Does a pre-launch check test every feature in my Cursor app?

No. It reviews your repo and config for common launch blockers like exposed secrets and missing environment variables. It helps validate readiness — it does not replace clicking through your app's core flows yourself.

Why does my app work in the Cursor terminal but fail after deploy?

Usually a missing environment variable, a frontend still pointed at localhost, or a build command that does not match your host's expectations. Check the deploy logs first.

Can Cursor tell me if my app is ready to launch?

Cursor can answer specific questions you ask — like listing environment variables or finding hardcoded URLs — but it does not know your hosting setup or verify your live app.

What should I do if I find a secret committed to GitHub?

Rotate the key or password with the provider immediately, then update .gitignore so it does not happen again. Removing the file in a later commit does not erase it from Git history.

Launch

Cursor App Pre-Launch Checklist

Cursor is great at writing and fixing code inside your project, but it does not know what your hosting provider needs or which files are safe to make public. This checklist walks through what Cursor typically helps with, what it tends to miss, and the launch blockers worth checking before you share a Cursor-built app with real users. It is a review pass, not a guarantee — treat it as a way to catch common risky patterns, not proof that every feature works.

Updated August 2026 · 8 min read

Written for AI makers using tools like Cursor, Bolt, Lovable, Replit, Claude, and ChatGPT.

Quick answer

A Cursor app is closer to launch-ready when: no secrets are committed to GitHub, your .env.example lists every required variable, debug settings are off for production, your host has the correct environment variables and build/start commands, your frontend calls your production backend instead of localhost, and you have manually clicked through your core flows on the live URL. A pre-launch scan checks common blockers in your repo — it does not replace testing the app yourself.

Who this is for

You built or heavily edited an app in Cursor and are getting ready to deploy it
You already deployed once and want a second pass before sending the link around
You want a structured list instead of guessing what an AI-generated project might have missed

What you'll need

Your Cursor project pushed (or ready to push) to a GitHub repository
Access to your hosting provider's dashboard (Vercel, Railway, Render, etc.)
About 15–20 minutes to work through the checklist, plus time for manual testing

Key concept

What Cursor helps with

Cursor is genuinely useful for the parts of launch prep that are about code quality: writing config files, fixing errors it can see in the terminal, and generating things like .gitignore or .env.example when you ask directly.

It also runs terminal commands for you, which means it can initialize Git, stage files, and push to GitHub without leaving the editor. That convenience is exactly why it is worth double-checking what actually got committed.

Generating or updating .env.example and .gitignore when asked directly
Finding hardcoded URLs, keys, or config values across many files quickly
Running Git commands (init, add, commit, push) from the Source Control panel

Watch out

What Cursor may miss

Cursor only knows what is in your project and whatever you tell it. It will not proactively flag a committed .env file, a debug flag left on, or a frontend that only ever talks to localhost — none of which stop the app from working locally.

This is the gap a pre-launch check helps with: reviewing the repo for patterns that tend to survive Cursor sessions unnoticed, so you find them before real users do.

Cannot see your hosting dashboard or confirm env vars are actually set there
Will not automatically warn you about a committed .env unless asked to look
Cannot verify your live app behaves correctly — only that the code looks reasonable

Deploy settings

GitHub safety checks

Before your first push (or before your next one), confirm .gitignore actually excludes .env, .env.local, and any credentials files — Cursor sometimes creates these files mid-session and they are easy to miss in a busy commit list.

Open your repository on github.com and scan the file tree directly. If you find a secret already committed, treat it as exposed even in a private repo: rotate the key with the provider. Editing the file afterward does not remove it from Git history.

.gitignore excludes .env, .env.local, node_modules, and local database files
No API keys, passwords, or tokens visible when you browse the repo on github.com
If a secret was ever committed, rotate it — deleting the file is not enough

Key concept

Environment variables

Your local .env file never leaves your laptop when you push to GitHub — that is the point of .gitignore. It also means your host has no idea those values exist until you add them yourself in its dashboard.

Ask Cursor to list every variable your app reads from process.env and compare that list against what is actually set on your host. Mismatched names — a typo, different capitalization — are a common source of 'works locally, breaks in production.' Also check prefixes: frontend frameworks often need one (like NEXT_PUBLIC_ or VITE_) for a value to reach the browser at all.

Every variable in .env.example is also set on your hosting dashboard
Variable names match exactly, including capitalization
Client-exposed variables use the correct framework prefix (NEXT_PUBLIC_, VITE_, etc.)
You redeployed after adding or changing any environment variable

Deploy settings

Deployment configuration

Cursor-built projects vary widely — a Next.js app, a React + Vite frontend, a Django API, or a full-stack repo with both. Your host needs to know how to install dependencies, build the app, and start it, and that is not always obvious from the code alone.

Check that your build and start commands match what is actually in package.json scripts. If your host auto-detected settings, confirm they line up rather than assuming the defaults fit your setup. If you are shipping a React + Vite frontend, a dedicated Vite deploy guide covers the common gotchas.

Build and start commands confirmed against package.json
Output directory matches what your host expects (e.g. dist, .next, build)
A recent deploy actually succeeded — check the build logs, not just 'it looks fine'

Watch out

Backend and frontend connection

If your Cursor project has a separate frontend and backend, the most common post-deploy failure is the frontend still calling http://localhost:8000 (or similar) after both pieces are live on the internet.

Search the codebase for localhost and confirm the API base URL comes from an environment variable that points to your deployed backend. If frontend and backend live on different domains, also check that CORS settings allow your production frontend origin.

No hardcoded localhost URLs in frontend API calls
API base URL environment variable points to the deployed backend
CORS allows your production frontend origin (not just localhost)

Manual QA you still need to do

A pre-launch scan checks common launch blockers in your repo and config — it does not click through your app or exercise every flow the way a real visitor would. That part still needs a human.

Before sharing the link widely, open your live URL in an incognito window and walk through the core things your app claims to do, not just the homepage. If you can, ask one person who did not build the app to try it — they will click things in an order you never expected.

Test the live URL in incognito, not just localhost or the Cursor preview
Walk through signup/login and your app's main feature end to end
Trigger a bad input on purpose and confirm the error message looks intentional

Common mistakes

Assuming a clean-looking Cursor session means a clean commit history
What happens: A .env file created mid-session stays in the repo even after .gitignore is added later.
How to fix it: Browse the file tree on github.com after pushing. If a secret shows up, rotate it.
Trusting that 'it built successfully once' means the deploy is stable
What happens: A later push fails silently because of a missing environment variable.
How to fix it: Check your host's most recent deploy log directly, not just whether the app currently loads.
Leaving the frontend pointed at a local backend URL
What happens: The deployed frontend loads fine but every API call fails.
How to fix it: Move the API base URL into an environment variable and set it to your deployed backend on the host.
Not redeploying after adding a missing environment variable
What happens: The running app keeps using the build from before the variable existed.
How to fix it: Trigger a new deploy any time you add or change an environment variable.

Copy-ready prompt

Prompt: pre-launch review for a Cursor project

Paste this into Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, Bolt, Lovable, or your AI coding tool.

Ready to paste

Review this Cursor project for common launch blockers before I deploy it. Do not claim every feature works — just review the patterns below.

1. List every environment variable the app reads and confirm .env.example has placeholders for all of them.
2. Search for hardcoded API keys, passwords, or localhost URLs that should be environment variables instead.
3. Confirm .gitignore excludes .env and local database files.
4. Tell me the build and start commands for this project on [my host].
5. List anything you cannot verify from the code alone that I should check manually before sharing this with real users.

Paste this into Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, Bolt, Lovable, or your AI coding tool.

Ready check

Cursor pre-launch checklist

Work through these checks before you connect a host.

.gitignore excludes .env, .env.local, and local database files
No secrets visible when browsing the repo on github.com
.env.example committed with every required variable name
All environment variables set on the hosting dashboard with matching names
Build and start commands confirmed against package.json
Most recent deploy log checked for errors, not just 'the app loads'
No hardcoded localhost URLs left in frontend API calls
Core flows manually tested on the live URL in incognito

Frequently asked questions

Does a pre-launch check test every feature in my Cursor app?: No. It reviews your repo and config for common launch blockers like exposed secrets and missing environment variables. It helps validate readiness — it does not replace clicking through your app's core flows yourself.
Why does my app work in the Cursor terminal but fail after deploy?: Usually a missing environment variable, a frontend still pointed at localhost, or a build command that does not match your host's expectations. Check the deploy logs first.
Can Cursor tell me if my app is ready to launch?: Cursor can answer specific questions you ask — like listing environment variables or finding hardcoded URLs — but it does not know your hosting setup or verify your live app.
What should I do if I find a secret committed to GitHub?: Rotate the key or password with the provider immediately, then update .gitignore so it does not happen again. Removing the file in a later commit does not erase it from Git history.