Setting Up Supabase

Supabase is where your app stores data — user accounts, posts, settings, anything that needs to persist. Think of it like a spreadsheet that your app can read from and write to, except it's fast and secure. You need Supabase if your app has users, saves anything between sessions, or has a database. If your app is a static site or portfolio, you can skip this.

What Happens

Vibecheck sets up Supabase for you automatically. When you reach the database step, Claude opens a browser, navigates to Supabase, and creates your project. You'll see it working in a terminal panel inside VS Code. The only thing you need to do is enter your database password when Claude asks — everything else is handled for you.

Vibecheck creates two databases: a DEV database for building and testing, and a PROD database for your live app. After each project is created, Claude grabs the credentials, validates them, and saves them to your project automatically.

You'll need a free Supabase account. If you don't have one, Claude will open the sign-up page for you.

If the Automated Setup Doesn't Work

If Claude gets stuck or disconnected, Vibecheck will ask if you want to continue automatically or set things up manually. If you choose manual, here's what to do:

Go to supabase.com and sign in (or create a free account)
Click "New Project"
Name it yourproject-dev, set a database password, pick the closest region
Wait about a minute for provisioning
Go to Settings → API — copy your Project URL and anon public key
Paste them into the Vibecheck credential form and click "Test Connection"
Repeat for your PROD database (name it yourproject-prod)

It's Not Working

What's the difference between dev and prod?›

Dev (development) = a test database just for you. You build and break things here. Prod (production) = the live database your real users hit. Vibecheck sets up dev first. You can set up prod right away or come back to it later.

I already have a Supabase project from Lovable or Bolt›

When Vibecheck asks about your database, choose "I already use Supabase." You'll paste your existing project's URL and anon key — your data and tables stay exactly as they are.

Where do I find my API keys (for manual setup)?›

In your Supabase dashboard: select your project → Settings (gear icon in left sidebar) → API. You'll see "Project URL" and "Project API Keys." Use the anon public key — not the service_role key (which has full admin access and should never go in your app's code).

It says "Invalid API key"›

Double-check you copied the full key — they're long and easy to accidentally truncate. Click into the key field in Supabase, select all (Cmd+A), copy, then paste fresh into Vibecheck.

My Supabase project is "paused"›

Free tier Supabase projects pause after 1 week of inactivity. Go to your Supabase dashboard, find the paused project, and click "Restore project." It takes about a minute to come back online.

I see errors about RLS or "new row violates row-level security policy"›

Row Level Security (RLS) is on by default on Supabase — it protects your data. The error means your app is trying to read or write data without the right permissions set up. Ask Claude: "I'm getting an RLS error on my [table name] table in Supabase — can you help me set up the right policies?" Claude will walk you through it.

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