Bolt.new Best Practices: Token Optimization and Efficient Prompting

Introduction

As you build more complex applications with Bolt.new, understanding how to optimize token usage and craft efficient prompts becomes crucial. This advanced guide will teach you professional techniques to maximize your productivity while minimizing token consumption.

What You'll Learn

• Understanding the token economy
• Advanced prompting strategies
• Token-saving techniques
• File management best practices
• Debugging and error handling
• Performance optimization
• Team collaboration strategies

Understanding Tokens in Bolt.new

What Are Tokens?

Tokens are the fundamental units of text that AI models process. In Bolt.new:

• Average word ≈ 1.3 tokens
• Code typically uses more tokens than natural language
• Both input prompts and generated output consume tokens

Token Pricing Tiers (July 2025)

Plan	Monthly Price	Token Allowance	Best For
Free	$0	150K daily / 1M monthly	Learning, small projects
Pro	$20	10M monthly	Regular development
Team	$50	26M monthly	Professional teams

Token Consumption Examples

// This simple function uses approximately 50 tokens
function greetUser(name) {
    return `Hello, ${name}!`;
}

// This complex component uses approximately 500 tokens
const DataTable = ({ data, columns, onSort, onFilter, pagination }) => {
    // ... full implementation
};

Advanced Prompting Strategies

1. The Comprehensive Initial Prompt

Instead of iterative development, front-load your requirements:

Inefficient Approach (Uses 5x more tokens):

Prompt 1: Create a todo app
Prompt 2: Add a delete button to each todo
Prompt 3: Add a completed checkbox
Prompt 4: Style it with Tailwind CSS
Prompt 5: Add local storage persistence

Efficient Approach (Single prompt):

Create a React todo app with:
- Add/edit/delete todos
- Mark as complete with checkbox
- Filter by all/active/completed
- Persist to localStorage
- Tailwind CSS styling with modern design
- Smooth animations for adding/removing items
- Include TypeScript interfaces
- Add keyboard shortcuts (Enter to add, Delete to remove selected)

2. The Stack Declaration Pattern

Always declare your technology stack upfront:

Using Next.js 14, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and Prisma with PostgreSQL, create a blog platform with:
- User authentication (NextAuth.js)
- CRUD operations for posts
- Rich text editor (TipTap)
- Comment system
- SEO optimization
- Server-side rendering

3. The Reference Pattern

Reference well-known designs to save description tokens:

Create a dashboard similar to Stripe's design with:
- Sidebar navigation like Notion
- Data tables like Airtable
- Charts using Recharts
- Color scheme similar to Linear

4. The Structure-First Pattern

Define file structure to guide generation:

Create a Next.js e-commerce site with this structure:
/pages
  /api
    /products
    /orders
    /auth
  /products
    [id].tsx
  index.tsx
  cart.tsx
  checkout.tsx
/components
  Layout.tsx
  ProductCard.tsx
  CartDrawer.tsx
/lib
  db.ts
  auth.ts
  stripe.ts

Token Optimization Techniques

1. Enable Diff-Based Editing

This is the single most important optimization:

// Without diffs: Regenerates entire 500-line file for one change
// With diffs: Only updates the specific lines that changed

// Enable in Bolt.new settings or request in prompt:
"Use diff-based editing for all file updates"

2. Use File Locking

Prevent unnecessary regeneration of completed files:

Lock these files from further modifications:
- components/Header.tsx
- lib/constants.ts
- styles/global.css

3. Target Specific Files

Direct changes to specific files:

In the file components/Dashboard.tsx only:
- Add a refresh button to the header
- Implement auto-refresh every 30 seconds
- Don't modify any other files

4. Batch Related Operations

Combine related changes in single prompts:

Inefficient:

Prompt 1: Add a loading spinner to the form
Prompt 2: Add error handling to the form
Prompt 3: Add success message to the form

Efficient:

Update the contact form with:
- Loading spinner during submission
- Error handling with user-friendly messages  
- Success notification with auto-dismiss
- Disable submit button while processing

5. Leverage Code Comments

Add comments to preserve complex logic:

// CRITICAL: Do not modify this authentication logic
// It handles OAuth, JWT refresh, and session management
const authenticateUser = async (credentials) => {
    // ... complex implementation
};

// TODO: AI should implement data fetching here
const fetchUserData = async (userId) => {
    // Implement this function
};

Efficient File Management

1. Strategic File Organization

Organize the project for optimal token usage:
/src
  /features          # Feature-based organization
    /auth           # All auth-related code together
    /dashboard      # Dashboard feature files
    /settings       # Settings feature files
  /shared           # Shared components (locked after creation)
    /ui             # Reusable UI components
    /hooks          # Custom hooks
    /utils          # Utility functions

2. Component Extraction Pattern

Create reusable components early:

Extract these repeated elements into shared components:
- Button component with variants (primary, secondary, danger)
- Card component with header, body, footer slots
- Modal component with size options
- Form input components with validation

3. Configuration Centralization

Create a config folder with:
- theme.config.ts (colors, fonts, spacing)
- api.config.ts (endpoints, headers)
- app.config.ts (feature flags, constants)

Debugging and Error Handling Strategies

1. Preemptive Error Handling

Include error handling in initial prompts:

Implement comprehensive error handling:
- Try-catch blocks for async operations
- User-friendly error messages
- Fallback UI components
- Error boundary for React components
- Logging for debugging

2. Debugging Without Token Waste

Use console.log strategically:

// Add debug flag to avoid token waste on console.logs
const DEBUG = true;

if (DEBUG) {
    console.log('User data:', userData);
    console.log('API response:', response);
}

Request specific debugging:

Add debugging for the payment flow only:
- Log each step of the payment process
- Show current state in UI during development
- Add error boundaries around payment components

3. Error Recovery Patterns

// Implement retry logic with exponential backoff
const fetchWithRetry = async (url, options, maxRetries = 3) => {
    for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
        try {
            const response = await fetch(url, options);
            if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}`);
            return response;
        } catch (error) {
            if (i === maxRetries - 1) throw error;
            await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 2 ** i * 1000));
        }
    }
};

Performance Optimization Best Practices

1. Request Optimizations Upfront

Create a React dashboard with these performance optimizations:
- React.memo for expensive components
- useMemo for computed values
- useCallback for function props
- Virtualization for long lists
- Code splitting for routes
- Lazy loading for images

2. Bundle Size Management

Optimize bundle size by:
- Using dynamic imports for heavy libraries
- Tree-shaking unused code
- Implementing route-based code splitting
- Loading charts and visualizations on demand

3. State Management Efficiency

// Request efficient state patterns
Implement global state using Zustand with:
- Separate stores for different features
- Persistence middleware for user preferences
- DevTools integration
- TypeScript support

Advanced Prompting Patterns

1. The Iterative Enhancement Pattern

Build complex features in layers:

Phase 1 - Basic Structure:
Create a data table component with sorting and pagination

Phase 2 - Enhancements (in same prompt):
Add to the data table:
- Column filtering
- Export to CSV
- Bulk actions
- Responsive mobile view

2. The Constraint Pattern

Add constraints to guide generation:

Create a form builder with these constraints:
- Maximum 3 levels of nesting
- Only support text, number, select, checkbox field types
- Form state must be serializable to JSON
- No external dependencies beyond React

3. The Example-Driven Pattern

Provide examples for complex requirements:

Create a notification system that works like this:
- toast.success("User created successfully")
- toast.error("Failed to save data")
- toast.info("New update available", { duration: 5000 })
- toast.promise(saveUser(), {
    loading: "Saving...",
    success: "Saved!",
    error: "Failed to save"
  })

Working with Large Codebases

1. Modular Development Approach

For large applications, develop in modules:
1. First create the authentication module completely
2. Lock all auth files
3. Then create the dashboard module
4. Lock dashboard files
5. Continue with other modules

2. Interface-First Development

Start by defining all TypeScript interfaces:
- User, Product, Order interfaces
- API response types
- Component prop types
- Store state shapes

Then implement features using these interfaces

3. Strategic Refactoring

Refactor in passes to save tokens:
Pass 1: Extract all hardcoded strings to constants
Pass 2: Extract repeated styles to Tailwind components
Pass 3: Convert callback props to custom hooks

Team Collaboration Best Practices

1. Prompt Templates

Create standardized prompts for your team:

FEATURE TEMPLATE:
Feature: [Name]
Stack: [Technologies]
Requirements:
- [ ] Requirement 1
- [ ] Requirement 2
Constraints:
- Must follow existing patterns
- Use shared components from /shared/ui
- Include error handling and loading states

2. Code Review Prompts

Review the authentication implementation for:
- Security vulnerabilities
- Performance issues
- Code style consistency
- Missing error handling
- Accessibility concerns

3. Documentation Generation

Generate comprehensive documentation for:
- API endpoints with request/response examples
- Component props with TypeScript definitions  
- Setup instructions for new developers
- Architecture decisions and patterns used

Token Budget Management

1. Track Token Usage

Keep a mental model of token costs:

Operation	Approximate Tokens
Simple component	200-500
Complex feature	2,000-5,000
Full page with interactions	5,000-10,000
Refactoring large file	1,000-3,000
Adding tests	500-2,000 per file

2. Token-Efficient Testing

Create unit tests for critical paths only:
- Authentication flow
- Payment processing
- Data validation functions
Use simple assertions and mock external dependencies

3. Progressive Enhancement

Start minimal and enhance:

Step 1: Create basic CRUD functionality
Step 2: Add validation and error handling  
Step 3: Enhance UI with animations
Step 4: Add advanced features (search, filters)

Common Token-Wasting Patterns to Avoid

1. The Endless Refinement Loop

Don't:

• "Make it better"
• "Improve the design"
• "Fix any issues"

Do:

• "Change button color to blue, add 8px border radius, increase font size to 16px"

2. Regenerating Entire Files

Don't:

• Make small changes to large files without diffs
• Forget to lock completed files

Do:

• Enable diffs for all edits
• Lock files when complete
• Target specific functions or sections

3. Vague Descriptions

Don't:

• "Add some animations"
• "Make it responsive"

Do:

• "Add fadeIn animation on scroll using AOS library"
• "Make responsive with breakpoints: mobile (<768px), tablet (768-1024px), desktop (>1024px)"

Advanced Tips from Power Users

1. The Morning Routine

Start each session with:
1. Check token balance
2. Enable diff mode
3. Lock completed files
4. Plan the session's goals
5. Write comprehensive initial prompt

2. The Component Library Strategy

First session: Build a complete component library
- All UI components
- All layouts
- All utilities
Lock everything, then build features using the library

3. The Prompt Journal

Keep successful prompts for reuse:

## Successful Prompts

### Authentication System
"Create NextAuth.js authentication with..."

### Data Table
"Build a reusable data table with..."

### Form Builder
"Implement dynamic form builder with..."

Real-World Token Optimization Example

Let's optimize a real scenario:

Unoptimized Approach (30,000 tokens)

Prompt 1: Create a user dashboard
Prompt 2: Add a chart to show user activity
Prompt 3: Make the chart use recharts
Prompt 4: Add date filtering to the chart
Prompt 5: Style the dashboard
Prompt 6: Add a sidebar
Prompt 7: Make it responsive
... (20 more iterations)

Optimized Approach (5,000 tokens)

Create a user dashboard with:

Layout:
- Responsive sidebar (collapsible on mobile)
- Main content area with 24px padding

Components:
- User activity chart using Recharts
  - Line chart showing daily active users
  - Date range picker (last 7/30/90 days)
  - Export to PNG button
- Stats cards showing:
  - Total users
  - Active today
  - Growth percentage
- Recent activity table with pagination

Styling:
- Use existing Tailwind config
- Follow design system in /shared/ui
- Smooth transitions on all interactions

Technical:
- Use React Query for data fetching
- Implement error boundaries
- Add loading skeletons
- Cache chart data for performance

Troubleshooting Token Issues

1. Running Out of Tokens

Immediate Actions:

• Enable diff mode
• Lock all completed files
• Be more specific in prompts
• Batch related changes

Long-term Solutions:

• Upgrade to higher tier
• Develop in modules
• Use manual coding for simple changes

2. Inefficient Generation

Signs:

• Regenerating unchanged code
• Creating duplicate components
• Overwriting custom modifications

Solutions:

• Use file targeting
• Add code comments for preservation
• Create clear component boundaries

Summary and Best Practices Checklist

Before Starting

• Plan your architecture
• Define your tech stack
• Enable diff mode
• Prepare comprehensive prompts

During Development

• Lock completed files
• Target specific files for changes
• Batch related modifications
• Use clear, specific language

After Each Session

• Review token usage
• Document successful patterns
• Lock stable components
• Plan next session

Key Takeaways

1. Front-load Requirements: Comprehensive initial prompts save tokens
2. Use Diffs: The single most impactful optimization
3. Lock Files: Prevent unnecessary regeneration
4. Be Specific: Vague prompts waste tokens
5. Think Modular: Build in independent, lockable modules

Next Steps

• Practice the patterns in this guide
• Track your token usage over a week
• Build your own prompt templates
• Share efficient patterns with the community

Remember: Efficient Bolt.new usage is a skill that improves with practice. Start with these techniques and develop your own patterns as you build more complex applications.