lovable-cleanup

name: lovable-cleanupdescription: "Audits and strips Lovable scaffolding from Vite + React projects — removes lovable-tagger, swaps placeholder assets, prunes unused Radix deps, cleans generated docs, and neutralizes stale favicon/CDN caching so the codebase ships as yours."risk: criticalsource: communitysource_repo: whoisabhishekadhikari/lovable-cleanupsource_type: communityauthor: whoisabhishekadhikaridate_added: "2026-06-13"date_updated: "2026-08-31"version: "2.0.0"tags: [lovable, cleanup, vite, react, shadcn, devtools, vercel, favicon]tools: [claude, cursor, codex, antigravity, gemini-cli]

lovable-cleanup

Remove unwanted Lovable scaffolding while preserving required attribution, licenses and useful project history. Made with agentic-awesome-skills · author: whoisabhishekadhikari

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Overview

Lovable (lovable.dev) bootstraps Vite + React + shadcn/ui projects with its own tagger dependency, branding, placeholder assets, and generated markdown docs baked in. Most developers export from Lovable and want a clean, ownable codebase before shipping or open-sourcing. This skill covers all 15 areas where Lovable leaves fingerprints.

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When to Use This Skill

• User says "clean up my Lovable project" or "remove Lovable branding"
• User says "de-Lovable", "I exported from Lovable", or "audit for Lovable leftovers"
• Project contains lovable-tagger in package.json
• Project contains CLEANUP_SUMMARY.md, DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md, or DEVELOPMENT_SUMMARY.md
• index.html still has a generic <title> or Lovable favicon
• User wants to audit a Vite/React project for scaffolding leftovers before shipping

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Core Concepts

What Lovable injects

Lovable adds three categories of scaffolding that must be removed:

1. Dependency — lovable-tagger dev dep + componentTagger() call in vite.config.ts. Verify all configuration/import references and project-specific use before removal.
2. Branding artifacts — favicon.ico/png, og-image.png, logo.png, generic <title>, and a Lovable project URL in README.md.
3. Generated docs — CLEANUP_SUMMARY.md, DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md, DEVELOPMENT_SUMMARY.md, LOGO_UPDATE.md in the project root.

Why the execution order matters

Inspect source/config references before removing dependencies; update the manifest and lockfile with the project’s existing package manager. Cleaning docs last means the README reflects the already-cleaned project.

Unused dep footprint

Lovable pre-installs the full shadcn/ui component set (~29 components) and all Radix UI primitives (~30 packages). Most projects use 5–10. The unused ones are safe to remove but @radix-ui/react-slot must be kept — it is an indirect dep used internally by many shadcn components via the asChild prop.

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Recommended Execution Order

1. Audit source/config and dependencies (Areas 2 & 7) — establish each removal candidate first
2. Build config (Area 3) — remove the tagger from Vite
3. Entry points (Areas 4 & 6) — clear runtime references
4. Assets (Area 5) — swap brand files (defer if assets not ready yet)
5. Docs & README (Areas 1 & 10) — clean last so README reflects the cleaned project
6. Environment & Git (Areas 9 & 12) — security sweep
7. SEO / deploy (Area 11) — usually a no-op; confirm and move on
8. Unused deps (Area 13) — safe to defer until after ship if on a deadline
9. Favicon / CDN cache (Area 15) — do ASAP after assets are swapped; browser or CDN caching can keep the old icon visible, so verify the live response

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Step-by-Step Guide

Area 1 · README.md

• Line 1: Replace # Welcome to your Lovable project with the real project title
• Line 5: Remove https://lovable.dev/projects/REPLACE_WITH_PROJECT_ID
• Lines 11–19: Delete the "Use Lovable" instructions block
• Lines 65–73: Delete the "Deploy via Lovable / custom domain docs" block

✅ After stripping, read the README end-to-end. Offer to write a replacement intro paragraph if large sections were removed.

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Area 2 · package.json

• Remove "lovable-tagger" from devDependencies
• Rename "name" from "vite_react_shadcn_ts" to the real project name (kebab-case)
• Scan the scripts block for "lovable" or "lovable:*" entries and remove them

grep -n "lovable" package.json

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Area 3 · vite.config.ts

• Remove import { componentTagger } from "lovable-tagger"
• Remove mode === 'development' && componentTagger() from the plugins array
• Remove .filter(Boolean) if it was only present to handle the conditional tagger

grep -n "lovable\|componentTagger\|filter(Boolean)" vite.config.ts

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Area 4 · index.html

• Replace the generic <title> with the real product name
• Remove any <!-- Generated by Lovable --> comments or Lovable meta tags
• Replace the Lovable favicon reference if present

grep -in "lovable\|generator" index.html

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Area 5 · public/ assets

Replace these files (keep filenames, swap content):

✅ Flag which files are actually referenced in <head> vs dead weight so the user knows what to prioritise.

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Area 6 · Source files

• src/main.tsx — scan for Lovable HOCs, wrappers, or comments
• src/App.tsx — same
• Auto-generated components — look for // generated by Lovable headers

grep -rn "lovable\|Lovable" src/ --include="*.tsx" --include="*.ts"

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Area 7 · Lockfile

npm uninstall lovable-tagger
grep "lovable-tagger" package-lock.json

Use yarn remove or pnpm remove if the project uses those instead.

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Area 8 · package.json scripts (follow-up)

Double-check after Area 2 — scripts are sometimes injected separately from deps:

grep -n '"lovable' package.json

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Area 9 · Environment files

# Print filenames only: matching values may contain credentials.
rg -l -i "lovable" -- .env .env.local .env.example 2>/dev/null

Remove any Lovable API keys or project IDs. If a variable is Lovable-only, delete the entire line — don't leave an empty key.

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Area 10 · Root markdown docs

Delete or repurpose these common Lovable-generated files:

• CLEANUP_SUMMARY.md
• DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md
• DEVELOPMENT_SUMMARY.md
• LOGO_UPDATE.md

grep -rln "lovable\|Lovable" *.md 2>/dev/null

✅ Skim each file before deleting — Lovable docs sometimes contain useful architecture notes worth preserving in a rewritten CONTRIBUTING.md or ARCHITECTURE.md.

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Area 11 · SEO & deploy config

Usually clean — confirm and move on:

grep -in "lovable" \
  public/robots.txt public/sitemap.xml public/_redirects \
  vercel.json netlify.toml 2>/dev/null

After replacing og-image.png, update OG meta in index.html:

<meta property="og:image" content="/og-image.png" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://your-domain.com" />
<meta property="og:title" content="Your Real Title" />

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Area 12 · Git config

grep -in "lovable" .gitignore
ls .git/hooks/

Inspect Lovable-specific entries/hooks. Preserve secret/build ignores, license notices and useful safety hooks; remove only confirmed obsolete behavior.

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Area 13 · Unused dependencies

Step 1 — Map what's actually imported

tmpdir="$(mktemp -d "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/lovable-cleanup.XXXXXX")" || exit 1
grep -rh "from [\"']@radix-ui/" src/ --include="*.tsx" --include="*.ts" \
  | grep -oP "from [\"']\K@radix-ui/[^\"']+" | sort -u > "$tmpdir/radix-used.txt"

grep -rh "from [\"']@/components/ui/" src/ --include="*.tsx" \
  | grep -oP "from [\"']\K@/components/ui/[^\"']+" | sort -u > "$tmpdir/shadcn-used.txt"

Step 2 — Diff against installed

grep -oP '"@radix-ui/[^"]+' package.json | tr -d '"' | sort > "$tmpdir/radix-installed.txt"
diff "$tmpdir/radix-installed.txt" "$tmpdir/radix-used.txt"

Step 3 — Bulk remove & verify

npm uninstall @radix-ui/react-accordion @radix-ui/react-alert-dialog  # etc.
npm run build

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Area 14 · Generic Lovable artifacts

• components.json — verify style, baseColor, and aliases match the real project
• eslint.config.js — usually standard; quick scan only

grep -in "lovable" components.json eslint.config.js

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Area 15 · Favicon removal & stale CDN caches (Vercel)

Lovable ships a default favicon.ico that browsers auto-request from site root and that can remain visible after cleanup through browser or CDN caching. Handle the four steps — replace the path, link all icon flavours, keep unversioned icon URLs revalidatable, and verify after deploy — then purge the confirmed Vercel project cache only if the live response stays stale. Full commands/JSON live in references/favicon-vercel-cleanup.md.

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Master Scan Command

rg -l -i "lovable|lovable-tagger|lovable\.dev" --glob "!node_modules/**" --glob "!.git/**" --glob "!dist/**" --glob "!build/**" .

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Examples

Example 1: Full audit from scratch

User: I just exported my project from Lovable. Clean it up.

Agent:
1. Runs master scan — finds 23 matches across 8 files
2. Uninstalls lovable-tagger, renames package.json "name"
3. Strips vite.config.ts of componentTagger
4. Updates index.html title, removes generator comment
5. Flags 4 markdown docs for deletion, skims each first
6. Produces cleanup report

Example 2: Targeted dep pruning only

User: Just prune the unused Radix packages from my Lovable project.

Agent:
1. Runs grep diff (Area 13 only)
2. Identifies 18 unused @radix-ui packages
3. Confirms each candidate including indirect/dynamic imports, then removes only unused packages
4. Runs npm run build to verify — passes clean

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Best Practices

• ✅ Do: Inspect source/config imports before removing dependencies
• ✅ Do: Skim Lovable-generated docs before deleting — may contain useful arch notes
• ✅ Do: Verify npm run build passes after every batch of changes
• ✅ Do: Replace favicons at the existing paths (Area 15), then verify the live response and purge only the confirmed project if it remains stale
• ✅ Do: Deploy replacement favicon content and cache headers in the same commit
• ✅ Do: Replace OG image before launch — it directly affects social sharing previews
• ❌ Don't: Remove @radix-ui/react-slot — it's an indirect dep of most shadcn components
• ❌ Don't: Leave empty env vars like LOVABLE_PROJECT_ID= — delete the whole line

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Limitations

• This skill does not create or source real brand assets (favicons, OG images). Area 15 generates a transparent placeholder ICO only — the user must supply genuine artwork.
• Dep pruning (Area 13) is a candidate audit, not proof of safety — some Radix packages are indirect deps not caught by a direct grep. Always verify with npm run build.
• The skill does not modify components.json aliases automatically — it only scans and flags mismatches for the user to fix manually.
• Does not cover Lovable-specific backend integrations (Supabase row-level security, edge functions) — those require separate review.

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Troubleshooting

Problem: Build fails after removing Radix packages

Symptoms: Module not found error for a @radix-ui/* package
Solution: Re-add the missing package. Open src/components/ui/*.tsx and search for the from '@radix-ui/...' import to find which component depends on it.

Problem: lovable-tagger still in lockfile after uninstall

Symptoms: grep "lovable-tagger" package-lock.json returns results
Solution: Check direct/transitive dependency references, workspaces and package-manager consistency. Use its supported uninstall/lockfile update; preserve the lockfile and investigate remaining references before any clean reinstall.

Problem: Generic title still showing in browser after updating index.html

Symptoms: Browser tab shows "Lovable" or "Vite App" despite edits
Solution: Check for a <Helmet> or <Head> component in src/App.tsx or a layout wrapper — React-level title tags override index.html at runtime.

Problem: Old favicon still serving after deletion (Vercel)

Symptoms: curl -sI https://<domain>/favicon.ico returns the old ETag with x-vercel-cache: HIT after the replacement deployment. Solution: Overwrite public/favicon.ico with replacement content (a transparent 1×1 ICO if no real asset yet), verify the custom domain, then use the explicit Vercel CDN purge only if the response remains stale — see Area 15.

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Related Skills

• @vite-config — Vite configuration best practices
• @shadcn-setup — shadcn/ui installation and customization
• @react-cleanup — general React project hygiene

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Additional Resources

• Lovable docs
• shadcn/ui component list
• Radix UI primitives
• agentic-awesome-skills

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Output Format

After completing the audit, produce a cleanup report:

## ✅ Cleaned
<list of changes made>

## ⚠️ Needs your input
<items needing a decision — brand assets, project name, domain>

## 🗑️ Deferred (safe to do later)
<e.g. unused dep pruning, OG image swap>

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Made with agentic-awesome-skills · author: whoisabhishekadhikari

Audit limits and authority

Fixed README line numbers and import greps are hints, not deletion rules. Include dynamic imports, CSS/assets, workspaces, tests and package metadata before pruning; a passing build alone does not establish runtime behavior or license clearance. Preserve third-party copyright/license and contributor attribution even when changing product branding. GNU grep -P examples require GNU grep and can miss imports; use an available parser/search tool and review candidates. Package-manager removal can execute lifecycle scripts or access the network: inspect scripts and use the project’s dependency policy. Do not expose secret values in scan results; filename-only matching avoids the incomplete redaction pattern. Back up replaced assets and review the diff before deployment or cache purge. The favicon helper overwrites the selected regular file atomically; its checks assume a trusted, non-concurrently-mutated directory and are not a race-proof hostile-filesystem sandbox. Link SVG/Apple icons only when those files actually exist; verify response bytes as well as headers.