Bolt.new rescue
Bolt shipped it in the browser. We fix what breaks outside it.
Bolt.new runs your entire app inside a browser tab, filesystem, server, package manager, all of it, which is a genuinely clever way to go from prompt to running app with zero local setup. The failures we see start at the edges of that trick: packages that need a native binary WebContainer can't load, a deploy to Netlify that quietly drops your environment variables, or a bug-fixing loop that burns through tokens without actually fixing anything. We find where the in-browser version and the real-world deployment stopped matching, and we close the gap.
If you see this, this is you
The signals.
What they actually mean.
“`sharp`, `bcrypt`, or `better-sqlite3` fails to install and nobody knows why.”
WebContainer can't load native addons. It's not a bug, it's the platform — StackBlitz's own repo documents the exact error: 'Cannot load native addon because loading addons is disabled.' Any package needing a compiled binary is off the table inside Bolt.
“The build worked in Bolt. Netlify shows 'Site Not Found.'”
Environment variables set in Bolt's Secrets panel don't automatically carry over to Netlify. The app crashes on an undefined variable with an error that doesn't say why.
“A fix attempt burned real money and the bug is still there.”
One Trustpilot review, dated December 2025: 'over 15 million credits' to connect a Gmail and a calendar booking. Another, from November: 'it can do nothing but go in a loop of trying to fix things until all your tokens are consumed.'
“One small edit request rewrote the entire page.”
Common enough that StackBlitz shipped a dedicated 'Diffs' feature specifically to stop Bolt rewriting whole files on small changes — an opt-in fix for a problem real enough to need one.
“The app has real secrets sitting in client-side JavaScript.”
Bolt is frontend-first by default, so OpenAI keys, Stripe secret keys, and Supabase service-role keys end up in the bundle DevTools can read. Automated key-scanners find these within minutes of a public deploy.
“'Project Too Large' errors started showing up out of nowhere.”
Bolt's own support docs describe this directly: past a certain context size, 'you might see errors, slower responses, or lower-quality results.' It's a stated platform ceiling, not a fluke.
Our process
Five steps. 14 days.
Audit
We clone the repo, list every dependency that needs a native binary, and check what's actually reaching the client bundle versus what should be server-only. We also pull your Netlify env vars and compare them against what Bolt's Secrets panel thinks it deployed.
Triage
Keep, rewrite, delete. For Bolt apps it usually lands around 60/30/10 — the frontend is often fine, the deployment and secrets layer usually isn't.
Foundation
Native-dependent packages get replaced or moved to a runtime that can actually run them. Secrets move server-side. Environment variables get set directly in Netlify, or wherever we're deploying to, not assumed to have transferred.
Migration
We stand up the corrected deployment in parallel with the old one, verify it against production traffic patterns, then cut over.
Handoff
Documented, deployed, CI green. Bolt still works fine for iterating on UI afterward — the parts it can't run natively just aren't load-bearing anymore.
What we do with the code
Three piles. Honest splits.
Keep
60%Frontend UI, component structure, anything that doesn't need a native binary or touch a secret directly.
Rewrite
30%Deployment config, environment variable handling, anything relying on a package WebContainer can't run.
Delete
10%Duplicate fix-loop attempts left in the codebase, dead functions from a rewrite that didn't get cleaned up.
Verdict
Who this is for.
FAQ
Questions founders ask.
Why does my app work in Bolt but fail on Netlify?
Usually environment variables. Bolt's Secrets panel doesn't automatically push everything to Netlify's own settings — we check this first, it's the most common single cause.
Can you fix a package that WebContainer won't install?
Yes, but the fix is usually moving that dependency off WebContainer entirely, onto a real server runtime, rather than finding a workaround inside Bolt.
How do I know if my app has exposed secrets?
We check the client bundle directly for anything that looks like an API key or DB credential. If DevTools can see it, so can anyone else.
I've already burned a lot of tokens on failed fix attempts. Does that matter?
Not for the audit — we look at the current state of the repo, not how much it cost to get there. It matters for your budget going forward, which is part of why we quote a flat price instead of hourly.
Can I keep building in Bolt after you fix it?
For UI iteration, yes. We just make sure nothing load-bearing depends on something WebContainer structurally can't run.
Ask anything
Got a question about bolt.new rescue?
Frequent questions
Valery Satsura
CEO · Start Matter · usually replies in minutes
Hey, I'm Valery. Ask anything about bolt.new rescue. I usually reply in minutes.
Engagement shape
This is one of our services.
Same engagement, on the services index: Vibe Code Rescue from $500. Quote in 24 hours, audit free for 48 hours.
Other ways we engage
Not ready for a full rescue?
Start smaller.
Vibe-coded rescue
Your AI-built MVP is breaking. We rebuild without throwing it away.
14 days · $500–$12.5K
Read the scenarioAgency transfer
Your dev team stopped shipping. We pick up where they failed.
14 days · $500–$15K
Read the scenarioLovable rescue
Lovable shipped fast. We fix what's actually broken underneath.
14 days · $500–$12.5K
Read the scenarioReplit Agent rescue
Replit Agent built it fast. We fix what it broke along the way.
14 days · $500–$12.5K
Read the scenarioCursor rescue
Cursor moved fast in your codebase. We check what it moved.
14 days · $500–$12.5K
Read the scenariov0 rescue
v0 built the UI. We build what it was never meant to.
14 days · $500–$12.5K
Read the scenarioClaude Code rescue
Claude Code followed most of your rules. We fix the rest.
14 days · $500–$12.5K
Read the scenarioWindsurf rescue
Windsurf doesn't exist anymore. The codebase it built still does.
14 days · $500–$12.5K
Read the scenarioCrash rescue
Your app keeps crashing. We find why, not just where.
14 days · $500–$12.5K
Read the scenarioFeature-velocity rescue
Every new feature breaks three old ones. We untangle why.
14 days · $500–$12.5K
Read the scenarioDatabase rescue
Your database is a mess. We fix it without losing data.
14 days · $500–$12.5K
Read the scenarioTest coverage rescue
Zero tests. We add coverage where a bug actually costs you.
14 days · $500–$12.5K
Read the scenarioPayments rescue
Stripe payments are broken. Usually it's the webhook layer.
10 days · $500–$8K
Read the scenarioCost rescue
Your bill tripled and nobody knows why. We find the leak.
7 days · $500–$6K
Read the scenarioAntigravity rescue
Antigravity moved fast in your codebase. We check what it deleted.
14 days · $500–$12.5K
Read the scenario48-hour audit
Just the audit. No rebuild.
2 days · from $500
Written report on what your repo has and what it lacks. You decide who fixes it.
Request the auditOne feature
Ship a single feature.
1–2 weeks · $1.5K–$4K
Scoped to one workflow. Tests included. Your repo stays the way you left it.
Scope the featureFractional CTO
A senior in the room.
Monthly · from $1K
Architecture review, hiring help, code review on every PR. Half-day per week.
Start a conversationSend us the repo.
We reply in 48 hours.
Read-only GitHub access is fine. One-page audit comes back inside two days. No charge for the audit.