Lovable Cleanup

---
name: lovable-cleanup
description: "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: safe
source: community
source_repo: whoisabhishekadhikari/lovable-cleanup
source_type: community
author: whoisabhishekadhikari
date_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 every trace of Lovable scaffolding and ship the project as your own.
> Made with [agentic-awesome-skills](https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills) · author: **whoisabhishekadhikari**

---

## 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.

---

## 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

---

## 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`.
   This is the only runtime hook; removing it is always safe.
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

Removing deps before editing source files avoids lockfile conflicts. 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.

---

## Recommended Execution Order

1. Dependencies (Areas 2 & 7) — clear the package graph 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

---

## 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.

---

### 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

<!-- security-allowlist: grep for scanning package.json content, read-only, no network -->
```bash
grep -n "lovable" package.json
```

---

### 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

<!-- security-allowlist: grep for scanning vite config, read-only -->
```bash
grep -n "lovable\|componentTagger\|filter(Boolean)" vite.config.ts
```

---

### 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

<!-- security-allowlist: grep for scanning HTML file, read-only -->
```bash
grep -in "lovable\|generator" index.html
```

---

### Area 5 · public/ assets

Replace these files (keep filenames, swap content):

| File | Action |
|---|---|
| `favicon.ico` | Overwrite with real icon — do NOT just delete, see Area 15 |
| `favicon.png` | Replace with real icon |
| `og-image.png` / `logo.png` | Replace with real brand assets |
| `placeholder.svg` | Usually unused — safe to delete |

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

---

### 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

<!-- security-allowlist: grep over source files, read-only, no network -->
```bash
grep -rn "lovable\|Lovable" src/ --include="*.tsx" --include="*.ts"
```

---

### Area 7 · Lockfile

<!-- security-allowlist: npm uninstall removes a dev-only package, local filesystem only -->
```bash
npm uninstall lovable-tagger
grep "lovable-tagger" package-lock.json
```

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

---

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

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

<!-- security-allowlist: grep, read-only -->
```bash
grep -n '"lovable' package.json
```

---

### Area 9 · Environment files

<!-- security-allowlist: grep over local env files, read-only, no credentials transmitted -->
```bash
grep -rin "lovable" .env .env.local .env.example 2>/dev/null \
  | sed -E 's/([A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*LOVABLE[A-Za-z0-9_]*=).*/\1[REDACTED]/I'
```

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

---

### 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`

<!-- security-allowlist: grep over markdown files, read-only -->
```bash
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`.

---

### Area 11 · SEO & deploy config

Usually clean — confirm and move on:

<!-- security-allowlist: grep over config files, read-only -->
```bash
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`:

```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" />
```

---

### Area 12 · Git config

<!-- security-allowlist: grep and ls on local git config, read-only -->
```bash
grep -in "lovable" .gitignore
ls .git/hooks/
```

Remove any Lovable-specific `.gitignore` entries or commit hooks.

---

### Area 13 · Unused dependencies

**Step 1 — Map what's actually imported**

<!-- security-allowlist: grep over source files, read-only, writes to private temp dir only -->
```bash
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**

<!-- security-allowlist: grep and diff on local package.json and private temp files, read-only -->
```bash
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**

<!-- security-allowlist: npm uninstall removes unused local packages, no network mutation -->
```bash
npm uninstall @radix-ui/react-accordion @radix-ui/react-alert-dialog  # etc.
npm run build
```

---

### Area 14 · Generic Lovable artifacts

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

<!-- security-allowlist: grep on config files, read-only -->
```bash
grep -in "lovable" components.json eslint.config.js
```

---

### 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](references/favicon-vercel-cleanup.md).

---

## Master Scan Command

<!-- security-allowlist: recursive grep across project directory, read-only, no network -->
```bash
grep -rn "lovable\|Lovable\|LOVABLE\|lovable-tagger\|lovable\.dev" \
  --include="*.ts" --include="*.tsx" --include="*.js" --include="*.jsx" \
  --include="*.json" --include="*.md" --include="*.html" --include="*.toml" \
  --include="*.yaml" --include="*.yml" --include="*.txt" \
  . 2>/dev/null \
  | grep -v "node_modules\|\.git\|dist\|build" \
  | sed -E 's/([A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*LOVABLE[A-Za-z0-9_]*=).*/\1[REDACTED]/I'
```

---

## 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. Removes them in bulk, keeps @radix-ui/react-slot
4. Runs npm run build to verify — passes clean
```

---

## Best Practices

- ✅ **Do:** Run dep removal (Areas 2 & 7) before touching source files
- ✅ **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

---

## 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 safe but not foolproof — 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.

---

## 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:** Delete `node_modules/` and `package-lock.json`, then run `npm install` fresh.

### 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.

---

## Related Skills

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

---

## Additional Resources

- [Lovable docs](https://docs.lovable.dev)
- [shadcn/ui component list](https://ui.shadcn.com/docs/components)
- [Radix UI primitives](https://www.radix-ui.com/primitives)
- [agentic-awesome-skills](https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills)

---

## 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>
```

---

*Made with [agentic-awesome-skills](https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills) · author: [whoisabhishekadhikari](https://github.com/whoisabhishekadhikari)*