Lovable: Drafts Let Builders Branch and Compare Ideas
LovableLovable introduced drafts, a separate copy of a project with its own chat, preview, and edit history, letting builders test redesigns, copy, or new features without touching the live app. A draft can be accepted to merge its edits back into the main project or deleted to discard them, but publishing remains a separate step. Backend settings like secrets, sign-in methods, and payments can only be changed in the main version, and database edits made inside a draft are permanent even if the draft itself is later deleted.
Key Takeaways
- Drafts act like branches, letting builders test redesigns, copy, or new features in an isolated copy of a project without affecting the live app.
- Publishing stays separate from accepting, so merging a draft's edits into the main project does not automatically make them live.
- Backend changes stay locked to main, meaning functions, secrets, sign-in methods, payments, and email settings can only be edited outside of a draft.
- Database edits are shared and permanent, so editing or deleting an existing record inside a draft changes it for the published app too.
- Drafts cost nothing to create or manage, with only chat messages sent inside them billed at the same rate as the main project.
- Git sync is not yet supported, so a draft will not show up as a branch in a connected repository until Lovable extends the integration.
A Sandboxed Space to Experiment
Lovable introduced drafts, a way to try out changes in a separate copy of a project without touching the version that is live for real users. Each draft carries its own chat thread, preview, and edit history, so builders can test a redesign, rewrite copy, or prototype a new feature independently of the main project. Nothing in a draft reaches the published app until it is explicitly accepted and then published, giving teams a safe space to explore before committing.
How Drafts Work
Opening the draft switcher from the project's name at the top of the editor lets a builder create a new draft, build inside it, and later compare it against main. Three actions govern a draft's lifecycle: accept, which merges the draft's edits back into the main project; delete, which discards it entirely; and update, which pulls newer changes from main into the draft to keep it current. Status indicators, a spinning circle while Lovable works, a gray dot when updates are available, a blue dot for new changes, an orange question mark when input is needed, and a red triangle on failure, make it easy to track several drafts at a glance. Multiple teammates can work in the same draft, and the dashboard offers "All drafts" and "My drafts" filters for teams juggling several at once.
What Does Not Move to a Draft
Drafts share the project's live backend and database, meaning changes to real records are permanent even if the draft itself is deleted, a distinction Lovable calls out directly: create fresh test records rather than editing or removing existing ones. A set of backend-level settings, including backend functions, sign-in methods, secrets, file storage, AI features, payments, and email configuration, can only be changed in the main version, not inside a draft. New database tables or columns are likewise held back until a draft is accepted rather than being added while work is in progress.
Cost and Availability
Creating, switching between, updating, accepting, and deleting drafts costs no credits; only the chat messages sent while working inside a draft are billed, at the same rate as messages in the main project. Drafts are usable from a phone as well as the desktop editor. The one notable gap is Git: drafts do not yet sync with a connected repository and will not appear there as a branch.