FixLoop

Connect an existing Supabase project to Lovable

Guide · October 17, 2026

You already have a Supabase project. You might even own the org. Lovable still does not list it. That is almost never "Lovable cannot see Supabase." It is usually the wrong backend, the wrong org, or a project that is not ready yet.

Lovable only lists projects from organizations the workspace has linked. The connect link only shows up on Lovable projects that do not have a backend yet. A paused project will not connect until you resume it.

Sources: Connect to Supabase, Lovable Cloud, Secrets, Build a Supabase Integration, Authorized Apps (org settings), Access Control, Project Pausing, API keys, Redirect URLs, Can't access a Lovable Cloud project from your Supabase account.

Cloud is not "your" Supabase project

Lovable's built-in backend (Cloud) is the default. It uses Supabase under the hood, and your app's .env will still talk about Supabase URLs and keys. That instance is owned by Lovable. It will not show up on your Supabase dashboard.

Connecting a project you already own is a different path. In the editor: More → Cloud, then Already have a Supabase project? Connect it here. Lovable's docs are specific: that link appears on projects that do not have a backend yet, next to Enable Cloud.

If Cloud is already on, you do not get an in-place switch. There is no automatic migration either way. The documented move is: export your Cloud data, connect your Supabase project to a new Lovable project, and rebuild the schema. Remixing a Cloud project produces another Cloud project, so that does not change the backend.

Remove Lovable Cloud (More → Cloud → Overview → Advanced settings) permanently deletes the Cloud instance. It is not a migrate button. Export first if you still need the data.

Link the org that actually holds the project

Connecting is two steps, often done by different people:

1. Link a Supabase organization to the Lovable workspace. A workspace owner or admin does this once per organization. Linked orgs become available to everyone in the workspace.
2. Connect a Lovable project to a Supabase project from a linked org. Anyone with edit access can do this. Viewers cannot.

If you authorized a personal org, and the real project lives in a team org, the Connect project list will look empty even though you own both. Being the Supabase org owner does not help if Lovable linked the other one.

1. Link the organization

Any of these opens the same flow (workspace owners and admins only):

• Dashboard sidebar: Connectors → Supabase, then Connect Supabase (or Manage Connected Organizations if one is already linked).
• In the editor: More → Cloud → Already have a Supabase project? Connect it here → Add Organization.
• New project: + in the prompt box → Databases → Add Supabase organization.

A Supabase window opens. Sign in, then authorize Lovable for the organization you pick. That is the consent screen that decides which projects Lovable can see. Pick the org that owns the existing project, not the first one in the list.

If Add Organization is disabled, you are not a Lovable workspace owner or admin. Owning the Supabase org is a different role. Ask a workspace admin to link it.

2. Connect the project

In the Linked Supabase organizations dialog, click Continue. The Connect project step lists projects from linked orgs. Click Connect next to the one you want. After it works, the Cloud view shows that project's name and status, plus dashboard links.

Need a brand-new Supabase project instead? Create Project opens the Supabase dashboard. Create it there, then come back to Lovable and connect it.

A warning icon means another Lovable project already uses that Supabase project. You can still connect. Know that those Lovable projects share data and overwrite each other's secrets, including LOVABLE_API_KEY.

Authorized apps live on the org, not your account

People look for "which apps did I authorize?" next to their personal account settings. Official docs put this on the organization.

In the Supabase dashboard, open that organization's settings and the OAuth Apps tab. Approved clients also show under Authorized Apps in organization settings, where you can review or revoke them. Owner and Administrator can create, update, and delete OAuth Apps; Developer and Read-Only can only list them.

That list is not the same as a project's Authentication → OAuth Apps page. The project page is for making your app an OAuth 2.1 provider. Lovable is a third-party integration of the org, so you want organization settings.

If Lovable is missing from Authorized Apps on this org, this org has not approved it. Check the org that actually owns the project before you assume the consent window never finished. You may have approved a different org.

To start over on a stuck or wrong-org link:

1. Revoke Lovable under Authorized Apps on the org you did not mean to grant, if it is listed there.
2. In Lovable, open Connectors → Supabase → Manage Connected Organizations (the Cloud view's Manage organizations button opens the same place). Reconnect, or use Add Organization.
3. On the consent screen, pick the org that holds the existing project, then Connect it.

Other reasons the project will not connect

• Paused or still provisioning. Lovable greys out Connect and shows Check project status in Supabase. Free-plan projects pause after a week of low activity. In the dashboard: select the organization, open the paused project, click Resume project, and confirm. You get a year to resume from Studio.
• Wait for Lovable to finish working. The connect link stays disabled while a chat request is still running. Wait, then try again.
• Project-scoped Supabase role. On Team and Enterprise, a project-scoped member only sees assigned projects. The rest of the org is hidden on the dashboard, so you cannot connect what you cannot see. You need an org-level role, or a project-scoped role on that project.
• Supabase connection issue in the Cloud view. The linked project was deleted, or workspace access to the org changed. Disconnect, or Manage organizations and pick a live project.

Disconnecting (More → Cloud → Disconnect, then confirm in the Disconnect Supabase dialog) stops Lovable from deploying functions and reading schema. It does not change your code or delete the Supabase project. You can reconnect to the same project or a different one later.

After it connects: keys and redirect URLs

Auth settings live in the Supabase dashboard, not in the Lovable chat. Check these before you call the connection "done."

URL and publishable key

Lovable populates reserved SUPABASE_ secrets for Edge Functions when Cloud or a connected project is enabled. The browser values live in .env, not in Secrets:

VITE_SUPABASE_URL=https://YOUR_PROJECT.supabase.co
VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=sb_publishable_...

Copy them from the project's Connect dialog, or from Settings → API Keys. Older apps still use the legacy anon key. Either way, the host should be your project ref, not a Lovable-managed Cloud project you cannot open on supabase.com. Never put a secret key or service_role in VITE_ vars or the frontend. On a connected project, the backend view's Manage secrets button opens the Supabase dashboard.

Site URL and Redirect URLs

On the URL Configuration page (Authentication), set Site URL to the origin users actually land on, and add every redirectTo you use under Redirect URLs. Preview and production are different hosts. If only localhost or the old preview origin is allowlisted, login will fail after you publish. Walkthrough: login works in preview, breaks in production.

Social logins (Google, GitHub, and the rest) are enabled in the Supabase dashboard's Authentication settings, then you prompt Lovable to add the button.

Quick checklist

• Is this Lovable project already on Cloud? If yes, do not wait for a switch. Use a new Lovable project connected to your Supabase project, and export Cloud data if you need it.
• Did a workspace owner or admin link the org that actually owns the project? Connectors → Supabase → Manage Connected Organizations.
• On the consent screen, did you pick that org?
• Organization settings → OAuth Apps, Authorized Apps: is Lovable listed on the right org? Revoke a wrong-org grant, then reconnect.
• Is the project paused or still provisioning? Resume project, then Connect.
• Is Add Organization disabled? You need a Lovable workspace owner or admin, not only a Supabase org owner.
• After Connect: Cloud view shows the name. Confirm the .env URL and publishable key match. Site URL and Redirect URLs include preview and production.

Questions

Login works in preview and dies after publish: preview vs production login. Stranger can read rows with the anon key: is my database public?