- In the chat, while you build. Lovable can read from and act on the connected tool as it helps you. For example, it can look at the deal stages in your real HubSpot account while designing a sales dashboard, so the result matches your actual data instead of made-up examples.
- In your published app, while people use it. The app you share with others can use the tool on its own. For example, when a visitor submits a form, your app can post a message to your team’s Slack, add a row to a Google Sheet, or create a contact in HubSpot.
How app + chat connections work
An app + chat connection runs on one shared account. You (or a teammate) sign in to the tool or paste an API key once, and every request uses that account, no matter who is building or which visitor is using the published app. Connections belong to your workspace, not to a single project. You create a connection once and then link it to any project that needs it. Linking is what makes a connection usable in a project, and Lovable writes the integration code for you once it’s linked. Two settings control who can do what:- Who can create connections. On Free and Pro plans, any workspace member with the editor role or higher can create connections. On Business and Enterprise plans, workspace admins choose this per connector: No one, Admins, or Editors & admins. Setting a connector to No one means nobody can create new connections, which effectively disables it. On Enterprise plans, connectors are effectively disabled at first: the setting defaults to No one until an admin changes it for each connector the workspace needs. See Who can create connections and clients for the full picture.
- Who can use a connection. Whoever creates a connection decides who can use it. A connection can stay private, be shared with specific people, or be shared with the whole workspace, and everyone with access can link it to projects and build with it. See Who can use connections and clients for how access affects projects and collaborators.
Create a connection
Creating a connection takes a few minutes and only needs to happen once per tool:1
Select the connector
Open Connectors and select the tool you want to connect. See Where to find connectors for every place you can open the catalog.
2
Add a connection
Click Add connection. If the connector supports more than one connection type, choose App + chat connector.
3
Authenticate
Depending on the tool, sign in with OAuth or paste credentials such as an API key. When a connector supports more than one authentication method, pick one under Authentication. Some tools also require setup on the provider’s side first, such as creating an API key or registering an app in their dashboard. Check the connector’s documentation for exact instructions before you start.Some connectors offer a Managed by Lovable option that uses Lovable’s own app registration, so you don’t need to provide any credentials. A workspace can have one managed connection per connector.
4
Choose who can use the connection
Under Who can use this connection, keep the connection to yourself, invite specific people, or invite the entire workspace. Everyone with access can link the connection to projects and build with it. You can change this later from the connection’s settings. See Who can use connections and clients for how access affects projects and collaborators.
5
Create the connection
Create the connection. To start using it, link it to a project by asking Lovable in that project’s chat, as described in Link a connection to a project.
Link a connection to a project
A connection does nothing on its own. Linking it to a project securely shares the credentials with that project, so Lovable and your published app can call the tool. You link a connection by asking Lovable in the project chat. Describe what you want the app to do, for example:Approving connector actions in chat
Once a connection is linked, Lovable can start using it, and you stay in control of what it does. When Lovable wants to use a connection to make a change, such as sending a message or updating a record, it pauses and asks for your approval first. The approval card describes what Lovable wants to do and shows the request details. Read-only requests run without prompts. You can respond in three ways:- Allow once: approve this single action.
- Always allow: let future actions for this connection, including write actions, run without asking first.
- Skip: move on without running the action.
Manage a connection
Everything about an existing connection is managed from the connection itself. Open Connectors, select the connector, and open the connection. You can also get there from inside a project; see Where to find connectors for every entry point. From the connection you can see and unlink its linked projects, change who can use it under Who can use this connection, adjust your agent approval preference, or delete it. Who can manage a connection follows its access settings. Whoever creates a connection controls who can use it and can adjust that from the connection’s settings at any time, as described in Who can use connections and clients. Workspace admins and owners can delete any connection.Unlink projects from a connection
Unlinking removes specific projects from a connection without deleting the connection. The connection stays available for other projects. Workspace members with the editor role or higher can unlink projects.1
Open the connection
Open Connectors, select the connector, and open the connection you want to manage.
2
Select projects
Under Linked projects, check the projects you want to unlink.
3
Confirm
Click Unlink projects and confirm.
Delete a connection
Deleting a connection removes it from the workspace entirely. Workspace admins and owners can delete any connection. Other members can delete a connection if they created it, or if they have been explicitly granted access to it.1
Open the connection
Open Connectors, select the connector, and open the connection you want to remove.
2
Review linked projects
Check the Linked projects section to see which projects currently use the connection.
3
Delete
Under Delete this connection, click Delete and confirm.
Gateway-based connectors
Most app + chat connectors route through a secure gateway between your Lovable app and the third-party service. The gateway handles authentication automatically, keeps credentials out of your project, applies a per-project usage limit, and sends outbound traffic from a stable set of IP ranges. See Integration security for the full details, and Connector data flow for how data moves between your app and the third-party service.Managed project secret: LOVABLE_API_KEY
App + chat connectors and Lovable AI rely on a project secret called LOVABLE_API_KEY to identify your project to Lovable’s services. Lovable creates and manages this secret automatically, so you don’t need to do anything with it.
FAQ
Who can see the data an app + chat connection returns?
Who can see the data an app + chat connection returns?
Anyone who can use the connection. The connection runs on one shared account, so every linked project works with that account’s data, and so does every visitor of a published app that uses it. Whoever creates the connection controls who can use it, as described in Who can use connections and clients. If each user should only see their own data, use an app user connector instead.
Are my credentials visible in the project code?
Are my credentials visible in the project code?
No. For gateway-based connectors, credentials stay in Lovable’s connector gateway and never appear in your project, so they can’t leak through your app’s code. See Integration security for how credentials are stored, rotated, and deleted.
Why can't I create or link a connection?
Why can't I create or link a connection?
Check three things, in order:
- Your role. Workspace viewers and external project collaborators can’t access workspace connectors.
- The connector’s Who can create connections setting. On Business and Enterprise plans, the connector may be set to No one (nobody can create connections, which effectively disables it) or Admins. On Enterprise plans, the setting defaults to No one until an admin changes it. See Who can create connections and clients.
- Your access to the specific connection. Only people the connection is shared with can link it to a project. See Who can use connections and clients.