Initial Bolt Prompt Structure

The five-element framework for structuring a Bolt.new initial build prompt. Specifying all five elements in the first prompt prevents the majority of rework during iterative development.

Syntax

bolt-new

ELEMENT 1 — Application Type and Purpose
[One-sentence description of what the app does]

ELEMENT 2 — Tech Stack
- Framework: [React/Vue/Svelte/etc.]
- CSS: [Tailwind/CSS Modules/styled-components]
- Backend/DB: [Supabase/Firebase/etc.]
- Icons: [Lucide React/etc.]

ELEMENT 3 — Feature List
- [Feature 1 with behavioral detail]
- [Feature 2 with behavioral detail]

ELEMENT 4 — Design Constraints
- Background: [color]
- Primary action color: [hex]
- Layout: [sidebar/topnav/etc.]

ELEMENT 5 — Explicit Exclusions
- Do not include: [feature 1], [feature 2]

Example

bolt-new

Build a React + Supabase task management app.

TECH STACK:
- React 18 + TypeScript, Vite
- Tailwind CSS
- Supabase (database + auth)
- React Router v6
- Lucide React icons

FEATURES:
- Email/password auth (login + register)
- Dashboard: project list with completion %
- Project detail: task list, filter by status/priority
- Create/edit/delete projects and tasks
- Mark tasks complete via checkbox

DESIGN:
- White background, slate-700 sidebar
- Primary: blue-600
- Rounded cards with ring-1 ring-gray-200

DO NOT INCLUDE:
- Multi-user collaboration
- File uploads
- Dark mode