# Move a Lovable project into Claude Code without losing the starting point

Choose an export route, inspect the files and check the local preview before continuing development.

[HTML](https://lukejbyrne.com/library/guides/6yo0kzbrihu/)
Content language: en
Author: Luke Byrne
Video published: 2026-04-12
Guide published: 2026-11-02

[Watch the video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YO0KzBRiHU)
Video language: English

## Choose the export route

The April video shows two ways to take a Lovable project into Claude Code. The first connects Lovable to GitHub; the second uses the Claude Chrome Extension to download files without GitHub. Pick the route that fits access to your project, and preserve the original while checking the exported copy.

GitHub provides a repository for the code rather than merely a screenshot of the website. The recorded GitHub method begins at 0:35. The description’s “free” language is the video’s framing, not verification that every plan, hosting service or connected backend costs nothing today.

1. Follow the GitHub export at 0:35 if using the repository route.
2. Check that the exported repository contains the intended project.
3. Keep the source project available while checking the copy.

## Use the browser-download method when appropriate

The extension method begins at 1:12, with Teach Claude at 2:29 to automate the file downloads. Follow the demonstrated sequence and inspect the saved files rather than assuming a visible page contains the whole application.

An exported frontend and the services it uses are different parts of a project. Note the connected data, authentication or other configuration the app needs so the local copy can be evaluated in context. The description supplies two export methods, not an inventory of every possible Lovable project dependency.

1. Collect the downloaded project files in a clear local folder.
2. Inspect whether the expected source and configuration files are present.
3. Retain filenames and the folder structure needed by the project.

## Open the project and inspect the preview

The Claude Code setup section starts at 5:13 and covers importing the downloaded files and previewing the site. Open the correct project folder, let the local setup establish the app’s requirements and inspect the resulting preview.

Try the important user path and compare it with the original project before continuing to edit. A running local page helps establish a working starting point; it does not itself migrate every hosted service or justify cancelling an existing subscription. The retained related workspace resource is Ark: https://getark.app.

## The takeaway

Export the code, preserve its structure and inspect the local behaviour before making the next change.

## Workflow resources

- [getark.app](https://getark.app)

## Chapters

- [0:00 Getting your code out of Lovable](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YO0KzBRiHU&t=0s)
- [0:35 Method 1 — Export via GitHub](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YO0KzBRiHU&t=35s)
- [1:12 Method 2 — Claude Chrome Extension](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YO0KzBRiHU&t=72s)
- [2:29 Teaching Claude to download your files automatically](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YO0KzBRiHU&t=149s)
- [5:13 Setting up Claude Code with your downloaded files](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YO0KzBRiHU&t=313s)
- [7:22 Why you should leave Lovable for good](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YO0KzBRiHU&t=442s)

## Sources and limitations

Written companion prepared 2 November 2026 from this exact published video description and its chapter sequence. The full recording was not independently watched or transcribed for this article, and the products and reported results were not retested. Checklists are editorial adaptations of the documented workflow. Model availability, interfaces, prices and offers may have changed since publication; use the retained original resources for current requirements.

[Original video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YO0KzBRiHU)