Home / Vibe coding cleanup
AI development tools such as Lovable, Bolt, v0, Replit and Cursor can turn an idea into a working application in days. As the product begins to attract users, process real data or support paid features, the codebase often needs a deeper level of engineering. We assess the application, resolve the highest-priority risks and establish a technical foundation that your team can maintain, extend and scale with confidence.
An AI-built application may perform well across the workflows used during development while still containing gaps that appear under real traffic, unexpected inputs or more complex user behaviour. Our cleanup process prepares the product for these conditions without discarding the progress already made.
We review the codebase, dependencies, database configuration and hosting environment. Findings are documented and prioritised according to their potential impact on security, stability and future development.
We move sensitive operations and credentials to the server, implement appropriate database access rules, validate user input and verify authentication and authorisation across protected routes.
We consolidate duplicated logic, separate business rules from interface components and introduce a structure that engineers can understand and extend without unnecessary rework.
We add tests around the workflows that matter most, such as registration, payments and user-generated data. Existing behaviour is captured before refactoring so improvements can be introduced without unexpected regressions.
We separate development, staging and production environments, connect deployments to the repository and establish backup and recovery procedures that can be verified in practice.
We identify slow queries, oversized front-end bundles and inefficient AI or database usage. Improvements focus on keeping performance and infrastructure costs predictable as adoption grows.
Founders and product teams typically involve us when a fast-moving prototype is becoming a customer-facing product or when the current codebase begins to limit further development.
The application works as intended in a demonstration, and the next milestone involves real users, a paying customer or a wider launch.
The work
API keys may be present in client-side code, or database access rules may not reflect how different users should access information.
The work
Features can still be added, but each update creates unexpected issues elsewhere in the application and development is becoming less predictable.
The work
New engineers can run the application but require too much time to understand its structure, dependencies and business logic.
The work
Database, hosting or AI expenses increase disproportionately as more people use the product.
The work
The application now requires a conventional development workflow, independent hosting or infrastructure managed directly by your organisation.
The work
The engagement begins with evidence, not assumptions.
We confirm ownership of the repository, create a current database backup and document the services, credentials and environments used by the application.
Deliverables: repository access, database backup and service inventoryWe review the code, dependencies, database permissions and hosting configuration. Each finding is evaluated according to the impact it could have on data, users or continued development.
Typical tools: Semgrep, npm audit and manual engineering reviewFindings are grouped into immediate risks, pre-release improvements and longer-term technical work. Each group is scoped and estimated separately so the appropriate level of investment remains clear.
Deliverables: ranked findings, recommended sequence and cost estimateWe protect current behaviour with tests before restructuring complex or duplicated code. Changes are introduced incrementally and reviewed before release.
Typical tools: Vitest, Playwright and CI checksWe protect current behaviour with tests before restructuring complex or duplicated code. Changes are introduced incrementally and reviewed before release.
Typical tools: Vitest, Playwright and CI checksWe prepare a staging environment, deployment pipeline and technical documentation. Your team can take over from this point, or our engineers can continue developing the product.
Deliverables: CI pipeline, technical documentation and handover sessionThe engagement can stop after the audit or continue through remediation, selective rebuilding and ongoing product development.
You receive a written assessment of the codebase, including confirmed risks, areas that are already in good condition and an estimate for each recommended improvement.
The engineers who complete the audit implement the approved improvements in priority order and document every material change.
If a specific component cannot be improved safely in its current form, we rebuild that part behind the existing user experience while leaving the rest of the application intact.
After the cleanup, our engineers can continue building the product or join your existing team. AI coding tools remain part of the workflow, supported by code review, testing and clear engineering ownership.
Hire developersAI coding tools help our engineers inspect code, identify repeated patterns and implement well-defined improvements efficiently. Every material change still has a named reviewer who is responsible for understanding its impact before it is merged.
AI-native product developmentOnce a senior engineer confirms the correct solution to an unsafe or inefficient pattern, coding agents can help identify and update other occurrences. Every resulting change remains subject to engineering review.
Automated scanners and coding agents can surface potential issues, but not every alert represents a genuine risk. A senior engineer verifies each finding against the code and running application before it is included in the audit.
AI-assisted code follows the same review, testing and approval process as code written manually. Nothing is added to the main branch until an engineer can explain the change and confirm that it meets the agreed standard.
Most applications created with AI development tools use a familiar group of frameworks and hosted services. This allows our engineers to begin the assessment quickly while still reviewing the specific configuration and architecture of each product.
RWe review generated React, Next.js and Vite applications, consolidate repeated interface logic and establish reusable components and consistent application patterns.
We assess database schemas, server-side logic and access policies, then improve the parts that affect data integrity, security and performance.
We review the current deployment configuration and, where required, introduce separate environments, automated releases, backups and infrastructure owned by your organisation.
We test sign-in, permissions, subscriptions and payment webhooks from end to end, including failure states and access changes after a payment event.
We move model calls and credentials to secure server-side environments, introduce usage controls and make operating costs visible at the user or feature level.
These products were not originally built with AI development tools, but they demonstrate the same core capability: understanding an inherited codebase, resolving technical issues and improving it without discarding the working product.
Mobile app developmentLalalab
Lalalab’s photo-printing app sat on a huge volume of deprecated code behind a RESTful API. Our engineers took on the complex refactoring and debugging, and the project was updated, stabilised, documented and its bugs fixed.
Read the Lalalab case study“Developers are experienced. They can discover the main potential issues and are able to solve them beforehand.”
Romain CoiraultLalalab · France
“All tasks are done on their side, they’ve always delivered on time, and their code quality is good. The developer assigned to us is always available.”
Luka SikicOnpreo GmbH · Germany
“Their ability to advise and provide professional guidance made them a go-to partner. The engineering team demonstrated outstanding dedication and technical skills.”
Yannick BlondeauHotel-Spider · Switzerland
The audit is priced according to the size of the codebase, the number of connected services and the complexity of the deployment environment. After the audit, improvements are grouped and estimated by priority. You can proceed with urgent remediation only or approve a broader cleanup based on the product's roadmap and budget.
Not unless the evidence supports it. Our first objective is to preserve the working product and improve it incrementally. We recommend rebuilding only the components that cannot be made secure, reliable or maintainable in their current form.
We work with applications created using Lovable, Bolt, v0, Replit, Cursor and similar AI-assisted development tools. The cleanup is based on the exported code, architecture and connected services rather than the original builder alone.
YYes, provided future changes follow the engineering controls introduced during the cleanup. This usually includes version control, automated tests, code review and restrictions around security-sensitive areas of the product.
Most improvements can be prepared and tested without interrupting the live product. If a database migration, credential change or infrastructure update requires a maintenance window, it is planned in advance with a rollback procedure.
You retain ownership of the codebase, documentation, tests and improvements delivered during the engagement. Work can be completed directly in your repository and deployed within accounts controlled by your organisation.
You do. The code lives in your repository and the hosting in your own accounts, and the NDA is signed before we discuss anything in detail.
During the initial consultation, we will review how the application was built, which services it uses and what the next product milestone involves. Based on this information, our engineers will outline the proposed audit scope, required access and preliminary cost.
If the application is already in good technical condition, the assessment will make that clear and limit the recommended work accordingly.
We sign an NDA before discussing anything in detail. We reply within 24 hours.
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