> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hiveku.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Clone a Project

> Duplicate an existing project as a template for a new client

Agencies and studios often build a project once and reuse it as a starting template for the next client. Cloning a project copies the site structure — pages, navigation, optionally blog posts — into a fresh project you can customize.

## When to Clone

* Spinning up a new client site from your agency template
* Starting a variant of an existing site (e.g., a landing page for a new campaign)
* Testing changes on a copy before applying to the original

For one-off duplicates of a single page, use the page duplicator in the content editor instead.

## How to Clone

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the dashboard">
    Go to [app.hiveku.com/dashboard](https://app.hiveku.com/dashboard).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find the source project">
    Scroll or search to the project you want to copy.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the 3-dot menu">
    Hover the project card. A three-dot icon (**⋮**) appears in the corner. Click it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose Clone Project">
    A menu appears with actions. Click **Clone Project**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the options">
    Modal asks whether to include blog posts (on/off toggle). Leave on to copy existing posts as starter content; turn off for a clean slate.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Hiveku creates the copy">
    New project name defaults to `{Original Name} (Copy)`. You're redirected into the editor.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Rename immediately">
    Go to **Settings > General > Project Information** and click **Edit**. Give it the real client name. See [Rename or Delete a Project](/how-tos/rename-delete-project).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What Gets Copied

| Copied                           | Not Copied                 |
| -------------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| All pages and their sections     | Database tables and data   |
| Navigation structure             | Auth configuration         |
| Blog posts (toggleable)          | Custom domains             |
| Asset references (images, files) | Environment variables      |
| Page meta and SEO settings       | Deployment history         |
| Sitemap hierarchy                | Team discussions and tasks |

<Info>
  Asset **references** mean the new project points at the same image URLs as the original. This saves storage, but editing an image in the source affects the clone too. If you need independence, re-upload images in the clone — the editor's asset panel lets you replace any image.
</Info>

## What You'll Need to Set Up in the Clone

Since not everything copies, here's the typical post-clone checklist:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Rename the project">
    Settings > General > Project Information.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Replace branding and copy">
    Logo, colors, headlines, calls to action — use the AI: *"Update all copy to be for Acme Landscaping, a family-run business in Portland"*.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Re-upload images if you need independence">
    Otherwise the clone and source share image URLs.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure environment variables">
    If your template uses env vars (API keys, feature flags), set new values. See [Environment Variables](/how-tos/env-vars).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Rebuild database and auth">
    Schema and auth config don't copy. See [Create Database Tables](/how-tos/create-tables) and [Set Up User Authentication](/how-tos/setup-auth).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add custom domain when ready">
    Clone starts on a Hiveku subdomain — add the client's domain when you're ready to launch. See [Custom Domain](/how-tos/custom-domain).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Deploy">
    Click **Deploy** to push the cloned site to its new Hiveku subdomain.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Verifying the Clone

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check the dashboard">
    Your new project appears with "(Copy)" in the name (unless you already renamed it).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open it">
    Click the card. The editor loads with all the original's pages in place.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Deploy and visit the subdomain">
    Click Deploy, then visit `https://{new-project-slug}.hiveku.com`. The site should match the source visually.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Clone Project option missing from the 3-dot menu">
    Check your role on the source project. Owner, Admin, and Member roles can clone. Viewer cannot. Also, some plans limit the number of projects you can own — see [Monitor Usage & Costs](/how-tos/monitor-usage).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Clone fails with &#x22;quota exceeded&#x22;">
    Your plan's project limit is hit. Upgrade your plan or delete/archive an old project first. See [Rename or Delete a Project](/how-tos/rename-delete-project).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Images broken on the cloned site">
    If the source project had images deleted after the clone, shared references break. Re-upload the missing images in the clone's asset panel.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Blog posts didn't copy">
    The clone modal has a toggle for blog posts. If you left it off, blog posts weren't included. Ask the AI to re-import from the original: *"Copy the blog posts from project X into this project."*
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Custom domain isn't carrying over">
    That's by design. Each site needs its own domain — add one to the clone via [Custom Domain](/how-tos/custom-domain) when you're ready to launch.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## What's Next?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Rename or Delete a Project" icon="pen" href="/how-tos/rename-delete-project">
    Rename the clone and clean up when done
  </Card>

  <Card title="Custom Domain" icon="globe" href="/how-tos/custom-domain">
    Point the client's domain at the new site
  </Card>
</CardGroup>