Your prototype works. Production is a different sport.

An AI builder got you a working demo in a weekend — genuinely impressive, genuinely not shippable. The gap is always the same six things.

Custom software SaaS products AI development Web applications AI chatbots Nearshore teams

Overview

Where AI-built prototypes stall

AI builders produce a working demo fast and skip the boring half. A rescue puts that half in — usually on the codebase you already have.

Why AI-built prototypes stall on the way to production

An AI builder produces a working demo remarkably fast. What it does not produce is the boring half: server-side permission checks, migrations, environments, real payment flows and secrets that stay on the server. Those are invisible in a demo and mandatory in production.

A rescue is therefore not a rewrite. It is an audit that finds which of those are missing, followed by fixed-price work to put them in — usually on the codebase you already have.

When a rescue is the right call

When the prototype proved the idea and the data model can be saved. When the model is wrong at the root, rebuilding on the learnings costs less than the archaeology — the audit tells you which case you are in.

Signals your prototype is not production-ready

changing an ID in the URL shows you another customer’s data;
API keys are visible in the browser bundle;
the database schema exists only in a hosted console;
payments are still in test mode, or live without webhooks;
there is one environment, and it is production.

Signals an AI-built prototype is not production-ready: broken access control, secrets in the browser, no migrations

Price

Audit $1,790

Timeline

5 days

Payment

Credited against the fix

Comparison

Fix the prototype or rebuild it

The audit answers this in five days — here is the logic it applies.

Criterion

RebuildFix what exists

Fix and hardenRebuild on the learnings

Data model is sound

Wasteful — you are rewriting working logic

The normal case, 2–3 weeks

Data model is wrong at the root

Cheaper than archaeology

Fighting the schema on every ticket

Users already in production

Migration project on top

Fix in place, no migration

Generated code is unreadable

Sometimes faster to redo

Refactor behind characterisation tests

Budget

From $18,900

From $5,900

What the audit decides

Which of these two applies

Findings

What we find, almost every time

We publish this list because the first four appear in nearly every prototype we audit — including the good ones.

The recurring seven

1. Row-level security missing or advisory. Any logged-in user can read another tenant's data by changing an ID.

2. Secrets in the front end. API keys shipped to the browser.

3. Server-side checks that live in the client. The button is hidden; the endpoint is open.

4. No migrations. The schema exists only in a hosted console and nobody can rebuild it.

5. Payments in test mode, or live without webhooks — so paying users are not reliably provisioned.

6. No environments. One database, edited in production.

7. File uploads without validation. The fastest route to someone else's malware on your domain.

Audit

$1,790 · 5 days

Fix-up

From $5,900 · 2–3 weeks

Audit fee

Credited in full against the fix

Engagement

The audit, then the fix

Two fixed-price steps, and an honest answer at the end of the first one about whether the second is worth it.

The audit — $1,790, 5 days

A prioritised findings report with severity and exploitability, proof-of-concept for anything critical, a data-model review, a fix plan with hours, and a 45-minute walkthrough call.

The fee is credited in full if you continue with us — and the report is yours to hand to anyone else if you do not.

The fix — from $5,900, 2–3 weeks

Auth and permissions rebuilt server-side, data model and migrations, environments and CI, payments with webhooks and reconciliation, error tracking, a runbook and a load sanity check.

You keep your codebase. We do not rewrite from scratch as a reflex — and we say when a rewrite is genuinely cheaper.

Should you even fix it?

Sometimes the honest answer is no. If the prototype proved the idea but the data model is wrong at the root, rebuilding on the learnings costs less than the archaeology.

The audit tells you which case you are in. That is what the $1,790 buys — a decision, not a sales pitch.

Which builders we work with

Lovable, Bolt, Replit, v0, Cursor-built codebases, Bubble and Retool exports.

The generator matters less than whether the data model can be saved — that is the first thing the audit answers.

Cost

What a rescue costs

The audit fee is credited in full against the fix — so the diagnosis never becomes a way to sell the cure.

Why teams choose us for this

Four things we can prove, not four adjectives.

The audit is the product

Five days, fixed price, a prioritised report with proof of concept for anything critical — and it is yours to hand to someone else if you do not continue with us.

We keep your codebase

Rewriting from scratch is a reflex we do not have. When a rewrite is genuinely cheaper we say so, with the numbers for both options.

Fixed price on the fix

From $5,900 for the hardening work, scoped from the audit findings rather than from a guess.

Your code stays confidential

NDA before access, and nothing goes to an AI service without your written approval.

Industries

What we buildfor your industry

Rescues come from every sector — most often from founders building the first product for property, e-commerce, fintech and healthcare.

18 sectors

IT companies and digital agencies
Insurers and brokers
Lenders and microfinance
E-commerce
Wholesale and distribution
Manufacturing
Freight and forwarding
Clinics and medical centres
Dental
Car dealers and service centres
EdTech
Legal and consulting firms
Equipment rental
Real estate agencies
Property developers
Travel and events
Beauty and wellness
Construction and renovation

FAQ

Rescue questions

What founders ask when the demo has already been shown to investors.

Which AI builders do you work with?

Lovable, Bolt, Replit, v0, Cursor-built codebases, Bubble and Retool exports. The stack matters less than whether the data model can be saved.

How long does the audit take?

Five working days from repository access, with the walkthrough call at the end.

Do you need production access?

No. Read access to the repository and a description of the environments is enough for the audit.

What if you find nothing serious?

You get the report saying so, and you have spent $1,790 to sleep properly. It happens — rarely.

Can you just take over the project?

Yes, on a Care plan from $790 a month or as a fixed-price scope after the audit.

Is my code confidential?

NDA before access, and your code never goes to any AI service without your written approval.

What does prototype to production actually involve?

Prototype to production means the audit first, then the fixes that make the thing safe to run: authentication, row-level security, migrations, tests and a deployment. Our code audit services price that work before it starts, and the audit fee is credited against the fix.

2–4×

faster on the code-writing share

in 3 weeks

from idea to MVP

230+

projects delivered

17 years

of engineering experience

Work