Zeltro › How to run a v0 project locally

Running a v0 project on your own machine

Can you run v0 locally? The builder no, your project yes. How to get a v0 app out through GitHub, run the Next.js code on your own computer, bring its environment variables and database along, and keep building it with your own AI.

"Run v0 locally" can mean two things.

v0 itself does not run locally. It is Vercel's hosted agent: your project runs in a Vercel Sandbox in the cloud, with v0's models and v0's billing.

Your v0 project does. v0's FAQ answers it directly: "Export the code to work locally or edit directly in v0." What you get is a standard Next.js app, in v0's words "Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and shadcn/ui." This page is about running that app on your own machine and continuing to build it there.

What a v0 project is#

The good news is in the first row. A Next.js app is a very ordinary thing to run.

Step 1: get the code out of v0 through GitHub#

GitHub is the route v0 documents, and it keeps working after you start editing locally.

1. In v0, open Project menu (…) → Settings → GitHub and choose Connect.
2. Pick an account or organization, name the repository, and choose Create Repository.
3. v0 "creates a private repository and pushes the project's current code to it."

From then on, each v0 chat works on its own branch, and publishing merges it into the base branch through a pull request. To bring your own commits into a chat's branch, use Pull Changes in v0. Some guides also describe a ZIP download from the project menu; GitHub is the one to use if you plan to keep going.

Step 2: run the v0 project locally#

The quick version, if you only want to see it run:

1. Install Node.js.
2. git clone the repository and cd into it.
3. Run npm install, then npm run dev.

It will start, and then any page that needs a database or an API key will fail, because the environment variables stayed in v0. That is step 3.

To keep building it, a proper environment helps. Zeltro is a free local development platform: each project runs in its own container with Node 22, every project shares one set of databases, and your AI agent works inside the project.

zeltro clone work-directly https://github.com/you/your-v0-app

Zeltro reads package.json, sees Next.js, and sets the project up on Node 22, served through nginx on port 80. With an AI agent configured, the clone also has it adapt the repository to Zeltro. zeltro status your-v0-app prints the address, and a LAN address for testing on your phone.

Step 3: environment variables and the database#

v0 keeps environment variables per environment (Production, Preview and Development), and its docs say the Development set is the one "applied to the v0 preview panel or when running locally." Copy those values into a .env.local in the project. If the project is linked to a Vercel project, the Vercel CLI's vercel env pull writes them for you.

Database integrations are cloud services, so they keep working from your machine once the variables are in place. You then have a choice:

• Keep them. Neon, Supabase or Upstash stay where they are, and your local app talks to them. Simple, but local changes hit real data, so use a development branch or a separate database.
• Bring them local. Neon is Postgres and Upstash is Redis, and Zeltro runs both for every project already. Dump the data, load it into the shared zeltro-postgres, point DATABASE_URL at it, and develop offline against your own copy. Your agent can do this step.

Step 4: keep building, with your own AI#

v0 bills its own model usage. Once the app runs locally, the agent can be yours: Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Qwen Code, Aider, OpenCode or Hermes, on a subscription you already pay for, an API key at the provider's own price, or a free local model.

cd ~/zeltro-projects/your-v0-app
zeltro ai "read AGENTS.md, then add a search box to the products page"

Every project has an AGENTS.md describing its address, database and commands, so the agent starts oriented. See bring your own key, or put your own numbers into the savings calculator.

You can still use v0 alongside it: push your branch, and pull it into a v0 chat with Pull Changes.

Worth knowing#

Zeltro does not host. Vercel deploys a v0 project in one click, and it still can: pushing to GitHub does not stop that. Zeltro is where you build. If you would rather host somewhere you control, I will take it live for you.

Not every v0 project is pure Next.js. v0 can generate code that leans on Vercel services, such as AI Gateway or Blob storage. Those keep working with the right environment variables, and they are the parts to replace if you want to leave Vercel entirely.

Sources#

Checked on 18 October 2026: v0's FAQs, GitHub, databases and sandbox pages. Features change, so check them against your own account.

Questions

Checked 2026-10-18. Other products change often — if something here is out of date, tell us and it gets fixed.