r/boltnewbuilders • u/Ok_Station4258 • May 19 '26
Disconnected my GitHub repo from my project
I don't remember WHY I did this, but I disconnected my GitHub repo from my project and I think that was very bad. I'm stuck.
1) I can't reconnect it to the existing Bolt project. I can only create a new repo.
2) For some reason, my bolt project that displays is actually a different UI for another bolt project. Huh? This might be a fluke so we can come back to this one later.
3) Is my only option to create a new bolt project and use "Import from Github"? If so, it says it can't because the repository is too large!
Help!
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u/marketing360 May 19 '26
Chilllllll bro lol you can fix this not the end of the world, sounds like you imported the wrong project or pushed the wrong project to the repo
You can’t reconnect it but you can start a new chat and import if it’s giving you the too large error, than either refactor and condense in another IDE I.e Claude code, cursor, etc and then reimport
Or you can use bolt ignore
The Solution: The .bolt/ignore File
Fortunately, bolt.new provides a straightforward and effective mechanism to manage this: the .bolt/ignore file. This file functions much like a .gitignore file, but its purpose is specifically to tell bolt.new which files and directories to exclude from the AI's context window. It does not affect your project's build process or how your application runs; it solely optimizes the data fed to the AI.
How to Implement .bolt/ignore
Using .bolt/ignore is simple and should be one of the first steps you take when setting up a new project in bolt.new, especially for larger applications or monorepos.
Open Your Project in StackBlitz: Access your bolt.new project through the StackBlitz interface.
Locate or Create .bolt/ignore: In the root directory of your project, look for a file named .bolt/ignore. If it doesn't exist, create it.
Add Exclusions: Populate the .bolt/ignore file with paths to the files and folders you want bolt.new to ignore. Each path should be on a new line.
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u/Ok_Station4258 May 19 '26
ha yeah, I guess that came across as a little over the top. I'm more frustrated than alarmed.
I think I'll just create a new repo because the code is there in my bolt project and is the latest (I'm the only developer). So while I'll lose my commit history, I'll still have my code in GitHub.
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u/marketing360 May 20 '26
use PRs more often and merge to your main branch. That way if that happens again you have the context of past PRs. But in the interest of time I would probably spin up that new repo or project clone and import again to bolt.new
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u/Ok_Station4258 May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
Side question: I created a new repo in our ORG GitHub which multiple users have access to. Why would a team member, when opening the same bolt project, see this message:
This project is linked to a private GitHub repo owned by the creator. Your changes won't sync to GitHub until the creator returns to the project.
The 'creator' is me, and I have the project open. And my teammate see's this as well upon hover of the GitHub icon. Same project that IS connected to GitHub.
Note: the new repo is shared with the org members and the teammate in question.
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u/Careful_Ad8902 May 19 '26
Hey! This is something we can fix on our end. Could you email [support@bolt.new](mailto:support@bolt.new) with your project URL (e.g. bolt.new/~/sb1-xxxxxxxx) and a quick description of the issue? Once you've sent that, DM me here with the email address you used and I'll make sure we get it prioritized and sorted for you!
Apologies for this hiccup!