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Why Clerk?

Clerk handles authentication and user management so you don’t have to build it from scratch. With just a few prompts and config steps, you get:

  • Secure sign-in & sign-up (social, password, MFA)
  • Prebuilt UI components: user profiles, org management, impersonation
  • Support for B2B apps (teams, roles, invitations)
  • Integration with Supabase, Stripe (coming soon), and more
  • Waitlist mode to manage early access
  • Generous free tier: 10K MAUs

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Step-by-Step Integration Guide

Here is a step-by-step guide:

1

Set Up Your Clerk App

1

Step 1

Create a Clerk Account → Clerk.com

2

Step 2

In the Clerk dashboard, create a new app

1

Step 1

Sign in to Clerk & create a new app

2

Step 2

Enable desired authentication providers (e.g. Google, GitHub)

3

Step 3

Enable “Waitlist” under Configure > Restrictions

4

Step 4

Copy your Public API Key

3

Step 3

Add Clerk to Your Lovable App

1

Step 1

In Lovable, add Clerk as your authentication provider.

Prompt Lovable:

Let’s build a beautiful project and task management app in the style of Asana. Users should be able to login and signup using Clerk for authentication and user management. Let’s start by building a great looking homepage and use Clerk’s waitlist component to let users join while we build the rest of the app.

2

Step 2

Paste your Public API Key when asked

3

Step 3

Lovable scaffolds the login and sign-up pages

4

Step 4

Deploy & test — you’re now using Clerk Auth

2

Activate Waitlist Mode (Optional)

Why use a waitlist? – Gather early users before launching your app!

Use Clerk’s built-in waitlist to collect users pre-launch.

1

Step 1

In Clerk dashboard: Configure > Restrictions > Waitlist

2

Step 2

New sign-ups will show as pending

3

Step 3

  • Users who sign up will now be pending approval
  • Admins can approve users from the Clerk dashboard

4

Step 4 (Bonus)

Customize waitlist emails (branding, content)

3

Managing Users & Teams in Clerk

Set up team-based access in your app.

1

Step 1

In Clerk dashboard: enable Organizations

2

Step 2

Define roles (Admin, Member, Viewer, etc.)

3

Step 3

Invite users to your org by email

4

Step 4

Assign roles and permissions via dashboard

5

Step 5

Prompt Lovable to:

Ask users to create/join an organization after sign-up

Using Clerk’s User Profile Component

  • Provides a prebuilt user management dashboard
  • Supports social logins & password authentication
  • Users can manage their own accounts & 2FA

4

Impersonation Mode (For Admins)

What is Impersonation Mode?

Admins can log in as any user to troubleshoot issues

Troubleshoot your app as if you were a specific user.

1

Step 1

In Clerk dashboard > Users, click on a user

2

Step 2

Click Impersonate

3

Step 3

View your app from their perspective

4

Step 4

Security: impersonators can’t perform sensitive actions (e.g. change password)

5

Integrate with Supabase (Advanced)

Combine Clerk Auth with Supabase backend.

Why integrate with Supabase?

  • Store user data in a database
  • Secure authentication with JWT tokens
  • Connect authentication to app features

How to integrate:

1

Step 1

In Supabase, go to Settings > API > JWT Secret (documentation)

2

Step 2

In Clerk: JWT Templates > Add Supabase, paste JWT secret

3

Step 3

Enable Clerk as an authentication provider

Update RLS policies to use auth.uid() from Clerk

Prompt Lovable to:

Let’s setup supabase to integrate with Clerk. Clerk has been configured with a Supabase secret. Here’s an example of implementing the supabase client using Clerk. Use this as a reference.

[Supabase client configuration import]

4

Step 4

Confirm Clerk-issued tokens are accepted by Supabase

6

Add a Custom Domain (Optional)

Why use a custom domain?

Boosts brand recognition & trust

More information here.

1

Step 1

In Lovable: Settings > Custom Domain

2

Step 2

Enter your purchased domain (e.g. app.yourcompany.com)

3

Step 3

Lovable auto-configures DNS (no need to leave Lovable)

4

Step 4

Deploy & test your app with the new domain.

5

Step 5

Done ✅ — your app is now white-labeled

7

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

Your app now has:

  • Secure authentication with Clerk
  • A waitlist to collect early users
  • User & team management features
  • Supabase database integration
  • A professional custom domain

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Bonus: Build B2B Features in Minutes

Clerk supports:

  • Role-based access for organizations
  • Invite flows (email-based, pre-built UI)
  • Organization profile customization (logo, name)
  • Multi-org switching (e.g. Slack-style)

Ask Lovable to:

Add organization switcher UI

Let users invite teammates

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Tips & Troubleshooting

  • Already using Supabase Auth? You can switch to Clerk without rewriting your app logic. Just configure JWT correctly and swap auth provider.
  • Email customization: Clerk lets you edit all transactional email templates (waitlist, invitations, approvals).
  • Mobile login: Clerk supports passkeys, OTP, and SMS — no extra config needed in Dev Mode.
  • Compliance: Clerk is SOC2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliant.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Want a question added to this FAQ? Let us know on Discord!

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Final Thoughts

Clerk turns authentication into a prompt. You don’t need to build it yourself.

With just a few clicks and prompts, your app now has:

  • Secure, scalable authentication
  • Team & organization management
  • Impersonation tools for debugging
  • Supabase-backed data and access control
  • Custom domain support for a polished UX

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