Importing from GitHub

Import an existing codebase into Draftbit from a GitHub repository or zip file

If you already have a codebase somewhere else, you don’t have to start over in Draftbit. You can import it directly from a GitHub repository or from a zip file, then keep building on it with the AI-powered app builder.

Start the import

From the Dashboard, click Create New Project, then select the Import option.

Create New Project screen with Import selected, showing Private GitHub Repo, Public GitHub Repo, and Upload a zip file source options

Choose where your code lives:

Private GitHub Repo — connect your GitHub account to import a private repository.
Public GitHub Repo — paste the URL of any public repository.
Upload a zip file — upload your project as a zip archive.

Monorepos are supported too — just point Draftbit at the app’s folder in the next step.

Locate the repository

Paste the repository address. Draftbit checks that it holds an app it can import before you continue.

Paste the address of your repository step

Open Advanced options if you need to import from a specific branch, or from a subfolder of the repository (useful for monorepos).

Advanced options showing branch and subfolder fields, filled in with a repository address

Name your app and choose how to import it

Once your repository passes the checks, name the project and app, then choose how Draftbit should bring it in:

Import & migrate to Draftbit conventions — an agent rewrites your code to fit Draftbit’s conventions, which unlocks the full builder. You approve the migration plan before anything changes. This option is only available when your app is detected as Expo, Vite, or Astro — Draftbit doesn’t yet have an automated migration path for other frameworks.
Import & preserve existing setup — your files stay exactly as they are. You still get chat, code editing, and preview, but without the full builder feature set.
Connect directly to repo — work from your own repository without importing it. (Coming soon.)

Review and import

Check the details before importing — the source, repository, branch, detected framework, and import method. You can go back and change any of them.

Ready to import summary screen showing project, source, repository, branch, detected framework, and import method

Click Import app to start. Draftbit fetches your code, creates the app, and sets up your workspace — this usually takes under a minute.

Importing your app progress screen, fetching code

Running the migration

If you chose Import & migrate to Draftbit conventions, you’ll be walked through a short setup wizard once the import finishes (naming, AI Gateway routing, agent defaults) before reaching the migration step:

Let's migrate your imported project step, with Skip and Migrate my project buttons

Click Migrate my project to kick off the agent — it plans the migration, then works through it step by step, aligning routing, styling, and config, and fixing type and lint errors. You can keep chatting with it while the migration runs. Or click Skip to hold off on migrating for now and keep working with the app as imported.

If you chose Import & preserve existing setup, your project skips this step entirely and keeps its original structure.