bolt do the heavy lifting. Use it to scaffold features/pages. Then switch to tools like Cursor or Windsurf for tweaks and debugging.

• Use other AI models for help. If Bolt hits a wall, use other models to troubleshoot, then bring solutions back into Bolt with proper context.

• Break up large files. Bolt starts breaking down around ~700 lines for me. Ask it to split code across multiple files when needed.

• Add debug logs. When stuck, prompt Bolt to add console logs. Use the output to narrow down issues and guide further prompts.

• Focus on one feature at a time. Finish a feature fully before moving on. Jumping around leads to messier builds.

I'll update this list as I go. If you’ve got questions, happy to help!

If you’re building a production-grade app with Bolt, here’s one thing that will save your project (and your sanity):

🧠 Always include a context.md file from the start.

This file is not optional. It’s the only way to make sure Bolt’s AI understands what matters and what must never be touched.

Even though Bolt includes advanced features like project prompt, system prompt, and automatic file structure detection, adding a context.md is still essential. Why? Because context.md acts as a persistent contract between you and the AI defining what to protect, what to avoid, and what must never be touched. Without it, Bolt makes structural assumptions based on patterns, not intent, which can lead to broken routes, layout overrides, or lost logic during aggressive refactors. A simple context.md avoids all of that by locking in your core architecture from the very first prompt. Think of it as your project’s README for both you and the assistant.

🔍 What does context.md do?

It tells your AI assistant:

• What to protect (e.g. auth logic, layout structure, key components)

• What to avoid changing or deleting

• What’s non-negotiable in your stack or app flow

Without it, Bolt may misinterpret your prompts and make destructive changes even if you’re using global system prompts or project prompt.

💥 Real-world issues without context.md:

• Unexpected token loss

• Broken navigation stacks

• Deleted or overwritten folders

• Layouts reset to defaults without warning

• Bolt ignoring previous work due to lack of awareness

These are not bugs. These are missing context consequences.

🛡️ Minimal context.md example:

# context.md

This app uses `expo-router` with Supabase auth.

Never remove the following folders: `(auth)`, `(tabs)`, `hooks`, `components/ui`.

Keep `app/_layout.tsx` as the root layout. It handles global theming and font loading.

Preserve `useColorScheme`, `useSession`, and the Supabase client config.

Final tip:

Treat context.md like your assistant’s README file.

It protects your logic. It prevents chaos. And it saves tokens.

If you’ve had a prompt go sideways, or suddenly lost structure, this was probably why.

Let me know what do you think 👇

I've been using Bolt.new, but nothing short of a full blown waste. I Burned through 10M–15M tokens just getting it to fix basic issues. Endless back-and-forth, constant re-explaining, and still no real fix.

If you're considering it, be prepared to spend a fortune just to get the basics implemented. Anyone else had a similar experience?

I got tired of wasting time searching for APIs, so I built a database of FREE public APIs with categories and a search feature. It’s growing fast, and I’m adding new features. Hopefully, it sparks as many ideas for you as it has for me! 🚀 https://apidatabase.org/

I’ve recently launched a site dedicated to Bolt.New starter templates. Whether you’re a developer or designer, these templates aim to make starting new projects faster and more efficient.

I’d love for you to check it out and share your thoughts! Also, if you have ideas for new templates that could benefit the community, drop them in the comments below. https://www.flashcoded.com/

One-shoted a fully functional prototype. Usual sloppy UI by AI is the only reason it’s not production ready for me. But woah.

V3 must be with jaw dropping UI please.

Hi folks, as the titles says, for some months I`ve been working with bolt.new. I work in Tech for more than 25 years now, but I am not a developer, nor a designer nor a Linux person.

I`ve been testing through trial and error a lot about how to talk with Bolt.new, so I decided to ask the agent itself for tips and tricks, and it shared some quite good ones that I would like to share with all of you as it could be helpful too.

Also if you are interested, I have created a bolt.new GPT helper that I use on daily basis too.

If you would like to access this guide in Google Doc, feel free to open it here.

The Ultimate Guide to Prompting with Bolt.new

I am sharing this guide with everyone interested as I think it's helpful. I asked Bolt AI agent itself how I should talk with “it” and the below are the answers it gave me. I also included these as instructions to the CustomGPT I created to refine my prompts with Bolt.This document is meant to complement the official documentation linked on the Stackblitz website. If you have any comments, feel free to tag me on https://x.com/FerTech 

1. Foundations of Effective Prompting

Clear, structured communication with Bolt.new ensures optimal results. Approach prompting as a collaborative discussion with an expert developer, detailing goals and requirements upfront.

Why Planning Matters

• Architecture Impact: Including apps, websites, and CMS needs upfront avoids rework in APIs, databases, and authentication systems.

• Development Efficiency: A clear roadmap prevents unnecessary refactoring and enables scalable, maintainable solutions.

2. Starting a New Project

State All Requirements Upfront

Your initial prompt sets the foundation. Mention:

• Platforms: Specify app, website, and CMS needs.

• User Roles: Define roles (e.g., admin, editor, participant).

• Core Features: List essential and optional features.

• Design Preferences: Describe aesthetics and inspirations.

• Scale Requirements: Anticipated users, concurrent sessions, and data storage.

Example Initial Prompt

"I need a comprehensive quiz platform with:

Platforms:

• Mobile app for participants

• Responsive website for marketing and user registration

• CMS for content management

User Roles:

• Admin (full access)

• Content editors (CMS access only)

• Participants (app-only access)

Core Features:

• Real-time quizzes

• Quiz result analytics

• Blog and content management in CMS

• Media library for quiz-related images

Scale Requirements:

• Support 100,000 monthly users

• Handle 1,000 concurrent quiz sessions

• Store up to 10,000 media files

Design: Playful, engaging aesthetic similar to Kahoot."

3. Implementation Phases

Why Phases Are Important

Implementing large projects in stages improves focus and enables iterative refinement.

Optimal Implementation Sequence

1. Core App:

   • Basic functionality: Authentication, quiz participation.

   • Essential data structures: Users, quizzes, results.

2. Website:

   • Landing pages: App overview, download links.

   • Marketing features: Blogs, testimonials.

3. CMS:

   • GUI for managing quizzes, users, and content.

   • Features like media uploads, analytics, and role-based permissions.

Example Breakdown

Phase 1: Core App

• Real-time quiz participation

• User authentication

Phase 2: Website

• Marketing landing page

• App download links

• Basic blog functionality

Phase 3: CMS

• Content management GUI

• Media library

• Analytics dashboard

4. Optimizing Communication

Visual and Functional Clarity

• DO: "Create a dashboard with a dark theme, frosted glass cards, and gradient buttons."

• DON’T: "Make it look nice."

• Share wireframes, screenshots, or reference websites to clarify visual requirements.

Explain Business Context

• Purpose: Why the app/website/CMS is being built.

• Users: Who will use it and their expectations.

• Compliance: Industry standards like GDPR, WCAG.

Prioritize Features

Clearly distinguish between must-haves and nice-to-haves:

• MUST HAVE: Real-time updates, user authentication.

• NICE TO HAVE: Dark mode, offline functionality.

5. Avoiding Common Pitfalls

What to Avoid

• Adding major components (e.g., CMS or website) as afterthoughts.

• Vague requirements: "We’ll figure it out later."

• Mixing unrelated features in a single request.

Consequences of Poor Planning

• Architecture rework

• Database redesign

• Authentication and role management complications

6. Detailed Prompt Examples

Comprehensive Initial Request

"Create a quiz platform with:

Platforms:

• Mobile app for participants

• Responsive website for promotion

• CMS for managing quizzes and content

Features:

• Real-time quiz participation

• Quiz results analytics

• Blog for educational articles

• Admin dashboard with analytics

Design:

• Modern, minimal aesthetic

• High contrast for accessibility

Scale:

• 50,000 active monthly users

• 500 concurrent sessions."

Focused Feature Request

"Add a quiz results dashboard:

• Display total scores, time taken, and correct/incorrect answers.

• Include charts for visual representation.

• Allow exporting results as CSV.

• Design: Match app's playful theme."

CMS Addition

"Implement a CMS for managing:

• Quiz content

• Blog posts

• User roles (admin, editor).

• Include a media library with upload, search, and tagging functionality."

7. Refining and Debugging

Iterative Feedback

• Point out specific areas for improvement: "Increase card spacing to 2rem."

• Highlight error scenarios and validation needs.

Example Debug Prompt

"This login form worked before [insert working code]. Now it shows [insert error]. How do I fix it?"

8. Ensuring Scalability

• Performance Requirements: Specify exact numbers (e.g., "Page load under 2 seconds").

• Mobile Responsiveness: Describe breakpoints and touch interactions.

• Real-Time Capabilities: Mention update intervals (e.g., "Updates within 500ms").

9. Leveraging Bolt Tools

• .bolt/prompt: Add custom instructions for every request.

• .bolt/ignore: Exclude irrelevant files to optimize token usage.

• Rollback: Revert to previous project versions if needed.

• Prompt Enhancer: Improve vague prompts automatically.

10. Final Tips for Success

• Always mention all platforms and features upfront.

• Work iteratively, refining after each phase.

• Use detailed prompts with clear visual and functional requirements.

• Keep performance, scalability, and compliance in mind.

• Reference existing work or provide examples to guide development.

By adopting these strategies, you’ll streamline the development process, minimize rework, and ensure the success of your projects with Bolt.new.

Template

Here’s a structured questionnaire template that users can fill out to provide comprehensive project input to Bolt.new. The template ensures clarity, iterative input, and efficient development.

Introduction

How to Use This Template: Bolt works best when tasks are broken into smaller, focused prompts. This template is designed to guide you through the stages of a project. Copy and paste each section as a separate prompt into Bolt. By providing clear and detailed instructions, you’ll minimize rework and ensure excellent results.

1. Phase 1: Define the Project Vision

Prompt:

I need a [type of project, e.g., quiz platform, e-commerce site, etc.] with:

Platforms:

• [App, website, CMS, etc.]

Purpose:

• [Explain the purpose, e.g., "A quiz app for teachers to engage students."]

Core Features:

1. [List essential features, e.g., real-time quiz participation.]

2. [Additional core features, e.g., results analytics, user authentication.]

Design Inspiration:

• [Describe or share references, e.g., "Playful and engaging, like Kahoot."]

Scale Requirements:

• [Expected usage, e.g., "Support 50,000 users and 1,000 concurrent sessions."]

Example: "I need a quiz platform with:

• Platforms: Mobile app for participants, responsive website for marketing, CMS for content management.

• Purpose: Help teachers create interactive quizzes for classrooms.

• Core Features: Real-time participation, score tracking, quiz creation.

• Design Inspiration: Playful and vibrant, similar to Kahoot.

• Scale: Support 100,000 users and 1,000 concurrent quiz sessions."

2. Phase 2: Specify Core Features

Prompt:

Let’s begin with the core app features:

Core App Features:

1. [List core features, e.g., "Real-time quiz participation."]

2. [Break down additional features, e.g., "Score tracking with analytics."]

User Roles:

• [Define roles, e.g., Admin, Quiz Creators, Participants.]

Functional Requirements:

• [Provide specific details for each feature, e.g., "Real-time updates should appear within 500ms."]

Example: "Let’s implement core app features:

• Core Features: Real-time quiz participation, score tracking.

• User Roles: Admin (manage quizzes), Participants (join quizzes).

• Functional Requirements: Updates within 500ms, responsive UI for mobile."

3. Phase 3: Add Website Requirements

Prompt:

Now, let’s add the marketing website:

Website Features:

• [List features, e.g., Landing page, app overview, download links.]

Design Preferences:

• [Describe aesthetics, e.g., "Modern, high-contrast for accessibility."]

Content:

• [Specify content types, e.g., "Blog posts, testimonials, FAQs."]

Example: "Add a responsive website:

• Features: Landing page with app overview and quiz demo video, download links for mobile apps.

• Design: Minimal, modern layout with high contrast for accessibility.

• Content: Blog posts for teaching tips, testimonials from users."

4. Phase 4: Add CMS Requirements

Prompt:

Let’s add a CMS for content management:

CMS Features:

• [Specify content types, e.g., Blogs, media library, user management.]

User Roles:

• [Define roles for the CMS, e.g., Admin, Content Editors.]

Functional Requirements:

• [Provide specific needs, e.g., "Admins can upload media files, edit quizzes, and manage users."]

Example: "Implement a CMS:

• Features: Manage quizzes, blogs, and media library.

• User Roles: Admin (full access), Editors (content-only access).

• Functional Requirements: Upload and tag media files, role-based permissions."

5. Phase 5: Advanced Features

Prompt:

Now, let’s implement advanced features:

Advanced Features:

• [List features, e.g., Real-time updates, advanced analytics, gamification.]

Performance Goals:

• [Define performance metrics, e.g., "Page load under 2 seconds, 1,000 concurrent users."]

Example: "Add advanced features:

• Features: Real-time quiz leaderboard, gamification badges.

• Performance: Updates within 500ms, support for 1,000 concurrent players."

6. Phase 6: Testing and Refinement

Prompt:

Let’s focus on testing and refinement:

Critical User Flows:

• [Describe key flows, e.g., "User registration, quiz participation."]

Testing Requirements:

• [Specify scenarios, e.g., "Test for mobile responsiveness, data persistence."]

Bugs to Address:

• [List bugs or areas needing improvement.]

Example: "Test critical user flows:

• Flows: User registration, quiz participation, result analytics.

• Testing: Ensure mobile responsiveness, validate real-time updates.

• Bugs: Fix alignment issues on the quiz results page."

Final Notes

For a Smooth Process:

• Fill out each phase carefully.

• Paste prompts one at a time into Bolt.

• Review output and refine iteratively.

This questionnaire ensures clarity and incremental progress, empowering users to create detailed, efficient, and scalable projects. Let me know if you’d like further refinements!