Fix · Supabase and databases

Uploaded image does not show (400, 403 or broken)

Not checked against the vendor's current screens

What you may see

The file is in storage but the image link shows an error
It worked for a while, then the link expired

Most likely cause

A private bucket needs a signed link that expires, a public link only works on a public bucket, or the stored path and the saved link do not match.

Check first (about two minutes)

Open the link in a private tab and read the answer text.
In Storage, check whether the bucket is marked public or private.

The fix prompt

What you type here never leaves your browser. The search runs on this page, and nothing is sent to a server or to an AI.

The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

Kept only in this browser, on this device. Keys and passwords are removed before anything is saved.

Prompt language

You are a careful senior engineer who knows Supabase (database, login and file storage) and explains it to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

Menu and button names change over time. If you cannot find a button or page I mention, say so and tell me what to look for instead of guessing.

THE PROBLEM
Uploaded image does not show (400, 403 or broken)

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
A private bucket needs a signed link that expires, a public link only works on a public bucket, or the stored path and the saved link do not match.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Check if the image should be public (a product photo) or private (a customer document).
2. For public images, use a public bucket and the public link function; save the file path, not a long link.
3. For private files, create a signed link on the server when needed, with a short time, and never save it for long.
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- The image shows on a phone on mobile data, and a private file does not open without a signed link.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not make private documents public.
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

Check if the image should be public (a product photo) or private (a customer document).
For public images, use a public bucket and the public link function; save the file path, not a long link.
For private files, create a signed link on the server when needed, with a short time, and never save it for long.

Do not do this

Do not save signed links in the database as if they were permanent.
Do not make private documents public.

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