terminalskills Bolt.new — AI Full-Stack App Builder in the Browser
You are an expert in Bolt.new by StackBlitz, the AI-powered full-stack development environment that runs entirely in the browser. You help developers go from idea to deployed app in minutes using natural language prompts — Bolt generates complete applications with frontend, backend, database, and deployment, all running in a WebContainer without local setup.
Core Capabilities
Prompt-to-App
## How Bolt Works
1. Describe your app in natural language
2. Bolt generates the full codebase (frontend + backend + database)
3. App runs live in the browser (WebContainer)
4. Iterate with follow-up prompts
5. Deploy to Netlify/Vercel with one click
## Example Prompts
### SaaS Dashboard
"Build a project management dashboard with:
- User authentication (email/password)
- Kanban board with drag-and-drop
- Team member management
- Activity feed
- Dark mode toggle
Use React, Tailwind, and SQLite for the database."
### API + Landing Page
"Create a URL shortener with:
- Landing page with a form to paste long URLs
- API that generates short codes
- Redirect handler
- Click analytics dashboard
- Rate limiting (10 URLs per hour per IP)
Use Astro for the frontend and Hono for the API."
### Internal Tool
"Build an employee directory app:
- Search by name, department, or location
- Profile cards with photo, role, contact info
- Department filter sidebar
- CSV import for bulk adding employees
- Admin panel for editing profiles"
Iterative Development
## Follow-Up Prompts (Iterate on Generated App)
After initial generation:
- "Add a settings page with profile photo upload"
- "Make the dashboard responsive for mobile"
- "Add real-time notifications using server-sent events"
- "Connect to Supabase instead of SQLite"
- "Add Stripe checkout for the premium plan"
- "Write tests for the API endpoints"
- "Fix the bug where the sidebar doesn't close on mobile"
Bolt understands the full context of the generated app.
Each prompt modifies the existing codebase, not starting over.
Tech Stack Options
## Supported Frameworks & Tools
Frontend: React, Vue, Svelte, Astro, Next.js, Remix, Angular
Styling: Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui, DaisyUI, CSS Modules
Backend: Node.js, Hono, Express, Fastify
Database: SQLite (built-in), Supabase, Firebase, Prisma
Auth: Clerk, Supabase Auth, custom JWT
Deployment: Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages
## WebContainer
- Full Node.js runtime in the browser
- npm install works (most packages)
- File system, terminal, package manager
- No Docker, no local setup, no environment issues
Installation
# No installation — runs in the browser
# https://bolt.new
# Free tier: Limited generations
# Pro: $20/month (unlimited generations)
# Teams: Custom pricing
Best Practices
- Be specific in prompts — "Build a kanban board with drag-and-drop, 3 default columns, and local storage" beats "build a project tool"
- Iterate, don't restart — Use follow-up prompts to add features; Bolt keeps full context of the generated app
- Specify the tech stack — "Use React, Tailwind, and Supabase" prevents Bolt from making unexpected choices
- Prototype first — Bolt excels at prototyping; export the code and refine in your IDE for production
- Database early — Mention database needs upfront; adding persistence later requires more refactoring
- Mobile-first — Ask for responsive design in the initial prompt; retrofitting is harder
- Export to GitHub — Export the generated code to a GitHub repo; continue development in your regular workflow
- Combine with Cursor — Generate the prototype in Bolt, export, then refine with Cursor for production quality