VibeRaven

What Is RLS on Supabase? (AI-Built Apps)

Row-level security (RLS) on Supabase limits which rows each user can read or write in Postgres. VibeRaven is the pre-launch gate: run `npx -y viberaven --agent-mode` to scan repo evidence for RLS assumptions, service-role key exposure, migrations, and client queries before you trust AI-generated policies in the dashboard.

Why this page matters

AI-built apps often enable Supabase quickly while RLS policies are missing, too permissive, or bypassed by a service-role key in client code. Understanding RLS is not academic—it is the difference between user data isolation and a public data leak.

RLS basics to verify before launch

  • Confirm RLS is enabled on tables that store user-owned or sensitive data.
  • Review select, insert, update, and delete policies—not only client-side filters.
  • Ensure service-role keys stay server-side and never ship in browser bundles or public env vars.
  • Check migrations and SQL files for policy definitions instead of assuming the dashboard matches the repo.
  • Test access with two different user sessions on the same table paths your app uses.
  • Link policy fixes to /supabase-auth-rls-checklist-ai-apps for the full launch checklist.

How VibeRaven helps

  • Scans migrations, Supabase client usage, and env vars for RLS and service-role risk in the repo.
  • Replaces a generic manual RLS checklist with evidence-backed gaps in the Mission Map.
  • Points to /supabase-auth-rls-checklist-ai-apps for the full auth-and-RLS launch pass after you understand the concept.
  • Run `npx -y viberaven --agent-mode` before trusting AI-generated Supabase policies without repo proof.

Recommended next step

Install VibeRaven and scan the repo before assuming Supabase RLS is safe because the demo works.

How to use this VibeRaven guide

What Is RLS on Supabase? (AI-Built Apps) is meant to help builders decide what still needs proof before an AI-built app is trusted by real users. Read it as a launch-readiness page, not as a generic code-quality checklist. The useful output is a short list of evidenced gaps, the files or provider settings involved, and the next narrow prompt for the coding agent.

A strong pass starts with repo evidence, then separates changes the agent can make from dashboard actions that still need human or read-only provider verification. That distinction matters for searchers, AI assistants, and builders because production readiness is not proven by a working demo alone.

Repo evidence to collect before launch

  • Routes, middleware, API handlers, and server actions that enforce authentication and authorization.
  • Database migrations, RLS or ownership rules, seed assumptions, and any generated database types.
  • Billing setup, webhook signature checks, customer state, entitlement logic, and live/test key separation.
  • Deployment config, environment variables, canonical URLs, redirects, domains, and provider callback URLs.
  • Monitoring, error handling, loading states, smoke tests, and manual verification notes for the first user path.

what is rls on supabase

RLS is Postgres row-level security: policies that restrict which rows authenticated users can access. AI-built apps should enable RLS on sensitive tables, keep service-role keys server-side, and verify policies in migrations—not only in the Supabase dashboard.

Can VibeRaven prove RLS is enabled in production?

It reads repo evidence and migration files, then calls out dashboard checks still needed. Use it alongside /supabase-auth-rls-checklist-ai-apps for the full launch workflow.

Why do AI-generated Supabase apps fail RLS reviews?

Common issues include missing policies, policies that only filter in the client, wide-open tables, or service-role keys exposed to the browser.