Blog · Page 5
How to build software and AI that holds up.
Guides from our engineers on custom systems, AI agents and private AI: what to build, what it costs, and what breaks once it’s live.
AI agents and automation · 25 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
Agentic IDEs Fail Differently Than App Builders
Builder apps fail at the platform boundary. Agent-written repositories fail at the architecture boundary. The two problems need opposite responses.
AI agents and automation · 25 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
From Google AI Studio Prototype to Production App
A studio prototype is a prompt that worked once in a browser tab. Here is everything that has to exist around it before it becomes a product.
Building software · 25 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
Best AI App Builder in 2026: Which Ones Leave You Code You Can Keep
Every builder demos well. The difference shows up in month four, when you need to leave — so rank them on what you can take with you.
Building software · 25 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
Lovable vs Replit: Which Leaves You a Better Codebase?
Both will build you an app from a prompt. They differ on the thing that matters in month six: the shape and ownership of what is left behind.
Building software · 24 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
Firebase Studio Is Shutting Down: Your Migration Options
A calm, ordered plan for getting a Firebase Studio project out: what the sunset actually affects, what you keep, and which of three exit paths fits you.
Building software · 24 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
Taking a v0 App to Production
v0 gives you a genuinely good interface and almost no application behind it. Here is exactly what has to exist before that interface can meet real users.
AI agents and automation · 24 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
Shipping a Claude Code Project to Production
Agent-written repositories fail in their own specific ways. Here is what to check before a Claude Code project meets real users, in the order that matters.
AI agents and automation · 24 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
Taking a Windsurf Project to Production
A Windsurf project runs perfectly in one place — your editor. Here is what has to change before it runs anywhere else, and in what order.
Engineering and operations · 23 Jul 2026 · 8 min read
Why a Vibe-Code Rescue Should Be Fixed-Scope, Not Hourly
The case for buying rescue work as fixed scope rather than hourly, what the contract needs to say, and the situations where hourly is genuinely the right call.
Engineering and operations · 23 Jul 2026 · 8 min read
Contractor or Agency: Who Should Fix Your AI-Built App?
A straight comparison of solo contractors, agencies, and early hires for production work on an AI-generated app, with the trade-off that actually decides it.
Engineering and operations · 23 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
Getting a Fractional CTO Review of an AI-Generated Codebase
What a fractional CTO actually reads in an AI-generated codebase, what the written verdict should contain, and how to tell a real review from a sales call.
Building software · 23 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
The Hidden Costs of AI App Builders Nobody Quotes You
The subscription is the cheapest part. Here is the full bill for building on an AI app builder, from credit burn to the hardening work waiting at the end.
Security and compliance · 22 Jul 2026 · 8 min read
What an AI Code Audit Costs and What You Actually Get
What an audit of an AI-generated codebase costs, what the report should contain, and how to judge whether the one you were sent is worth what you paid.
Engineering and operations · 22 Jul 2026 · 8 min read
Rebuild or Harden? Deciding What to Do With a Vibe-Coded App
A decision framework for whether to harden an AI-built app or rebuild it, including the four conditions that genuinely justify a rewrite.
Engineering and operations · 22 Jul 2026 · 8 min read
The Real Cost of Shipping a Vibe-Coded App Without Hardening
What skipping the hardening pass actually costs — incident by incident, deal by deal — and the break-even math against doing the work up front.
Building software · 22 Jul 2026 · 8 min read
From MVP to Scale: What the Next Engineering Phase Costs
What the phase after a validated MVP costs — the four workstreams involved, realistic ranges, and the order that wastes the least money.
Engineering and operations · 21 Jul 2026 · 9 min read
What It Costs to Take a Vibe-Coded App to Production
A transparent pricing guide for vibe-code rescue work — audit, hardening, and rebuild tiers, what each includes, and how the builder you used changes the bill.
Engineering and operations · 21 Jul 2026 · 8 min read
How Long Does It Take to Make a Vibe-Coded App Production-Ready?
A week-by-week look at how long production hardening actually takes for an AI-built app, what happens in each phase, and which factors add weeks.
Engineering and operations · 21 Jul 2026 · 8 min read
How to Choose a Team to Productionize Your AI-Built App
A practical filter for choosing who hardens your AI-built app — what to ask, what good answers sound like, and the red flags worth walking away from.
Engineering and operations · 21 Jul 2026 · 8 min read
The Production Readiness Checklist for AI-Built Apps
The eight-gate checklist we run before an AI-generated app goes live, ordered by what blocks a launch versus what can wait until week two.