How much does a cleanup cost?

It starts with the paid systems audit. Stabilization is then scoped and priced as a fixed engagement from the audit findings, so the number is evidence-based, not a guess.

Can we keep the speed the AI tools gave us?

Yes, that is the point. We keep the parts that made you fast and remove the parts that make you fragile. AI-assisted speed on a stable base is the goal, not a return to slow.

Will you finish the features we were building?

Not during stabilization. Paused features are documented and scoped separately once the system is stable, so the cleanup has a finish line.

How long does a cleanup take?

The audit is one week. Stabilization length depends on what the audit finds and is fixed in writing before work starts, usually weeks, not months.

What if the codebase is unsalvageable?

Then the audit tells you that, with the evidence and a rebuild plan attached. Better to learn it in a week than in a rescue that becomes a rewrite by accident.

Do we have to change stacks?

No. We stabilize the stack you have unless the audit shows the stack itself is the problem, and then we show the reasoning.

CLEANUP

Vibe Coding Cleanup

You built fast with AI tools, and it worked, right up until real users, real data, and real edge cases arrived. We take AI-generated prototypes and turn them into production systems: understood, tested, secured, and deployable, without throwing away the speed that got you here.

Book a scoping callStart with the audit

THE SYMPTOM INVENTORY

If two or more of these are true, you do not have a product yet. You have a demo with users.

Runaway API bills

No cost ceilings, no caching, every keystroke calling a model. The bill grows with usage, not with value.

Zero tests

Nothing tells you a change broke the money path until a customer does.

Secrets in the client bundle

API keys shipped to the browser, one devtools panel away from anyone who wants them.

One 4,000-line component

State tangled past the point where anyone, including the AI, can change it safely.

Deploys by vibe

No CI, no staging. Production is whatever the last prompt produced, and rollback is a hope.

No error handling

Failures surface as user screenshots, not logs. You find out something broke when a customer tells you.

WHAT A CLEANUP ACTUALLY DOES

STAGE 01

The audit comes first

The paid systems audit is the entry point. One week: we read the code, map what the system actually does, and rank the risks. You keep the report whether or not we continue, and any stabilization quote is built on its findings.

A written report mapping what the system actually does
A ranked list of the real risks
A fixed stabilization quote built on the findings

What the audit delivers

STAGE 02

Stabilization, fixed scope

Scoped and priced from the audit findings, then executed:

Secrets out of the client bundle, rotated, and moved server-side
Auth checked and corrected, including the endpoints nobody tested
Cost ceilings and caching on AI spend, so the bill tracks value
Tests on the money paths: signup, checkout, the core workflow
CI that means something: typecheck, tests, and build gates before any deploy

HONEST BOUNDARIES

We do not finish features mid-cleanup: Half-built features get frozen, documented, and scoped separately after the system is stable. Mixing the two is how cleanups never end.
Stabilization is not new scope: The goal is a system you can change safely, not a bigger system. New capabilities are a phase 2 with their own written scope.
If the audit says rebuild, we say rebuild: Some codebases cost more to stabilize than to replace. You would rather hear that from a one-week audit than discover it in month four.

PROOF

FAQ

What founders ask before handing over the keys.

How much does a cleanup cost?: It starts with the paid systems audit. Stabilization is then scoped and priced as a fixed engagement from the audit findings, so the number is evidence-based, not a guess.
Can we keep the speed the AI tools gave us?: Yes, that is the point. We keep the parts that made you fast and remove the parts that make you fragile. AI-assisted speed on a stable base is the goal, not a return to slow.
Will you finish the features we were building?: Not during stabilization. Paused features are documented and scoped separately once the system is stable, so the cleanup has a finish line.
How long does a cleanup take?: The audit is one week. Stabilization length depends on what the audit finds and is fixed in writing before work starts, usually weeks, not months.
What if the codebase is unsalvageable?: Then the audit tells you that, with the evidence and a rebuild plan attached. Better to learn it in a week than in a rescue that becomes a rewrite by accident.
Do we have to change stacks?: No. We stabilize the stack you have unless the audit shows the stack itself is the problem, and then we show the reasoning.

Book a 30-minute scoping call.

Show us the repo and the symptoms. We will tell you what the audit would look at first, and whether a cleanup is even the right move.

Book a scoping call