AI app builders let someone with no team test an idea in days, and that is often the right way to start. Problems tend to arrive later, when strangers sign up, real data goes in, and each new prompt starts breaking something that worked yesterday. This is what to do at that point.
First, stop and protect what you have
- Back up the code and the database. Export the code to a repository you control, if the tool allows it. Check what you can actually take with you: the code, the database and the user accounts. These differ by tool and by plan, and a back end that lives inside the builder is usually the hardest part to move.
- Pause prompting on the live version. Each change can touch many files, and you may not notice what else moved.
- Set up a separate test copy, so that experiments cannot damage live data.
Check security before anything else
These problems are invisible in a demo, and they matter more than any visible bug. Check, or have someone check:
- Can one user see another user’s data? Sign in as two people and try changing an ID in the address or request. Open database rules are among the most serious faults in generated apps. If your app uses Supabase, check that row level security is on for every table, and that the rules actually restrict access.
- Are secret keys in the front end? Anything sent to the browser can be read by anyone. Payment and AI keys belong on the server. Not every key is secret: a Supabase anon key or Firebase web key is designed to be public, and your database rules are what protect the data. A Supabase service role key, a Stripe secret key or an AI provider key must never be there.
- Does the server check permissions, or only the screen? Hiding a button is not security.
- Can someone run up your bills? An unprotected AI or email endpoint can be used by anyone until you stop it.
If you find any of these with real users on the system, act today. Close the hole. Replace every exposed key, because moving it does not stop anyone who already copied it. Check the logs for signs that data was read. Take advice at the same time on whether you must tell anyone: some rules, such as GDPR’s 72 hours, can run from when you find out.
Then look at why it keeps breaking
Common causes:
- The same logic written several times in different places, so a fix reaches only one copy.
- No automated tests, so nothing warns you when something breaks.
- A database structure that grew one prompt at a time.
- Sign-in and payment edge cases nobody tried: expired sessions, refunds, failed cards.
Harden or rewrite?
Harden it in stages when the app works, users like it, and the main problems are security, tests and a few fragile areas. Many apps at this stage fit here. It usually costs less, and users keep their product.
Rewrite parts when one area, often the data model or sign-in, blocks everything else. Rebuild that part, and keep the rest running.
Rewrite more when the app has to do something the platform cannot, such as tight hardware integration, or when no one can follow the code. Even then, the old app is an excellent specification, and it has already taught you what users want.
What good looks like afterwards
- Code in your own repository that any competent developer can read.
- A separate test environment, and a release you can roll back.
- Tests on the few flows that must never break.
- Server-side permission checks, and keys kept on the server.
- Someone responsible for updates.
You can still use AI tools after this. The difference is that a person reviews and tests each change before it reaches users.
Getting help
If you want a second opinion, tell us what the app does and what is going wrong. We take on this kind of work under our takeover process, starting with security and data access. If you want to test us first, start with the review alone.