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Bolt prompts: 18 copy-paste Bolt.new prompts for beginners

Built from Bolt's own help center (prompting, Plan Mode, tokens, context, database and publishing guides), checked Oct 21, 2026. Sources below.

• Prompts
• Bolt
• Bolt.new

Short answer: the best Bolt prompts plan first, then ask for one change at a time, say exactly what must not change, and paste the real error when something breaks. In Bolt itself: plan in Plan Mode (it replaced Discussion Mode in August 2026), polish your first prompt with Enhance prompt, put rules you'd otherwise repeat in Project Knowledge, and type /clear when a feature is done to save tokens. Below are 18 Bolt.new prompts by stage: first prompt, website, app with a database, fixing errors, saving tokens and publishing.

The cheat sheet

7 Bolt features that make every prompt work better

• Plan Mode. Click Plan in the chatbox to plan, ask questions or debug without changing code. Bolt's docs say it uses fewer tokens than Build mode. Discussion Mode was retired on August 3, 2026, and Plan Mode replaces it.
• Enhance prompt. Type your prompt, click the plus icon, then Enhance prompt. Bolt asks a few questions and writes a fuller prompt you can edit. Read it before sending to make sure it still says what you want.
• Project Knowledge (your "system prompt"). Gear icon → All project settings → Knowledge. Bolt uses it on every prompt, even after you clear the chat. There's also Account knowledge (all your projects) and Team knowledge. A starter is below.
• An agents.md file. Bolt's docs say it finds and uses an agents.md in your project automatically (attach it with the plus icon → Attach file). The same file works in Codex, Cursor and Copilot: see AGENTS.md examples.
• Point at the exact spot. Type @ to tag a file or folder, use Select to pick an element in the preview, or in Code view right-click a file for Target file or Lock file.
• Prompt Library. Plus icon → Open Prompt Library for built-in prompts (SEO, accessibility, dark mode, error handling). Save any prompt on this page with /create prompt and reuse it by typing / and its name.
• Skills. Reusable instructions Bolt applies when your prompt matches their description, available on all plans. Use them for checklists you run often; use Knowledge for facts that always apply.

Free plan, per Bolt's token docs: 300K tokens a day and 1 million a month, with no rollover; only the Standard agent (Max needs a paid plan). Editing code yourself in Code view uses no tokens.

# About this project
[One sentence: what it is and who it's for.]

# How to work with me
- I'm a beginner. Explain changes in plain English before you make them.
- Make one change at a time and tell me how to test it.
- Ask before changing the database, sign-in or payments.
- Never put secret keys in front-end code.
- Don't change files or sections I didn't mention.

Want a full Knowledge template for your project type? Start from Bolt prompt rules.

1. Plan and write your first prompt

1. Plan it with Bolt first (Plan Mode)

I want to build [one sentence: what it is and who it's for].
Don't build anything yet. Ask me questions one at a time until you understand: who uses it, the main thing they do, what data it saves, and what's NOT in version 1.
Then give me a plan with 5 to 8 small build steps, each with one line on how I can test it.

Click Plan in the chatbox before you send this. Bolt's docs say Plan Mode lets you talk it through without changing your code, and uses fewer tokens than Build mode. If you start from the Bolt homepage, Plan Mode first creates your app's basic structure, then shares the plan. When you're happy, the Implement this plan button switches to Build mode.

2. The first build prompt (fill in the blanks)

Build [a website / a web app / a mobile app] called [name].
It's for [who it's for], who need to [the main job].
Version 1 features:
- [feature 1]
- [feature 2]
- [feature 3]
Look and feel: [calm and minimal / bold and playful], colors [your colors].
Users will open it [in their browser / on their phone].
Start with the main page only. Don't add sign-in or payments yet.

This follows Bolt's own planning questions: what you're building, who it's for, the features, the look, and how people will open it. Bolt's docs say to decide web vs mobile at the start, and to say "mobile app" in the prompt if that's what you want. Then click the plus icon and Enhance prompt: Bolt asks you a few questions and rewrites it.

3. Pick the simplest setup

I'm a beginner. Before you build, tell me in plain English what you'll use for this app (framework, where the data lives, how it gets published) and why.
Keep it as simple as possible. If it doesn't need a database yet, say so.

Bolt's first quick tip is to start with the app's architecture. Its docs also say Bolt creates a database automatically if it thinks your app needs one, so it's worth asking first. If you don't want one: "Don't use a database, I want to use local storage for this app."

2. Build a website

4. A landing page that converts

Build a one-page website for [business or product].
Sections, in order: a hero with the headline "[your real headline]" and a button "[button text]", 3 benefits, how it works in 3 steps, 3 testimonials (leave them as clearly marked placeholders), FAQ with 5 questions, and a contact form.
Mobile-friendly. Fast. No sign-in.

Real headline text gets the layout sized right. Want rules Bolt follows on every message? See the landing page rules.

5. Add one section with real words

Below the hero, add a section with a centered heading "[heading]" and three cards in a row. Each card has an icon, a short title and one sentence: [card 1], [card 2], [card 3].
Only change the home page. Leave the header and footer alone.

Bolt's docs say to add details one component at a time with small, specific prompts, and to be explicit about what should and shouldn't change. You can also click Select and pick the exact element in the preview.

6. Basic SEO for the site

Give every page a unique title (under 60 characters) and meta description (under 155 characters) based on its content.
Add alt text to every image, one H1 per page, and readable link text.
Don't change the design.

Bolt's Prompt Library also has built-in SEO and accessibility prompts: click the plus icon, then Open Prompt Library.

3. Build an app with a database

7. Save data with a database

Let users [add / edit / delete] their [habits / bookings / notes]. Save them in a database so they're still there after a refresh.
Show me the tables you'll create, in plain English, before you create them.

Bolt's docs say every project can have a built-in Bolt Database, created when your app needs one. To use your own Supabase instead, you need a Pro or Teams plan and have to choose it when you start the project. Rules for that: Bolt + Supabase rules.

8. Add sign-up and login

Create user accounts via email signup and login, then add account sign in/log out buttons in the top right corner of the home page.
Each user should only ever see their own [items].

The first sentence is Bolt's own example from its database docs; sign-in may not be added automatically, so ask. After that, set up password reset and Google sign-in in the database's Authentication settings.

9. Check that users can't see each other's data

Check the database rules for every table that holds user data.
For each table, tell me: can a logged-out visitor read it? Can one user read or change another user's rows? Pass or fail, in plain English.
Don't change anything until I say which ones to fix.

Bolt also has a free database security check (Security tab in your database settings, all plans) and a full project security audit from the Publish menu on paid plans. More checks: vibe coding security checklist.

4. Fix errors

10. Report the bug properly

Bug: when I [exact steps], I expect [what should happen] but [what happens instead].
The error is: [paste it].
Don't change anything yet. Tell me the most likely cause in 2 sentences, then the smallest fix.

Expected vs actual plus the exact error lets Bolt fix the cause instead of guessing.

11. Add logging when you're stuck in a loop

We're stuck on this error. Don't try another fix yet.
Add detailed error handling and logging around [the feature or file], between each key step, so we can see exactly where it fails.
Then tell me how to trigger it and where to read the logs.

Bolt's token guide recommends exactly this when you're in an error loop: the logs give the AI the feedback it needs to find the root cause. It also says not to click Attempt fix over and over, since each try uses tokens.

12. Talk it through before the next fix

This is still broken after two fixes. List the 3 most likely causes, most likely first, and how I can check each one. Don't edit any code.

Send this in Plan Mode: Bolt's docs suggest switching to Plan mode to explore solutions and confirm a plan before the next fix. If a change made things worse, restore an earlier version from Version history instead of prompting Bolt to undo it; that costs no tokens.

5. Save tokens

13. Summarize before you clear the chat

Summarize this project in under 200 words so I can keep it: what we're building, what works, what's next, known bugs, and decisions we made.

Then type /clear and click Clear context. Bolt's docs say clearing makes requests use fewer tokens, and suggest doing it when you finish a feature. Bolt still sees your code afterwards, but not the chat. Paste anything that must always apply into Project Knowledge instead, which survives a clear. More: Bolt tokens and Lovable credits explained.

14. Find the giant files

Scan my entire project and list every file over 700 lines. For each one, show the file name, its path, and its line count, sorted by longest first. Don't change anything yet. I just want the list.

Word for word from Bolt's context guide. Large files fill the context window fast, and smaller files mean Bolt reads less code on every change.

15. Split one big file

Please refactor [filename] by splitting it into multiple files. Keep the original file to act as a router so the app continues to function after the refactor. Add basic comments to these files to understand what each file and its parts are for.

Also from Bolt's docs. Do one file per prompt and test after each. Download your project as a backup first.

16. Clean out old notes

Look at the number of .md files in this project and keep only the ones that have necessary project context.

Bolt's docs say it may add Markdown files for record-keeping as it builds, then reads them into context on every prompt. Don't let it delete your agents.md (see the tips above).

6. Publish

17. Pre-publish checklist

Go through this list one at a time and tell me pass or fail:
1. No secret keys in front-end code
2. Every page has a title and meta description
3. Forms show a clear error when something goes wrong
4. It works on a phone-sized screen
5. Users can only see their own data
Don't fix anything until I say which items to fix.

Pass/fail turns "is it ready?" into a short to-do list. Then publish with the Publish button, not a prompt: Bolt's docs say the button uses no tokens and prompting Bolt to publish does.

18. List what the live app needs

List every secret key, outside service and setting this app needs to work once it's published, and where each one is stored. Mark any that are in the code instead of Secrets.

Bolt keeps keys and passwords in the database's Secrets settings. Free plan sites publish to a bolt.host address; custom domains need a paid plan.

Bolt prompts that waste tokens

• "Build me an app like Airbnb." Too big. Bolt's docs say to break requests into small parts and make one change at a time.
• Clicking Attempt fix again and again. Each try uses tokens. Add logging (prompt 11) or switch to Plan Mode.
• "Undo that" or "publish my site" as a prompt. Version history and the Publish button do it for free.
• Huge prompts in a big project. Bolt's docs say a long first prompt is fine, but as the project grows, shorter focused prompts work better.
• Leaving connectors on. Bolt's docs say to turn on connectors (MCP) only when you need them, because the extra context uses more tokens.

More prompts for other tools

These prompts are plain English, so most work in Lovable, Cursor or Claude Code too. The tool-by-tool version is the vibe coding prompts cheat sheet; for Lovable's own tips, see Lovable prompts that work.

Related

• Bolt prompt rules (Project Knowledge template)
• Bolt + Supabase rules
• Vibe coding prompts cheat sheet (21 prompts for any tool)
• Lovable credits and Bolt tokens explained (free plan limits, ways to waste fewer)
• Vibe coding security checklist (12 checks before you launch)
• AGENTS.md examples (Bolt reads agents.md too)
• Lovable vs Bolt vs Replit for beginners

Sources

• Bolt docs: Prompt effectively
• Bolt docs: Plan Mode
• Bolt docs: Project lifecycle (planning your first prompt)
• Bolt docs: Maximize token efficiency
• Bolt docs: Manage project context (/clear, agents.md, large files)
• Bolt docs: Chat tools and shortcuts
• Bolt docs: Save and manage prompts (Prompt Library)
• Bolt docs: Skills
• Bolt docs: Choose an agent
• Bolt docs: Project settings (Knowledge)
• Bolt docs: Tokens
• Bolt docs: Billing (Free plan)
• Bolt docs: Database
• Bolt docs: Supabase
• Bolt docs: Check your project's security
• Bolt docs: Publish your project
• Bolt docs: Backups, restore, and version history
• Bolt release notes (Discussion Mode retired)

Checked Oct 21, 2026. These tools change often; if something here no longer matches, tell us at [email protected].