You've been fixing other people's code for years

9:30 — Coffee and the founder's message: "Users say they can see someone else's orders." You don't panic. You've seen this before. 10:00 — Triage call. You sign up as two test users and confirm it: the database access rules are missing. 11:00 — Read the repo. It's a Next.js app generated with v0, data in Supabase. Mostly sensible, a few odd patterns. 12:30 — Lunch. Actually take it. 13:30 — Write row-level security policies, test as both users, confirm the leak is closed. 15:00 — Find a service-role key in front-end code. Rotate it, move it server-side. 16:00 — Add Sentry (free Developer plan) and one Playwright test for sign-up. 17:00 — Write the founder a calm, one-page note: what was wrong, what's fixed, what's next. 17:30 — Log off. No heroics needed.

Work through this list on any AI-built app. Each item names the web skill you already have.

• Secrets out of the client bundle — you've managed env vars on every deploy.
• Data access rules on (Supabase row-level security) — you've written auth middleware.
• Auth flows complete (reset, verify, delete account) — you've built login more than once.
• Payments confirmed server-side via webhook — you've integrated payment APIs.
• Errors tracked — Sentry has a free Developer plan.
• One end-to-end test for the main flow — Playwright is free and open source.
• Free-tier limits understood — Supabase free projects pause after a week of inactivity; Pro is paid.
• Git history and backups exist — you'd never ship without them.
• Deployed properly — Vercel Hobby has a free plan for practice.
• Hand-over note written — you've explained delays to clients for years.

For each checklist item, write down how long you think it would take you on a small app. Add them up so you can scope a fixed-price triage without guessing in a hurry. We don't suggest any rate — that's yours to set.

Commit History Time Machine

Drag a slider through the commit history of a sample rescued app — from "Initial commit (generated)" to "Launch ". At each commit, a small note pops up: "This one was you debugging a webhook in 2019." "This one is the deploy you did at midnight that time." By the end, you've watched an AI-built prototype become a real product — and every step was a skill you already had.

• Reading generated code fast — it's often verbose and repetitive; learn to skim for the risky parts.
• Talking to founders — they're not clients with a spec; they're people with a vision and a deadline.
• Fixed-price scoping — triage first, then a sprint with a clear list.

Lovable (free: 5 credits/day, up to 30/month) · v0 (free plan) · Cursor (free plan) · Supabase (free tier: 500 MB database, 2 projects) · Vercel Hobby · Sentry Developer · Playwright. Bolt.new is popular too; we couldn't confirm its current plan limits.

No certificate needed. Your before/after reports are the proof.

Before: "Web Developer · React, Node, MySQL" After: "Web developer · I help founders make AI-built apps safe and launch-ready (Next.js, Supabase, deploys)"

Day 30: one audited, fixed, deployed demo with a public report (60 XP). Day 60: three free 30-minute triage calls with founders (40 XP). Day 90: one paid rescue with a before/after report (60 XP). Every quest has a smaller version, and the pause button is always there.

Indie Hackers, startup job boards (Wellfound, Cutshort, Instahyre), local startup meetups, and your own network — many people "built something with AI" this year. Demand is mostly global and referral-led. Job titles: "product engineer", "full-stack developer (Next.js/Supabase)".

• Scope creep is constant. A written scope protects you both.
• Some prototypes shouldn't be saved; telling a founder that kindly is part of the job.
• You may handle real user data — treat it with care; not legal advice.

You've deployed and debugged a lot of websites — DNS mistakes, broken builds, an SSL that expired on a Friday. Founders now ship AI-built apps that fall over the same way: bad env variables, auth loops, slow pages. Your deploy-and-debug muscle is the core of this route.

Assumes 2–3 hours a day alongside job applications, a laptop and a phone, and free plans only. Every step has a smaller version and a way to pause. Use them. It runs in three blocks of 30 days, each ending with a signal that you're on track. A signal is not a promise of a job or income.

What AI changed in your old tasks

Your first 7 days

Days 1–30: Checklist proven on your own app

Signal by day 30: A founder replies to your triage offer.

Days 31–60: Performance and auth

Signal by day 60: A founder asks for paid help, or you get an interview.

Days 61–90: Paid fix

Signal by day 90: A paid fixed-scope job or a second-round interview.

The two worries we hear most about this move

How do I find people who need rescuing? Founders who built with AI coding tools often hit problems with security, deployment and bugs. Look in founder communities, local startup groups and your network. Offer a small, fixed-scope review first. Is this a real niche or a fad? As long as people build quickly with AI tools, some of those apps will need an experienced developer to make them safe and maintainable. The skill underneath (debugging other people's code) never goes out of date.

Other worries, such as age, a career gap, no degree, English, family pressure and savings, are covered on the route page and the role page.

One search that fits your background

The full set of search strings for this move is on the route page. They work on LinkedIn, Naukri and foundit; Instahyre and Cutshort are worth a weekly look too. Add your old job title to any of them with AND, so recruiters who want both skills find you first.

Job-hunt moves that matter for this route

• Search X, LinkedIn and Indie Hackers for 'Vercel deploy error', 'Supabase auth' plus 'help'.
• Founders pay for speed and clarity. A 1-page report beats a long call.
• Use the founder's GitHub/Vercel team invites; never take passwords over chat.

Unpaid "trial tasks" that are actually the whole project, paid "founder lead" lists, and anyone asking for OTPs or UPI PINs. Official domains only. Report: cybercrime.gov.in / 1930 or ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Do I need to know every framework? No. Next.js plus Supabase covers a lot of AI-generated apps; learn others as they come. What if the code is awful? Usually it's fine-ish. Fix blockers, not style. Will AI tools make this unnecessary? Some fixes may get automated over time. Judgement about safety and trade-offs is human work for now — our view.

Rescue route overview · Web developer hub · other bridges: automation, chatbots · same route from WordPress or PHP

We haven't verified pay data for this route. Check current listings on job boards in your city and ask people already in the role.