How to hire a Lovable, Bolt, Replit or Cursor developer to finish your app

You built most of your app with Lovable, Bolt, Replit or Cursor. Now you are stuck on the last part, or you have users and need it to be solid. So you want to hire a developer who knows these tools.

This guide explains what a good Lovable developer does and how each tool affects the job. It also covers what to hand over, and how to keep the code and accounts in your name.

What does a Lovable developer do?

A Lovable developer is a developer who can work on an app that started in an AI builder. The same skills apply to Bolt, Replit and Cursor apps. The work usually falls into four parts.

• Finish the build: Add the features the AI tool could not get right, such as complex payments or links to other software.
• Fix security: Move secret keys off the browser, set database rules, and check logins on the server.
• Make it stable: Add backups, error alerts and tests, and speed up slow pages.
• Hand it back cleanly: Write down what changed so you, or the next developer, can keep going.

The best people for this work can still use the AI tool to move fast. They can also open the code and fix it by hand when the AI goes in circles.

How is each tool different for the developer you hire?

Each tool stores code and data in its own way. Your developer must know those details, because they decide how the handover works.

Tool	Where the code lives	Link to GitHub	Database	What to watch
Lovable	In Lovable, synced to a repo you choose	Two-way sync, one branch at a time	Built-in backend based on Supabase, or your own Supabase	Pushing code does not publish the live site
Bolt	In Bolt, with automatic commits to GitHub	Two-way, Bolt checks GitHub every 30 seconds	Built-in database, or Supabase chosen at the start	Bolt keeps its own changes if both sides edit at once
Replit	In your Replit project	Two-way auto-sync from the Git pane	Separate test and live databases	Projects cannot move to another account directly
Cursor	On your computer, in a folder you open	Through your own Git setup	Whatever your app uses	You manage hosting and the database yourself

Lovable

Lovable can link each project to a GitHub repository in the account or organization you pick. Lovable's docs say these repositories are private by default on every plan. Changes sync both ways, but only on one branch at a time. A developer can clone the code and work in their own editor. On paid plans, you can also download the code from the project settings.

Lovable's built-in backend runs on Supabase's open source base. You can also connect your own Supabase project. Moving from the built-in backend to your own Supabase takes work. The docs say you must export the database, restore it, move stored files and set up logins and secrets again. Ask your developer to plan that move before they start.

Lovable also has a Security view with a quick scan and a deep scan. Ask your developer to run both and share the results with you.

Bolt

Bolt saves your work to GitHub by creating a commit for each working change. It checks GitHub every 30 seconds for changes made outside Bolt. If both sides change at almost the same time, Bolt keeps its own version and overwrites GitHub. Your developer should know this so their work does not get lost.

Bolt can create a built-in database for your project. On the Pro or Teams plan, you can pick Supabase when you start a new project. Bolt's help center says there is currently no supported way to move an existing Bolt database to Supabase. You can, however, claim the Bolt database into your own Supabase account on those plans. For a personal account, only the project owner can do this. Bolt also notes that one Bolt account can connect to only one Supabase organization, so pick your company's organization. Bolt also has a Security Audit that looks for open permissions and missing database rules.

Replit

Replit lets you download a project as a zip file, or link it to GitHub with two-way sync. Replit's docs say projects cannot move to another account directly. You can copy a project by forking it or by uploading the zip to a new project. After a copy, the secrets, the database and the deployment settings must be set up again.

Replit keeps a test database and a live database apart. Its docs say the Replit Agent cannot change the live database. That is good news, but your developer still needs a plan for moving data and changes safely.

Cursor

Cursor works differently. It is an AI code editor that you download to your computer. You open a folder, and Cursor's agent works on the code inside it. So the code already sits with you or in your own Git account, and you choose the hosting and the database. Cursor offers a Privacy Mode. Its security page says, "When enabled, we will not train on your data." Ask your developer to turn it on.

What should you look for in a Lovable, Bolt, Replit or Cursor developer?

• They read code: Ask them to walk you through a file from your app. A real developer can explain it in plain words.
• They know Supabase: Most of these apps use it. Ask them to explain Row Level Security, which is the set of rules that decides who can see each row of data.
• They have fixed payments: Ask about Stripe webhooks, refunds and failed card payments.
• They work in GitHub: All their work should land in your repository, with clear notes for each change.
• They talk about risk first: A good developer asks about your users and your data before they talk about new features.

My guide to making a vibe coded app production ready lists the problems they should check for.

What questions should you ask before you hire?

• What would you check first in my app, and why?
• How will you keep your work in sync with the AI tool, so neither side overwrites the other?
• How do you test changes before they reach real users?
• Where will my secret keys live when you are done?
• What will you write down for me at the end?
• Can we start with a short paid review before a bigger project?

What should you hand over to the developer?

Get these ready before day one. It saves time and money.

• A list of every service: The AI tool, GitHub, the database, hosting, the domain, Stripe, email and any AI service such as OpenAI.
• Access, never ownership: Invite the developer as a member or collaborator on each account. Keep yourself as the owner.
• A short goal list: What must work for launch, what can wait, and what keeps breaking.
• Test accounts: One normal user and one admin user, with sample data.
• Known bugs: Screenshots or short videos of each problem.

Do not send passwords by email or chat. Use each service's invite feature, or a password manager that lets you share and later remove access.

Who should own the code and the accounts?

You should. Your company should own the GitHub account, the AI tool account, the database, the hosting, the domain and the payment account. The developer gets access to do the work. When the work ends, you remove that access, and the app keeps running.

Put this in writing. Your contract should say that the code belongs to your company once you pay. It should also list every account and confirm that each one sits in your company's name.

When should you say no to a developer?

• They want to move your app into their own accounts.
• They will not show you the code or the GitHub history.
• They promise a fixed date before they have looked at the code.
• They suggest a full rebuild in the first call, before any review.
• They cannot explain what Row Level Security is.

When should you not hire a developer yet?

If you have no users and you are still testing the idea, keep building in the AI tool for now. A developer adds the most value once you have real data, real payments or a launch date. If you are still deciding how to build at all, my guide on AI app builder vs hiring a developer can help.

How does Blur Studio take over an AI-built app?

Finishing half-built and AI-built apps is a core part of what I do. I take over apps from Lovable, Bolt, Replit, Cursor and Bubble, and I know how each tool stores code and data.

I start with a review. I read the code, test the risky parts and give you a plain list of what to fix and in what order. Then I fix it in your GitHub repository, so you see every change. The code and every account stay in your name.

Once I've made the core solid, I also set up a safe environment where you can keep using Lovable, Bolt, Replit, Base44 or whichever tool you like to make small changes yourself, a new page, a copy change, a tweak to a screen. I separate the parts that are safe to touch from the parts that control security, payments and data, so an AI-assisted change you make on a Tuesday afternoon cannot quietly break your database or expose a customer's data. You stay in control without needing to learn to code, and you come to me for anything bigger or anything that touches that protected core.

After launch, I can keep taking care of the app, or hand it back to you with clear notes.

If your app is on Bubble, my guide on Bubble agency vs custom code covers that choice. For hiring help with AI features in general, see how to hire AI developers.