← Rescue patterns
Case pattern
Vibe-coded MVP that wouldn’t deploy
Anonymized pattern we see often. Same playbook: diagnose, stabilize, harden, hand over.
Before
A founder shipped a Cursor/ChatGPT-built app that worked locally—then failed CI, leaked keys, and broke on every second click.
How we approached it
- 01Cold-start the repo: install, env, run, note every manual hack
- 02Lock secrets and kill client-exposed keys
- 03Restore a reproducible staging deploy and basic CI
- 04Stabilize the hottest click-paths before new features
After
We triaged the repo, locked secrets, fixed the deploy path, and refactored the hottest failure points.
Outcome
Stable staging deploy + a clear keep/rewrite map for the next sprint.