The Lovable.dev Migration Guide: Moving from personal GitHub to an organization (without breaking sync)

Source: Dev.to

Why the standard migration fails

• If you transfer a repository while it is connected to Lovable, the sync will break—often permanently.
• Lovable does not support “Bringing Your Own Repository” (BYOR) for existing projects. After a manual transfer, Lovable will refuse to reconnect and will insist on creating a duplicate repository (e.g., my-org/my-app-1).
• Most developer tools (Vercel, Netlify, etc.) treat GitHub as the source of truth. Lovable works the opposite way: it creates the repository during the connection process.

Migration strategy (Lovable‑first approach)

We’ll sacrifice the Git commit history to keep the sync healthy:

1. Archive the old repository instead of transferring it.
2. Let Lovable create a fresh repository in the target organization.
3. Re‑connect all external services to the new repository.

Pre‑migration backups

git clone https://github.com/your-user/your-repo.git
zip -r your-repo-backup.zip your-repo/

Note: Your Supabase database is loosely coupled (connected via Project ID), so moving the code will not delete your data.

Step‑by‑step migration

1. Rename the old repository

• Go to your personal GitHub repo and rename it (e.g., my-app-legacy).
• This frees up the desired name (my-app) for the new organization.

2. Pause external deployments

• If you use Coolify, Vercel, Netlify, etc., pause “Auto Deploy” to prevent them from pulling from the old URL.

3. Disconnect Lovable

1. In Lovable → Project Settings → Integrations → GitHub, click Disconnect.
2. Your code remains safe inside Lovable.

4. Re‑connect Lovable to the organization

1. In Lovable → Settings → Integrations → GitHub, click Connect Project.
2. Crucial: Select your target Organization as the destination.
   • If the org doesn’t appear, click Add Organization to install the Lovable GitHub App on it.
3. Lovable will prompt to create a repository. Name it my-app (the name is now available).
4. Confirm. Lovable will push the current state of your app to github.com/my-org/my-app as an Initial Commit. The sync is now live.

5. Update other tools

Hosting (Coolify / Vercel / Netlify)

• Change the Git source URL to the new organization repo.
• Ensure the hosting provider’s GitHub App is installed on the new organization, not just your personal account.
• Trigger a manual deployment to verify the pipeline.

Supabase (Branching)

• The database connection (URL / anon key) stays the same—no changes needed.
• If you use Supabase Branching, go to Supabase → Integrations → GitHub and reinstall the integration on the new organization repo.

Summary

• Do NOT use GitHub’s “Transfer Ownership” button for a Lovable‑connected repo.
• Disconnect Lovable first, then let it create a fresh repository in the target organization.
• Accept that the Git commit history will reset (keep the old repo as a read‑only archive).
• By following this “Lovable‑First” approach, you avoid the “Ghost Repository” trap and keep your project shipping smoothly.

Have you migrated a Lovable project recently? Let me know in the comments if you hit any other snags!