Set Up Supabase

1. Audit current state

Read .claude/stack-profile.md if present (backend.track, database.orm, hosting, package_manager, frontend.meta). If absent, detect; ask one question only when the answer changes the output (for example Drizzle owning DDL, see step 3).

ls supabase/config.toml supabase/migrations supabase/seed.sql supabase/tests 2>/dev/null
grep -n "pgdelta\|schema_paths" supabase/config.toml 2>/dev/null     # diff engine in use
grep -rn "createClient\|createBrowserClient\|createServerClient" src app lib --include=*.ts --include=*.tsx 2>/dev/null | head -20
grep -rn "service_role\|SERVICE_ROLE\|sb_secret_\|SUPABASE_SECRET" --include=*.ts --include=*.tsx --include=.env* . 2>/dev/null | grep -v node_modules | head
git ls-files | grep -E "\.env($|\.)" | grep -v example                # committed env files = finding
ls .github/workflows 2>/dev/null; cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -n "supabase"

Findings to record: secret/service_role key outside a server-only file, anon/service_role legacy names, a Dashboard-edited remote with no migrations, a client created inline in a component.

2. Decide what to do

• No supabase/ → full setup (steps 4–8).
• supabase/ exists, no migrations but a live remote → baseline pull first (step 4, "existing project").
• Clients scattered or secret key in a client-reachable file → step 7 plus rotate the key if it was ever committed (security-baseline.md, rule 1).
• Everything present and supabase db reset passes → report "already in place" and stop.

3. Detect track and pick the schema workflow

Schema workflow: plain migrations (supabase migration new) are the default. Declarative schemas (supabase/schemas/ + db schema declarative sync) are opt-in: they need the pg-delta engine, which is pre-1.0 and still under [experimental.pgdelta]. Both end in files under supabase/migrations/, and only those reach a remote. Reasons and the switch: supabase-patterns.md.

If database.orm: drizzle: Supabase migrations stay the only DDL path (RLS, grants, triggers and functions are SQL). Drizzle reads the schema; do not run drizzle-kit push against a remote.

4. Install only what's missing

pnpm add -D supabase                      # CLI as a project dependency, pinned by the lockfile
pnpm add @supabase/supabase-js            # + @supabase/ssr on Next/SSR (set-up-nextjs-supabase-auth)
pnpm supabase init                        # only if supabase/config.toml is missing

Docker (or a compatible runtime) must run for supabase start. Use the package runner form (pnpm supabase …) everywhere below. Versions: stack-versions.md.

Existing remote project (tables made in the Dashboard):

pnpm supabase login && pnpm supabase link --project-ref <project-ref>
pnpm supabase db pull          # writes supabase/migrations/<ts>_remote_schema.sql; accept "mark as applied"

Read the generated file before committing: extensions you enabled yourself can appear as DROP EXTENSION.

5. Generate the seams: folder, first migration, seed

supabase/
  config.toml          # committed; secrets only via env("NAME")
  migrations/          # committed; applied in order; never edited once pushed
  seed.sql             # committed; fake data only, never a production dump
  tests/               # pgTAP, see secure-supabase-rls
  functions/           # see build-supabase-edge-function

First migration closes the default-grant hole before any table exists:

pnpm supabase migration new baseline_privileges < /dev/null   # closed stdin: the command waits for input in a non-TTY shell

Fill it with the alter default privileges block from rls-patterns.md ("Rule: no automatic grants"). In config.toml keep [api] schemas = ["public"] unless you have a dedicated API schema, and set [auth] site_url and additional_redirect_urls per environment.

.gitignore: .env* (except .env.example), supabase/.temp, supabase/.branches, supabase/functions/.env.

6. Environment per environment

One Supabase project per environment (local stack, staging, production); keys differ per project. Never add SUPABASE_ANON_KEY / SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY to new code: those are the legacy keys. Validate at startup with the project's env seam (validate-env for Vite, nextjs-backend-patterns.md for Next). Layout and naming: config.md.

7. Client seams — one module per context

src/libs/supabase/ (Next/React) or the equivalent seam folder:

// browser.ts — public key, runs in the browser; Realtime and non-auth queries only, never auth
import { createBrowserClient } from '@supabase/ssr'; // Vite SPA without SSR: createClient from supabase-js
import type { Database } from './database.types';

export const createClient = () =>
  createBrowserClient<Database>(
    process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL!,
    process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY!,
  );

On Next.js the session cookie is httpOnly (set-up-nextjs-supabase-auth), so this client cannot read the session and never signs anyone in. Auth is server-side only; the browser client exists for Realtime and non-auth queries. Realtime needs a token client-side — see the pattern in that skill.

// admin.ts — secret key, bypasses RLS, server only
import 'server-only';
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';
import type { Database } from './database.types';

export const supabaseAdmin = createClient<Database>(
  process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL!,
  process.env.SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY!,
  { auth: { persistSession: false, autoRefreshToken: false, detectSessionInUrl: false } },
);

The per-request server client (cookies) is in set-up-nextjs-supabase-auth. Call supabaseAdmin only from code that already authorized the caller: it bypasses RLS. Types:

pnpm supabase gen types --lang typescript --local > src/libs/supabase/database.types.ts

Add a "db:types" script (or a just/mise task per task_runner) and commit the output.

8. Wire CI and deploy

• PR job: supabase start, supabase db reset (proves the chain from zero), supabase test db, supabase db advisors --local --fail-on error, regenerate types and fail on git diff.
• Deploy: either Supabase's GitHub integration (preview branch per PR, migrations applied on merge) or a GitHub Actions job running supabase link + supabase db push. Pick one. Workflow files and token scopes: supabase-patterns.md.
• Remote changes only through merged migrations. supabase db push --dry-run before the first push.

9. Verify

typecheck is tsc --noEmit in a Next.js app (one tsconfig); add "typecheck": "tsc --noEmit" to package.json if it is missing.

pnpm supabase start && pnpm supabase db reset      # migrations + seed apply cleanly
pnpm supabase test db                              # pgTAP green (or "no tests" before secure-supabase-rls)
pnpm supabase db advisors --local --type security  # no ERROR-level findings
pnpm typecheck                                  # Database types resolve
pnpm build && ! grep -rEl "sb_secret_|SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY" .next/static dist 2>/dev/null   # nothing in client output

Expected: every command exits 0 and the last grep prints nothing.

References

• supabase-patterns.md — migrations vs declarative, branching, keys, types, CI.
• ../secure-supabase-rls/SKILL.md — the next step for every new table.
• ../_shared/stack-versions.md, ../_shared/service-layout.md, ../_shared/config.md.
• ../../core/_shared/stack-profile.md, ../../core/_shared/security-baseline.md.