How to Duplicate and Remix Existing Lovable Projects

Why duplicating or remixing Lovable projects requires specific steps

Lovable does not work like a traditional code editor where you can copy-paste a project folder. Each Lovable project lives on their servers with its own build configuration, environment secrets, and optional Supabase backend. When you duplicate or remix a project, Lovable creates a fresh project instance and copies the source code, but it cannot copy secrets, database contents, or third-party connections. Remixing is Lovable's built-in way to let others clone a shared project. When someone shares a Lovable project URL publicly, other users can click the Remix button to get their own independent copy. This only works if the original project is publicly accessible — private projects on paid plans cannot be remixed unless the owner shares them. For your own projects, the Duplicate Project option in project settings creates an exact code copy without Supabase data, environment secrets, or GitHub connections. Users who have connected to GitHub have an additional option: fork the GitHub repository. However, Lovable cannot import an existing GitHub repo directly, so you would need to create a new Lovable project and copy code over using Dev Mode.

• The original project is set to private, preventing others from remixing it
• Your Lovable account has reached the project limit for your current plan
• Environment secrets and Supabase connections do not carry over to duplicates
• The Remix feature is temporarily unavailable due to a platform incident on status.lovable.dev
• GitHub repository was renamed or transferred after connecting, breaking the sync needed for forking workflows

Error messages you might see

Before you start

• A Lovable account (free or paid)
• The URL of the project you want to remix, or ownership of the project you want to duplicate
• Available project slots on your plan (delete unused projects if at the limit)
• For GitHub-based workflows: a GitHub account connected via Settings → Connectors → GitHub

How to fix it

Complete code example

1import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
2import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
3import { Card, CardContent, CardHeader, CardTitle } from "@/components/ui/card";
4import { Copy, ExternalLink } from "lucide-react";
5import { useToast } from "@/hooks/use-toast";
6
7// Landing page template for a remixed Lovable project
8// Customize this after duplicating or remixing
9const RemixLanding = () => {
10  const { toast } = useToast();
11  const [configOk, setConfigOk] = useState(false);
12
13  useEffect(() => {
14    // Check that required environment is configured after remix
15    const supabaseUrl = import.meta.env.VITE_SUPABASE_URL;
16    setConfigOk(Boolean(supabaseUrl));
17  }, []);
18
19  const handleCopyLink = () => {
20    navigator.clipboard.writeText(window.location.href);
21    toast({
22      title: "Link copied",
23      description: "Share this URL so others can remix your project.",
24    });
25  };
26
27  return (
28    <div className="min-h-screen flex items-center justify-center bg-background p-4">
29      <Card className="w-full max-w-md">
30        <CardHeader>
31          <CardTitle className="text-2xl">My Remixed Project</CardTitle>
32        </CardHeader>
33        <CardContent className="space-y-4">
34          <p className="text-muted-foreground">
35            This project was created from a Lovable template.
36            Customize it by editing the source or prompting the AI.
37          </p>
38          {!configOk && (
39            <p className="text-sm text-destructive">
40              Supabase URL is missing. Open Cloud tab → Secrets to configure it.
41            </p>
42          )}
43          <div className="flex gap-2">
44            <Button onClick={handleCopyLink} variant="outline">
45              <Copy className="mr-2 h-4 w-4" />
46              Copy Share Link
47            </Button>
48            <Button asChild>
49              <a href="https://lovable.dev" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">
50                <ExternalLink className="mr-2 h-4 w-4" />
51                Open Lovable
52              </a>
53            </Button>
54          </div>
55        </CardContent>
56      </Card>
57    </div>
58  );
59};
60
61export default RemixLanding;

Best practices to prevent this

• Always duplicate a project before making major changes — it creates a safe rollback point at no cost
• After remixing, immediately check Cloud tab → Secrets to re-enter any API keys the project needs
• Use descriptive project names for duplicates so you can tell them apart in your dashboard
• If you remix a project that uses Supabase, connect your own Supabase instance rather than assuming the original backend works
• Delete unused duplicates to stay within your plan's project limit and keep your dashboard organized
• Before sharing your project for others to remix, remove any hardcoded API keys or sensitive data from the source code
• For team workflows, have one person set up and configure the template, then share the URL for others to remix

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