diff --git a/client/lib/supabase.ts b/client/lib/supabase.ts
index e8c3355b..fa2207b0 100644
--- a/client/lib/supabase.ts
+++ b/client/lib/supabase.ts
@@ -4,17 +4,26 @@ import type { Database } from './database.types';
 const supabaseUrl = import.meta.env.VITE_SUPABASE_URL;
 const supabaseAnonKey = import.meta.env.VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY;
 
-if (!supabaseUrl || !supabaseAnonKey) {
-  throw new Error('Missing Supabase environment variables');
-}
+// Check if Supabase is configured
+export const isSupabaseConfigured = !!(supabaseUrl && supabaseAnonKey &&
+  supabaseUrl !== 'https://your-project-ref.supabase.co' &&
+  supabaseAnonKey !== 'your-anon-key-here');
 
-export const supabase = createClient<Database>(supabaseUrl, supabaseAnonKey, {
-  auth: {
-    autoRefreshToken: true,
-    persistSession: true,
-    detectSessionInUrl: true
+// Use fallback values for development if not configured
+const fallbackUrl = 'https://demo.supabase.co';
+const fallbackKey = 'demo-key';
+
+export const supabase = createClient<Database>(
+  supabaseUrl || fallbackUrl,
+  supabaseAnonKey || fallbackKey,
+  {
+    auth: {
+      autoRefreshToken: isSupabaseConfigured,
+      persistSession: isSupabaseConfigured,
+      detectSessionInUrl: isSupabaseConfigured
+    }
   }
-});
+);
 
 // Auth helpers
 export const auth = supabase.auth;