Vibe Coding Checklist

Guide · Lovable · Checked against Lovable's docs, October 2026 · Updated

The Lovable launch checklist

Is my Lovable app ready for real users?

Not until you've checked what's underneath. Lovable gives you real tools: an automatic Quick scan when you publish, an on-demand Deep scan, a Secrets manager and row-level security. But your app is only as safe as its rules. The most common gaps are tables without RLS policies, secrets in VITE_ variables, and access that's only checked in the browser. Start there.

Lovable can build something that looks finished in an afternoon. Before real people use it, check the ten things underneath. Each one says where to look in Lovable (the Cloud tools are under More in the project toolbar) and gives you a prompt to paste into the project chat.

Using your own Supabase project instead of Lovable Cloud? The same ten apply. Look in your Supabase dashboard instead, and see the Supabase launch checklist.

Take the 2-minute checkJump to: before you hit publish
  1. 01

    Your data

    Cloud → Database

    Open your database and look at the tables Lovable created. Each one should match something real in your app, like people, posts or orders. If you see a table you can't explain, or the same information stored in two places, ask about it before you launch.

    Paste into Lovable

    Describe my data model in plain English: every table, what it stores, and how the tables connect. Flag anything you assumed instead of being told.

  2. 02

    Accounts

    Cloud → Users

    Lovable Cloud apps sign people in with email by default, with settings for email confirmation and password rules. Make sure the whole lifecycle exists: sign up, sign in, forgot password, sign out, and delete account. If you plan to ship to the App Store, Apple requires a way to delete your account inside the app.

    Paste into Lovable

    Walk me through every account flow in this app: sign up, sign in, forgot password, sign out, delete account. Which ones are missing or only half built? Account deletion must remove the person's data on the server, not just sign them out.

  3. 03

    Permissions

    Your edge functions and database policies

    Lovable's own guidance: all authentication decisions must happen server-side, and frontend auth state should only control the interface, never enforce access. A hidden admin button is not a lock. Roles like "admin" must be checked on the server.

    Paste into Lovable

    For every piece of private data and every admin action, show me where the server checks who is allowed. List anything that is only protected by hiding it in the UI, then fix those one at a time.

  4. 04

    Database rules (RLS)

    Cloud → Database → security policies

    Row-level security (RLS) is what stops one user from reading another user's rows. Lovable recommends RLS on every sensitive table, with policies reviewed so people can only reach their own data. Server code that uses the service role skips RLS entirely, so it has to check permissions itself.

    Paste into Lovable

    List every table and whether row-level security is on. For each, explain in plain English who can read, add, change and delete rows. Flag any table someone who isn't signed in can read or write.

  5. 05

    Secret keys

    Cloud → Secrets

    Put API keys and tokens in Lovable's Secrets manager: they're encrypted, injected into your edge functions, and never reach the browser. Anything named VITE_… is built into the code people's browsers download, so a secret must never go there. Secrets that were ever in front-end code should be treated as leaked and replaced.

    Paste into Lovable

    Search this project for API keys, tokens and passwords. For each one, tell me its name (not its value), whether it's a secret, and whether it appears in front-end code or a VITE_ variable. Move every secret into Secrets and use it only from edge functions.

  6. 06

    When things break

    Your edge functions

    Lovable builds the happy path first. Ask what happens when an action fails halfway, like a payment that goes through when the order doesn't save. Anything involving money or another service belongs in an edge function, where the server can finish or undo it.

    Paste into Lovable

    For sign up, save, pay and upload: what happens if it fails halfway or the connection drops? Show me what the person sees, and make sure retrying can't create duplicates or double charges.

  7. 07

    What leaves your app

    Cloud → Emails, your integrations

    Emails, notifications and payments leave your app the moment they fire, and you can't take them back. Test with your own addresses, and use your payment provider's test mode (Stripe has one) before any real card is involved.

    Paste into Lovable

    List everything this app sends out: emails, notifications, payments, webhooks. For each, what triggers it, and how do I test it without reaching a real person or charging a real card?

  8. 08

    Uploads

    Cloud → Storage

    Uploaded files have their own access rules, separate from your tables. Check whether each storage bucket is public (anyone with the link can open a file) or private, and set size and file-type limits.

    Paste into Lovable

    For each storage bucket: is it public or private, who can upload, who can open a file if they have its link, and what are the size and file-type limits? Make private files private.

  9. 09

    Hosting and cost

    Cloud → Usage

    Lovable hosts the app and bills Cloud usage in credits, with a monthly grant on its plans. The Usage section shows what drives your project's credit use, and you can increase your database's instance size and storage as you grow. Know your number before a launch brings a spike.

    Paste into Lovable

    What in this app uses the most backend resources (database queries, edge functions, storage, AI calls)? What would get expensive or slow first if ten times more people used it?

  10. 10

    Knowing when it breaks

    Cloud → Logs

    Lovable gives you logs, but nobody reads logs until something is already wrong. Add an outside check that loads a real page or does a real action every day, so you hear about an outage before your users do. Keys and domains expire, too.

    Paste into Lovable

    How would I find out right now if this app stopped working for users? List what errors get logged, and suggest a simple daily check that tests what a real user does, not just whether the server is on.

Before you hit Publish

  1. Let the Quick scan run. It runs automatically in the background when you open the publish dialog, and covers a database review, a dependency audit and an MCP server check. Read every finding instead of clicking past it.
  2. Run a Deep scan yourself. It doesn't run on its own. From the project's Security view, it checks your code for access control gaps, unauthenticated endpoints, unsafe input handling, leaked secrets, payments, authentication and exposed sensitive data.
  3. Ask for a security review. Type "Review my app's security" in the project chat for a conversational assessment. It uses credits.
  4. Fix every critical finding before going live. Workspace admins can turn on "Block publishing with critical issues" so nobody publishes past them.
  5. Keep internal tools internal. If the app isn't meant for the public, set project access to your workspace.

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Common questions

Are Lovable apps secure?

Lovable includes real security tools: an automatic Quick scan at publish, an on-demand Deep scan, a Secrets manager and row-level security in its built-in backend. But the app is only as secure as its rules. Most problems come from tables without proper RLS policies, secrets in front-end code, and access that is only checked in the browser. Check those before launch.

Does Lovable run a security scan before publishing?

Yes. Lovable runs a Quick scan automatically when you open the publish dialog. The deeper scan of your app's code (access control, leaked secrets, payments, authentication) only runs when you start it from the Security view.

Where do I put API keys in Lovable?

In Lovable's Secrets manager, used from edge functions. Values named VITE_… are bundled into the browser code, so they must never hold a secret.

Is this an official Lovable checklist?

No. It's an independent guide by Andrew Adams, based on Lovable's public documentation (checked October 2026) and real launch mistakes. It isn't a professional security audit.

Sources

An independent guide, not affiliated with Lovable, and not a professional security audit. Dashboards change often; if a menu has moved, the prompts still work. Written by Andrew Adams, based on the Vibe Coding Checklist. Other guides: Lovable · Bolt · Cursor and Claude Code · Supabase · Firebase.