Cut Lovable credit use on small fixes
The builder likes the finished site but says small fixes were the expensive part. Moving edits to GitHub plus Claude helped.
All stories
80 sourced build stories and security incidents. Each story page links to its original post.
Estimate running costs before your app takes off
A gaming-clip site took off, and the running costs grew with it, even after fixes to cut bandwidth use.
Start simple and use git branches early
A non-coder lists lessons from six months: start simple, stop working on main, plan features first, and don't let it become a 14-hour-a-day habit.
Understand the auth code your AI wrote
A beginner had auth, a Postgres schema and deployment running in a weekend, then realised they couldn't tell whether the server-side permission checks were secure.
Back up production data outside your builder
The poster says a deploy dropped their production Neon database, the site went down, and they couldn't reach active customer jobs.
Reuse what works across many vibe-coded apps
A prolific builder's honest ratio, with advice: reuse building blocks, stick to one stack, and write down bottlenecks because they repeat.
Debug webhooks that fail only in the native app
Wrapping a Lovable app with Capacitor led to failing RevenueCat webhooks. The cause was Supabase's own auth check running before the code, which none of the AI tools spotted.
Learn git, keys and backups as a beginner
After building a useful project tool in a month, the poster had to learn GitHub, hosting and API keys on the fly, and wrote rules after reading about agents deleting code.
Plan for the last 80% after the first build
A non-technical PM shipped an iOS app in 2.5 months. The first local build came fast, and the rest was a slog.
Commit progress so a model switch can't undo it
Hours into a hard bug, about 90% fixed, the session switched models. With no git commits along the way, most of the work was lost.
Cap spending before leaving an agent unattended
Left alone on a hard bug, an agent repeated the same steps for nearly two hours. The poster says no refund was given.
Keep your .env file away from AI agents
After an update, Cursor's agent edited .env files it hadn't touched before, so the builder treated the keys as exposed and rotated them.
Choose the right model to avoid a one-day usage burn
Using Opus, a Cursor user hit 100% of the plan's API usage in one long session, and exported the usage CSV to check.
Enforce rules with tools, not just prompts
An agent kept adding commit trailers it had been told not to add, even in the same turn.
Set up support before your first paying customer
The first paying customer arrived after a long road, and immediately needed support the builder had no system for.
Fix login when wrapping a web app for iOS
Wrapping a Lovable web app for iOS meant magic links opened Safari, Google OAuth was blocked in the web view, and Apple required Sign in with Apple.
Prepare an exit plan off Replit
After a year on Replit, failed agent changes that cost money and needed rollbacks pushed this builder to move the site. Even so, they say many people should stay.
Set app name and bundle ID before the first store build
After building an iOS app in 8 days with Replit and Expo, the builder found it had been submitted with the display name 'Expo on Replit'.
Plan cheaply before building with Replit
A builder shares what worked: discuss architecture with a cheap planning mode first, then build one module at a time instead of handing over a full spec.
Get Supabase RLS right for a mobile app
Two near-beginners shipped a mobile app built on Replit. The steepest learning curve was getting row-level security policies right.