"ai mvp development" gets around 480 searches a month in the US and 50 in India — so this is a mostly global, mostly referral-driven route. Plan accordingly.
The ready-to-rescue checklist
(Tick as you go — progress saves in your browser.)
Fit
Skills to add
Proof
Rescue Triage Board
Six bug cards from an imaginary "vibe-coded" booking app: API (application programming interface) key in the front-end, any user can read other users' bookings, button colour off-brand, no error message on failed payment, slow image loading, founder wants dark mode. Drag each into Fix now / Fix later / Tell the client. Then compare with how a senior would sort them, and why. Works with keyboard; nothing is scored against you.
Rescue Triage Board
How your WordPress years map over
| You have | It becomes |
|---|---|
| Inheriting messy themes and plugins | Reading AI-generated codebases |
| Cleaning hacked sites | Security review: keys, auth, access rules |
MySQL / $wpdb |
Postgres on Supabase |
| Hosting moves, DNS | Deploying on Vercel or Netlify |
| Explaining bugs kindly | Triage reports founders can act on |
Facts that matter when you advise founders (checked 23 Oct 2026)
- Lovable free plan: 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month.
- v0 and Cursor: free plans exist. Vercel Hobby: free.
- Supabase free: 500 MB database, 2 active projects, and free projects pause after a week of inactivity — a classic "my app died" call. Pro is paid.
- Bolt.new: widely used; we couldn't confirm current plan limits, so check before quoting.
- Certification: none needed. A public audit report does more.
Proof project
Generate a small "class booking" app in Lovable or v0. Export it. Audit it as if a stranger paid you: list issues by severity, fix the top three, deploy, and write a one-page report with "leave alone for now" items. That report is your portfolio.
Your realistic 90 days
You've inherited plenty of broken WordPress sites — someone else's theme, a plugin conflict, a white screen at 11 pm. Founders now arrive with apps half-built in Lovable, v0 or Cursor that almost work. The rescue skills are yours already; the stack is the new part.
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
| You used to… | Now you… |
|---|---|
| Turned on WP_DEBUG and read the error log | Open the browser console, the Vercel or Supabase logs, and Sentry |
| Disabled plugins one by one to find the conflict | Bisect a broken AI-generated app commit by commit on GitHub |
| Moved a site to a new host and fixed broken URLs | Fix env variables, auth redirects and database rules after a deploy |
| Wrote a 'here's what I fixed' email | Write a triage report: top 3 risks, what you fixed, what still needs a decision |
Your first 7 days
| Day | Task | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Write down your 3 worst WordPress rescues: symptom, cause, fix, time taken | 3 short stories in a Doc |
| 2 | Generate a small app in Lovable or v0 (free tier): a booking form with login | It runs at a preview URL |
| 3 | Push it to GitHub and deploy on Vercel's free Hobby plan | Live URL works |
| 4 | Break it on purpose: wrong env variable, bad Supabase row-level security rule | You can see each failure in logs |
| 5 | Fix both and write what you checked, in order | A 1-page triage checklist |
| 6 | Add Sentry's free plan to catch errors | One test error appears in Sentry |
| 7 | Find 5 founders on LinkedIn or Indie Hackers asking for help with a broken AI-built app | 5 posts saved |
Days 1–30: Your rescue checklist, proven on one app
| Step | Time | Done when | Smaller version | If you need to pause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Write a 15-point rescue checklist and run it on your own broken app, recording a Loom | about 10 hours over 2 weeks | Loom shows you finding and fixing 3 issues | 10-point checklist, no Loom. | Keep the checklist; stop there. |
| Offer a free 45-minute triage to 3 founders you found, delivering a written report | about 6 hours | 1–3 reports sent | 1 triage. | Decline new triages for a week. |
Signal by day 30: You've done one real triage, paid or free, and the founder replied to your report.
Days 31–60: Two rescues and a fixed scope
| Step | Time | Done when | Smaller version | If you need to pause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do a second rescue on a different stack (for example Next.js + Supabase vs. a Lovable export) | about 10 hours | second report written, with before/after screenshots | Rescue your own second app. | Park it after the report. |
| Read Supabase's row-level security docs and test 3 rules | about 4 hours | you can show a rule that blocks another user's data | 1 rule. | Note it for later. |
| Write a fixed-scope 'triage + top-3 fixes' offer and send it to the founders you've helped | about 2 hours | offer doc sent to 3 people | Send it to 1. | Hold the offer. |
Signal by day 60: A founder asks what it would cost to fix the rest, or you reach an interview for a full-stack support or maintenance role.
Days 61–90: First paid fix or a focused job hunt
| Step | Time | Done when | Smaller version | If you need to pause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deliver one fixed-scope rescue with the founder's sign-off on the report | about 12 hours | founder confirms in writing that the top 3 are fixed | A free rescue with a testimonial. | Finish the current fix only. |
| Post an anonymised rescue story on LinkedIn and apply to 8 maintenance or support-engineer roles | about 4 hours | post up, 8 applications logged | Applications only. | Pause posting. |
Signal by day 90: A paid fixed-scope job, or a second-round interview where you walked through a rescue report.
The two worries we hear most about this move
Do I know enough modern JavaScript for this? Many AI-built apps use React and Supabase or Firebase. You'll need to learn their basics, but your debugging habits and experience with client sites transfer. Start with apps close to what you know. Will clients trust a WordPress developer with their app? Show them a written review of a sample app: issues found, risks and fixes in plain language. That's what they're buying, whatever your stack history.
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
- Founders who built with Lovable, v0 or Cursor post on LinkedIn, X and Indie Hackers when things break. Reply with a specific question, not a pitch.
- Job titles: 'full-stack support', 'application support', 'maintenance developer', 'Next.js developer'.
- Show a triage report, not a portfolio. Founders buy clarity.
- Always get repo access through the founder's GitHub invite. Never take their passwords over chat.
Your 30/60/90 quests
XP: learning 20 · proof 60 · outreach 40. Ranks: Wayfinder → Builder → Pathmaker. Progress stays in your browser only.
Offers and titles
| Offer | Scope |
|---|---|
| Launch Triage | 60–90 min review + report |
| Fix Sprint | 1 week: fix, deploy, handover |
Titles: MVP (minimum viable product) Developer, Full-Stack Developer (Supabase/Next.js), Technical Co-founder for hire, Product Engineer. "full stack developer jobs" is a large search (5,400/month India, 2,900 US) if you'd rather apply for jobs.
Employer or founders directly?
Freelance is the natural start (founders, small studios). Jobs: product engineer roles at startups — search Wellfound, Cutshort and Instahyre. A rescue portfolio shows "I ship safely", which hiring managers like.
Headline
Before: "WordPress / PHP Developer" After: "I rescue AI-built MVPs — fix security, data and deploys so founders can launch"
Calls and interviews
Ask: "What must work on launch day?" Then: "Who has access to production keys?" In interviews, walk through your audit report — what you fixed, what you deliberately didn't.
Seniority, honestly
Freshers: this route is harder without debugging experience; start with chatbot or automation work. Mid: strong fit. Senior/40+: your calm and your "seen this before" stories are the sell.
Unpaid "test projects" and other traps
Watch for "paid test projects" that are really free labour, and anyone asking you to pay for access to "founder leads". Official domains only; never share an OTP or UPI PIN. Report: cybercrime.gov.in / 1930 (India), ReportFraud.ftc.gov (US).
Rescue questions from site builders
Do I need to be a React expert? Reading level first; writing grows with each rescue. What if the code is unrecoverable? Say so, explain why, and quote a scoped rebuild. Honesty is a feature. Should I bring WordPress into it? Only if it truly fits — often a marketing site stays on WordPress while the app lives elsewhere. Contracts? Use a simple written scope and payment terms. Not legal advice.
Next: AI MVP rescue route · AI chatbot bridge · quiz
Pay
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.
Your skill map
Quick quiz: does this path fit?
Answer each, then press Check. Every answer explains itself.
Make your Path Card
A shareable reminder of where you're heading. The day count starts the first time you open this page; quest XP comes from your log above.
Scam check before you apply anywhere
- Real job and gig platforms are free to join. Never pay a "joining" or "training" fee.
- Never share an OTP or UPI PIN — no genuine employer needs them.
- Use official domains only; type the address yourself.
- India: report at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930.
- US: report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Small steps, every day.
Each quest has a smaller version for hard weeks, and a pause button. Nothing is lost.
Keep exploring
Sources
Checked between 23 Oct 2026 and 25 Oct 2026. We opened every link below ourselves. Search volumes on this site come from OpenSEO keyword research (Oct 2026).
The other facts here are shared with the route page, where each is listed in full with its link.
| What we checked | Where |
|---|---|
| Indie Hackers community | indiehackers.com |