“It worked in the demo. The first real user broke it in 20 minutes.”
We harden auth, sessions, and rate limits so real traffic doesn't take it down.
Vibe Rescue · 14 days · $4,800 flat
Your Lovable app took three days to build.Give us 14 to make it real.
Send us your repo. We'll tell you exactly what breaks it before your users do. Free, in writing, within 48 hours.
01What we find
Every vibe-coded app breaks in the same places. Here is one real intake.
INTAKE #4127SAMPLE TICKET · LAST MON 09:42
WHAT WE FOUNDHOW BADFIX TIME
✗Logins are too easy to break intobcrypt r=4 · no session expiry · no rate limitmust fix2d
✗Your data setup isn't tracked anywheredrift local↔prod · no migrations foldermust fix2d
✗Your OpenAI key is exposed in your codeOPENAI_KEY committed · ref 8a4cf9must fix1d
⚠AI costs have no ceiling, one bad day equals $500no rate limit on /api/chat · $84 spike 04/29should fix1d
⚠Errors only surface when users complainconsole.log only · no Sentry · no alertsshould fix2d
✓Look and feel, we keep itTailwind + shadcn · clean component treefine—
✓How users move around the app, fine as-isrouting + data fetching cleanfine—
14 days · we fix what's flimsy · ship it to your domain · hand back the keys3 must-fix · 2 should-fix · design & flow kept · you own everything
$4,800flat · all-in
Seven failure surfaces we check on every audit
- Logins and auth: bcrypt strength, session expiry, rate limits.
- Data layer and migrations: schema drift between local and prod, missing migrations folder.
- Secret management: API keys committed to git, no secret rotation.
- AI cost ceilings: no spend caps, no per-endpoint rate limits.
- Error monitoring: console.log only, no Sentry, no alerts when users break things.
- Deployment pipeline: manual deploys, no rollback, no preview environments.
- User data handling: PII flowing to LLMs unredacted, weak access controls.
02Where founders land
Four scenarios. Same fix pattern.
“I asked for one more feature and everything else stopped working.”
We stabilize the architecture so changes stop cascading into breakage.
“My OpenAI bill spiked $400 overnight. There was no ceiling on it.”
We add spend ceilings and alerts before the next bill surprises you.
“A developer told me I'd have to start over. I don't believe them.”
We rescue, we don't rebuild. Your screens and flow almost always survive intact.
Recognize one of these? Send the repo. Free written audit back in 48 hours.
03How it works
Four moves. Two business days to a quote. Flat fee.
No discovery calls. No statement of work theater. You send the repo, we send back a written intake and a flat number within two business days. If the quote works, we start. If it doesn't, you keep the audit.
01
Send us your projectSame day · free
Share a GitHub link if you have one, or zip the project and email it. We look at the seven things that usually trip up vibe-coded apps (logins, data, secrets, AI costs, errors, the way it goes live, and what happens to your users' info) and email you back a written intake with a flat quote inside two business days. No call required. If the quote doesn't work for you, you keep the audit.
02
We fix what's flimsy8–10 days
A senior team, working on a copy of your project. Your live one stays untouched. We patch what's broken, harden what's fine, leave what's good. You can watch every change land. Daily updates over whatever channel works for you. Slack, Discord, email, shared workspace. Pick one.
03
Ship it for real2–3 days
Your own domain, SSL secured, with the safety nets in place: backups, rollback button if something breaks, alerts that ping you when something goes wrong, cost ceilings, the full Cardinal tools stack wired up. Walk-through screen-share so you know where every knob is and what it does.
04
Hand back the keysDay 14
You own everything. The code, the deploy, the data, the bill. We hand over a written runbook and 30 days of free fixes for anything that surfaces after handoff. After day 30, you onboard into one of the three Cardinal retainers, or you take the keys and run. Most clients take the retainer path.
04Pricing
One offer. $4,800 flat. All-in.
Vibe Rescue · $4,800 · flat · all-in14 days
- Free 48-hour written audit before you commit (kept if you don't move forward)
- Hardened production deploy on your own domain
- Full Cardinal operating stack wired up (Pulse, Triage, Redactor, Worktree, Bug Catcher, Scout)
- 30 days of free fixes after handoff
- Written runbook so you can run it without us
Risk reversal
If your app turns out to be fine, you keep the written audit at no cost. We have turned away projects whose code was simpler than the rebuild.
14 days, not 30. Senior engineering, not a junior queue.
05Questions
The questions rescue buyers actually ask.
Will you rewrite my whole app on a Vibe Rescue?
No. Vibe Rescue touches what's broken and leaves what's working. Most Lovable, v0, Bolt, or Cursor projects have good design and clean page flow. The fixes are in the parts users don't see: logins, data layers, secret management, cost ceilings, error monitoring, deployment pipeline. Your screens almost always survive intact.
Can I keep editing in Lovable, v0, Bolt, or Cursor after a Vibe Rescue?
Yes. We work on a copy of your project and merge our changes back. Your editor of choice keeps working. We don't introduce anything that locks you out. You can keep building on the foundation we hardened.
What if my app turns out to be fine?
Then you saved the engagement fee and got a free written audit. We have turned away projects whose code was simpler than the rebuild. The audit is free in either direction.
How long until we go live?
Fourteen days from kickoff to hardened production deploy on your domain. The free written audit comes back within two business days of you sending the repo. If you greenlight, we start the day you sign.
Will my data and content stay private?
Yes. Mutual NDA is countersigned the same day you ask. Redactor, one of Cardinal's proprietary tools, sits between your application and any LLM call, swapping personally identifiable data for stable tokens before any external model sees it. Wired into every engagement that needs it.
How does Cardinal use AI in delivery?
AI handles code generation, content drafting, layout exploration, and parallel engineering work through our Worktree orchestration. Cardinal engineers handle strategy, design direction, brand voice, security review, regulated compliance, and QA. The result is custom-coded delivery in 14 days instead of 6 to 10 weeks, at gross margins traditional agencies cannot match.
What's in the operating stack?
Six proprietary tools that ship with every Cardinal engagement: Pulse (health monitoring), Triage (feedback management), Redactor (AI privacy guard), Worktree (parallel-agent delivery orchestration), Bug Catcher (one-click in-app feedback), and Scout (AI sales and support agent). Full tour at /stack.
Can Cardinal build a full custom app, not just fixes?
Yes. Build & Run covers custom sites, applications, and AI integrations from scratch, with flat pricing and a 48-hour written quote. See /build for the engagement tiers and portfolio.
Send the repo
Free audit back in 48 hours. No call required.
Or email hello@cardinalstacks.com directly. We answer in writing within 48 hours.