Take Control of Your AI-Built Prototype: The Cutover.

Henry Alfano pro California · 1H AGO

Part 2 of my workflow for taking an AI-built prototype off the vibe-coding platform that created it. I wrote it so I could build, run, and recover the app without reopening that platform. It covers AI app-building platforms only, and I work from what the application actually uses, since some apps need a backend migration and others need only configuration changes. 1. Map every dependency before disconnecting anything. I start with the repository, then check where users sign in, where records and files live, and what sends email, runs scheduled work, or handles payments. For each dependency I decide to keep, move, replace, or retire it, and I record where credentials are managed, not their secret values. 2. Preserve the working version and choose a release candidate. I record the accepted commit, build, and configuration, and keep a recovery copy the builder cannot change or delete. I finish or stop builder edits, confirm what reached the repository, and name an owner for each release decision. 3. Rehearse the destination without activating production. I build the candidate in an isolated environment with test data, and I check whether connecting a repository or merging triggers a deploy. Then I exercise the app on the destination before moving anyone. 4. Move only what needs to move. If the backend stays, I verify access and compatibility. Where needed, I plan pauses for writes, jobs, and incoming events. I check identities, files, and permissions separately. 5. Release the tested version and verify real behavior. I confirm the candidate and recovery plan, switch traffic through the rehearsed path, then test the production address: refresh pages, sign in, create and read back a controlled record, and confirm unauthorized users are blocked. 6. Plan recovery for new activity. Restoring old code does not undo new emails, payments, or database writes, so before release I define when rollback is safe and when I must reconcile instead. 7. Retire old connections and update the rules. After verification and the recovery window, I remove obsolete sync, credentials, and jobs, check shared integrations, confirm billing before canceling, and update the instructions for the next change. The goal is an app I can build, run, and recover from accounts I control, with any remaining platform dependency recorded honestly. The full Platform Detachment Runbook and checklists are at https://github.com/wildeyeai/ai-builder-playbook Part 1 is here: https://app.therundown.ai/community/posts/f1c34207-edc7-4b42-9252-3609d5edbfb7