Your AI-Built App Deserves Real Engineering
Vibe Code Recovery
Modall is a custom software development company that specializes in vibe code cleanup and recovery. Founders who built MVPs with Cursor, Bolt.new, Lovable, Claude, or Replit come to Modall when the app breaks under real users, fails security reviews, or gets rejected from app stores. The same Next.js, React, and TypeScript stack these AI tools generate is the stack our team writes production software in every day.
The Six Failure Patterns in Vibe Coded Apps
What Goes Wrong
Every vibe coded app that lands on Modall's desk shares the same set of problems. These are not edge cases. They are structural issues baked into how AI coding tools generate software.
- Broken Authentication
- AI tools build login flows that look functional but skip session management, token expiration, and role-based access control. One exposed endpoint and your user data is public.
- Zero Error Handling
- Vibe coded apps fail silently. No try-catch blocks, no fallback states, no logging. When something breaks in production, there is no way to know what happened or why.
- Hardcoded Secrets
- API keys, database credentials, and third-party tokens embedded directly in source code. Research shows 40-62% of AI-generated code contains security vulnerabilities like this.
- No Test Coverage
- AI tools skip tests entirely. No unit tests, no integration tests, no end-to-end tests. Every change risks breaking something else with no safety net to catch it.
- Database Bottlenecks
- Missing indexes, N+1 query patterns, and no connection pooling. The app works with 10 users and collapses at 100.
- Spaghetti Architecture
- No separation of concerns, duplicated logic across files, and tightly coupled components. Vibe coded projects accumulate technical debt 3x faster than traditionally built software.
From Broken Prototype to Production Software
How It Works
Modall has a structured process for vibe code recovery. It starts with understanding what the AI tools built, identifying what can be saved, and mapping the fastest path to a stable, secure product.
Modall's Vibe Code Recovery Process
Our Process
Before writing a line of code, Modall runs a paid discovery phase to audit the codebase and scope the recovery.
1. Free Consultation
Every engagement starts with a conversation. Our team hops on a call to understand the product, the problems, and where you want to go. If it is a good fit, our team scopes what the discovery phase will cover and what to expect from it. No commitment, no cost. Just a straight answer on whether our team can help and what the next step looks like.
Get started by booking a free consultation here!
2. Codebase Audit and Discovery (1-2 Weeks)
Our engineering team gets access to the codebase and reviews it top to bottom. The audit covers architecture, code quality, security vulnerabilities, database structure, dependency health, and infrastructure. The output is a full technical assessment: what is broken, what is salvageable, and what needs to be rebuilt. Discovery also produces a recovery roadmap with prioritized fixes, a budget estimate, and a realistic timeline.
3. SOW and Kickoff
Based on discovery findings, our team prepares a Statement of Work that outlines scope, timeline, deliverables, and pricing. A Software Development Agreement covers IP ownership, confidentiality, and delivery terms. Once both are signed, development can start immediately. No ambiguity about what is being built or what it may cost.
4. Sprint-Based Recovery
Recovery work runs in time-boxed sprints. Weekly standing calls keep the project on track and give the founder direct access to the team doing the work. Sprints run in 1, 2, or 4-week cycles depending on the project. This includes security fixes, architecture refactoring, performance optimization, and code cleanup.
5. Ongoing Support and Continuous Improvement
Once the recovery engagement wraps, Modall offers ongoing support on request. Whether you want to expand the product with more features, have our team iterate on user feedback, or maintain what you have, we're happy to help. This is optional and available if you need it.
What Modall Fixes in Vibe Coded Applications
Recovery Capabilities
Vibe code cleanup is not a single service. It is a set of specific engineering interventions tailored to what the codebase needs. Here is what our team delivers during a recovery engagement.
- Security Hardening
- Secret rotation, dependency audits, and input validation across every endpoint. Closes the vulnerabilities AI tools leave open.
- Architecture Recovery
- Separation of concerns, proper API structure, clean data models, and modular component design. Turns spaghetti code into software other developers can maintain.
- Performance Optimization
- Database indexing, query optimization, caching layers, and connection pooling. Fixes the bottlenecks that cause crashes under real user load.
- New Feature Development
- Once the foundation is stable, Modall builds the features your product actually needs. Custom functionality, third-party integrations, and user-facing improvements scoped to your roadmap.
- Error Handling Systems
- Structured error boundaries, logging pipelines, and monitoring integration. When something breaks, the team knows about it before users do.
- CI/CD and Deployment
- Automated build pipelines, staging environments, and zero-downtime deployments. Replaces the manual, fragile deployment process most vibe coded apps rely on.
Why Your AI-Built App Hits a Wall
Vibe Code vs. Production Code
Vibe coding tools reduce initial development costs by 50-70%. But every app built this way hits the same ceiling when it needs to handle real users, real payments, or real compliance requirements.
Vibe coded apps ship fast. Cursor, Bolt.new, and Lovable can produce a working prototype in hours. But these tools optimize for "looks like it works," not "works under pressure." They skip authentication hardening, ignore error states, and generate code that no human developer has reviewed. The result is an app that demos well but breaks the moment it faces production traffic, security scans, or App Store review.
Production-grade software is built to survive contact with real users. That means proper authentication, input validation on every endpoint, structured error handling, database optimization, and automated testing. Modall's vibe code recovery process bridges this gap: taking what the AI built, keeping what works, and replacing what does not with software engineered to the standards that production demands.
- Faster Tech Debt in Vibe Code
- 3x
- AI Code Contains Vulnerabilities
- 40%+
- AI Pilots Never Reach Production
- 88%
Vibe Code Recovery for Every Stage
Use Cases
Whether the app has 10 beta testers or 1,000 paying users, the recovery path depends on where the product is and what it needs next. Modall scopes recovery work to the founder's current stage and budget.
Common Vibe Code Recovery Scenarios
Who This Is For
Modall works with founders, product teams, and early-stage companies who built with AI coding tools and now need professional engineering to take the product further.
- SaaS Founders Scaling Up
- You built an MVP with Cursor or Lovable, signed your first paying users, and now the app breaks under load. Modall stabilizes the product and rebuilds it for scale.
- Mobile Apps Facing Rejection
- Apple and Google are rejecting vibe coded apps that fail security and quality reviews. Modall brings mobile apps up to App Store standards so they pass review.
- Prototype to Real Product
- You built a working prototype with AI tools and validated the idea. Now you need a real engineering team to turn it into a product that can handle paying users, integrations, and growth.
Vibe Code Recovery: Common Question
FAQs
Answers to the questions founders ask most before starting a vibe code recovery engagement with Modall.
How long does it take to fix a vibe coded app?
It depends on what discovery uncovers. A security-focused cleanup on a small codebase can take 2-4 weeks of sprint work. A full architecture recovery on a larger product typically runs 6-12 weeks. Every project starts with a 1-2 week discovery phase that produces a realistic timeline before any development begins.
Can you fix my app or do I need to rebuild from scratch?
Most vibe coded apps do not need a full rebuild. Modall's discovery phase identifies what is salvageable and what needs to be replaced. If the core data model and architecture are sound, targeted refactoring is faster and cheaper. If the foundation is broken, Modall scopes a rebuild and can often reuse UI components and business logic from the original codebase. Every piece of software reaches a point where refactoring is necessary. That is a normal part of the development lifecycle, not a sign that something went wrong.
How much does vibe code cleanup cost?
It depends on the complexity of the scope. Discovery is $3,500 CAD. After discovery, we deliver a full technical roadmap with estimated timelines and pricing based on what the codebase actually needs and your requirements.
Do you work with apps built in Claude, Cursor, Bolt.new, Lovable, or Replit?
Yes. Modall's engineering team works in the same stack these AI tools generate: Next.js, React, TypeScript, Node.js, Prisma, and PostgreSQL. The team has seen the characteristic failure patterns each tool produces and knows where to look first.
What do I get at the end of discovery?
A complete architecture review, Figma user flows, a recovery roadmap with prioritized fixes, and a budget estimate for the full engagement. From there, Modall prepares a Statement of Work with sprint structure, timeline, and pricing. Everything you need to make an informed decision about next steps.
Do I need to be technical to work with Modall?
No. Most founders who come to Modall for vibe code recovery are non-technical. Weekly standing calls, staging environment demos, and plain-language progress updates keep you informed without needing to read code or understand the underlying architecture.