Bolt
realtime
Collaborative Editing Feature Broken in Bolt App
Your Bolt.new application has a collaborative editing feature (shared documents, kanban boards, whiteboards) where multiple users should be able to edit simultaneously, but changes from one user overwrite another's work, edits don't appear in real-time, or the document gets into a corrupted state with missing or duplicated content.
Collaborative editing is one of the hardest technical challenges in web development. It requires real-time synchronization, conflict resolution, presence awareness, and careful state management. When Bolt generates collaborative features, it often implements basic database saving without the synchronization layer that makes true collaboration work.
Users experience this as: changes disappearing after they save, seeing stale content that doesn't match what others are editing, or two users making simultaneous changes where only the last save survives and the other's work is lost.
Error Messages You Might See
Error: Document version conflict - please refresh
Broadcast message failed: channel not subscribed
TypeError: Cannot apply operation to undefined document
Conflict detected: document was modified by another user
WebSocket disconnected: retrying in 5 seconds
Common Causes
- Last-write-wins without conflict resolution — Each save overwrites the entire document, so the last person to save destroys everyone else's concurrent changes
- No real-time sync between clients — Changes are saved to the database but other connected users don't receive updates until they refresh
- Missing optimistic concurrency control — No version tracking or timestamps to detect when two users edit the same data simultaneously
- Presence information not shared — Users can't see who else is editing, leading to unknowing concurrent edits on the same section
- Database updates too coarse — The entire document is replaced on each edit instead of applying granular operations (insert text at position X)
How to Fix It
- Use Supabase Realtime for sync — Broadcast changes through Supabase channels: const channel = supabase.channel('doc:' + docId); channel.on('broadcast', { event: 'edit' }, handleRemoteEdit).subscribe()
- Implement operational transforms or CRDTs — For text editing, use a library like Yjs or Automerge that handles conflict resolution: const ydoc = new Y.Doc(); const provider = new SupabaseProvider(supabase, ydoc, docId)
- Add presence awareness — Show who is editing with cursor positions: channel.track({ user: currentUser, cursor: cursorPosition })
- Use granular updates — Instead of replacing the whole document, send operations: { type: 'insert', position: 42, text: 'hello' } and apply them to each client's local state
- Add version numbers — Track document versions and reject stale updates: UPDATE docs SET content = $1, version = version + 1 WHERE id = $2 AND version = $3
- Implement undo/redo — Maintain an operation history so users can undo both their own and others' changes if needed
Real developers can help you.
Matthew Jordan
I've been working at a large software company named Kainos for 2 years, and mainly specialise in Platform Engineering. I regularly enjoy working on software products outside of work, and I'm a huge fan of game development using Unity. I personally enjoy Python & C# in my spare time, but I also specialise in multiple different platform-related technologies from my day job.
Dor Yaloz
SW engineer with 6+ years of experience,
I worked with React/Node/Python
did projects with React+Capacitor.js for ios
Supabase expert
Stanislav Prigodich
15+ years building iOS and web apps at startups and enterprise companies. I want to use that experience to help builders ship real products - when something breaks, I'm here to fix it.
Prakash Prajapati
I’m a Senior Python Developer specializing in building secure, scalable, and highly available systems. I work primarily with Python, Django, FastAPI, Docker, PostgreSQL, and modern AI tooling such as PydanticAI, focusing on clean architecture, strong design principles, and reliable DevOps practices. I enjoy solving complex engineering problems and designing systems that are maintainable, resilient, and built to scale.
Simon A.
I'm a backend developer building APIs, emulators, and interactive game systems. Professionally, I've developed Java/Spring reporting solutions, managed relational and NoSQL databases, and implemented CI/CD workflows.
Matt Butler
Software Engineer @ AWS
Jacek Rozanski
Senior PHP/Symfony developer and DevOps engineer with 20+ years of professional experience, running opcode.pl (web development agency, est. 2004).
Day job: I'm the sole backend developer at merketing company where I own and maintain 11 PHP/Symfony microservices on AWS (ECS Fargate, RDS, S3, CloudFront), handle the full CI/CD pipeline (Bitbucket Pipelines, Docker), and manage monitoring with Sentry and CloudWatch. These services handle high request volumes in production every month.
What I bring to AI-built apps:
- I audit and fix security issues (OWASP methodology), performance bottlenecks, and architectural problems in codebases generated by Cursor, Claude Code, Lovable, Bolt, and v0
- I refactor AI-generated prototypes into production-grade applications with proper error handling, testing, and clean architecture (SOLID, DDD, hexagonal architecture)
- I set up the infrastructure AI tools don't touch: AWS hosting, CI/CD pipelines, automated deployments, database optimization, monitoring, and alerting
- I integrate external services: payment providers, email systems, partner APIs, SSO/auth
Tech stack: PHP 8.x, Symfony, React, Next.js, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Docker, AWS (ECS, RDS, S3, SQS/SNS, CloudFront), Terraform, Supabase. I also use AI tools daily (Claude Code, Cursor) in my own workflow, so I understand both the strengths and the gaps in AI-generated code.
Based in Poland (CET timezone). Available for async work and calls during EU/US business hours.
Caio Rodrigues
I'm a full-stack developer focused on building practical and scalable web applications. My main experience is with **React, TypeScript, and modern frontend architectures**, where I prioritize clean code, component reusability, and maintainable project structures.
I have strong experience working with **dynamic forms, state management (Redux / React Hook Form), and complex data-driven interfaces**. I enjoy solving real-world problems by turning ideas into reliable software that companies can actually use in their daily operations.
Beyond coding, I care about **software quality and architecture**, following best practices for componentization, code organization, and performance optimization.
I'm also comfortable working across the stack when needed, integrating APIs, handling business logic, and helping transform prototypes into production-ready systems.
My goal is always to deliver solutions that are **simple, efficient, and genuinely useful for the people using them.**
Jared Hasson
Full time lead founding dev at a cyber security saas startup, with 10 yoe and a bachelor's in CS. Building & debugging software products is what I've spent my time on for forever
Sage Fulcher
Hey I'm Sage! Im a Boston area software engineer who grew up in South Florida. Ive worked at a ton of cool places like a telehealth kidney care startup that took part in a billion dollar merger (Cricket health/Interwell health), a boutique design agency where I got to work on a ton of exciting startups including a photography education app, a collegiate Esports league and more (Philosophie), a data analytics as a service startup in Cambridge (MA) as well as at Phillips and MIT Lincoln Lab where I designed and developed novel network security visualizations and analytics. I've been writing code and furiously devoted to using computers to make people’s lives easier for about 17 years. My degree is in making computers make pretty lights and sounds. Outside of work I love hip hop, the Celtics, professional wrestling, magic the gathering, photography, drumming, and guitars (both making and playing them)
You don't need to be technical. Just describe what's wrong and a verified developer will handle the rest.
Get HelpFrequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest way to add collaborative editing to a Bolt app?
Use Yjs with Supabase as the sync provider. Yjs handles conflict resolution automatically using CRDTs (Conflict-free Replicated Data Types). Install yjs and create a shared document that syncs through Supabase Realtime channels.
Why does the last person to save overwrite everyone else's changes?
This is the 'last-write-wins' problem. When you save the entire document, you overwrite whatever was there, including other users' unsaved changes. The fix is to send granular operations (insert, delete, update at specific positions) instead of replacing the whole document.