Fix my Bolt.new app
Bolt.new is built to produce a working demo fast, and it's genuinely good at that, but a demo is not a production application, and Bolt says so itself. The most common gap is data that doesn't persist: no real database, temporary storage, or a schema that was never designed for concurrent real users. We keep the interface Bolt generated where it's good, then build the missing backend, real persistence, real authentication, and real business logic, and deploy it to infrastructure meant for production traffic. Rapid Diagnostic starts at $1,500, credited toward the full audit if you go ahead.
What specifically breaks in a Bolt.new app?
Bolt's own positioning is honest: it builds demos. The failure pattern is trying to run a business on one.
Data that doesn't persist
Refresh the app or wait for a restart, and user data can disappear, because it was never wired to a real, durable database in the first place.
Missing real authentication
Login flows that look complete in the demo often lack the session handling, password hashing, and access control a real product needs.
No production hosting plan
What runs in Bolt's own environment during building isn't automatically a deployable, scalable production service.
Business logic that's demo-deep, not real-deep
Edge cases like refunds, partial failures, or concurrent edits often aren't handled, because the demo only needed to look right once, on the happy path.
How do you turn a Bolt.new prototype into a real app?
We treat the UI as a real asset and build the missing production layer underneath it.
1. Separate the good UI from the missing backend
We keep the interface and interaction design Bolt generated where it's solid, and identify exactly which backend pieces were never really built.
2. Design a real data layer
We build a proper database schema and persistence layer so user data survives restarts, deploys, and real concurrent usage.
3. Add authentication and authorization for real
We implement production-grade auth and access control instead of the placeholder or missing versions common in fast prototypes.
4. Deploy to production infrastructure
We move the app onto hosting built for real traffic, with monitoring, backups, and a deploy pipeline you control.
What does it cost to rebuild a Bolt.new prototype?
Cost mostly tracks how much real backend logic the finished product needs.
A gap analysis of exactly what's missing between your demo and a real product.
Build the real backend, data layer, and auth, and deploy to production infrastructure.
Complex data models, integrations, or scale requirements, plus ongoing engineering.
Bolt.new rescue questions
Why isn't my data saving in my Bolt.new app?
Bolt.new is explicitly built to generate fast, working demos, not persistent production applications. Many Bolt projects use in-memory or temporary storage that resets, rather than a real, durable database.
Is Bolt.new bad for building apps?
No, it's excellent at what it's for: turning an idea into a working, demoable prototype extremely fast. The gap is between a demo and a production application, which is a different engineering problem entirely.
Can you keep the design Bolt.new generated?
Yes, in most cases the interface and interaction design are genuinely good and we keep them. What we rebuild is the backend: real data persistence, authentication, and business logic.
How long does it take to turn a Bolt prototype into a real app?
It depends on scope, but most rescue-and-harden engagements for a Bolt prototype run several weeks to a few months, depending on how much backend logic needs to be designed from scratch.
What does it cost?
A Rapid Diagnostic is $1,500, delivered async, and the fee is credited toward the full audit if you go ahead. A fixed-scope diagnostic audit starts at $7,500. A full prototype-to-production rebuild typically runs $50,000 to $150,000, more for complex data models or integrations.
Related reading
Rescue by tool
See every AI coding tool we rescue apps from.
v0 rescue
Another UI-first tool that needs a real backend wired in.
Scale & rebuild
Our service for turning a prototype into a durable production app.
State of vibe-code security
The research behind why demos and production apps need different rigor.
Send us the repo. We'll tell you the truth about it.
A senior engineer reads your actual Bolt.new project and tells you exactly what's missing to make it real.