FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The questions founders ask before they book a shakedown. If yours is not here, send it with your enquiry and Adam will answer it.
I built this myself. Why would I pay a stranger to judge it?
You're not paying for a verdict on your work. You're paying for the blind spots you can't see from inside the build. A real, principal software engineer runs the same pre-flight check every serious team runs before real users, payments or investors depend on the app. You keep the code, the fixes and the call on what to do next.
What happens if you find something?
You get a ranked report of what was found, each finding with a fix your own AI can apply, then a walkthrough of it. The point is to fix it before launch, when it's cheap, not after, when it's downtime, lost data and a public postmortem.
What exactly is a shakedown?
A shakedown is a principal-led pass through the app you built with AI. A real, principal software engineer reviews what the AI built: the exposed keys, the open data, the broken access. They rank what they find, and hand back fixes your own AI can apply. It is the step every serious company takes before real users, payments or investors depend on it.
How much does it cost?
Every price is "from", the starting point for the smallest app in that tier. When you book, Adam reads what you sent and replies with a fixed quote for the size of your app, up front. Once you agree, it does not move. There is no bare price on this site, and there will not be one in your quote.
What does "the size of my app" mean?
The quote is based on what a shakedown of your app actually involves: how many features and screens there are, what the stack is, and how much of it touches payments, accounts or other people's data. A small single-purpose app is quoted lower than a multi-feature product with payments and roles. You'll see the reasoning in the quote, not just the number.
Will you tell me my app is "secure"?
No. A shakedown does not promise "secure," "hack-proof" or "guaranteed." It tells you what was checked, how, and what you get back: a ranked list of findings, each with a fix your own AI can apply. What a shakedown finds is what it finds; what it does not find is not a guarantee.
Do I need to give you access to my code?
Yes. Read-only access to the repo. Nothing is changed, nothing is deployed. You share the repo, the shakedown happens, and you get the report back. You keep full control of your code throughout.
Do you sign an NDA?
Happy to sign any standard NDA before work begins, even before the intro call.
How long does it take?
You'll get a short scoping reply with a fixed quote first. No call is needed to get the price. Once you agree and share the repo, the shakedown happens, and you get the report, then a walkthrough of it. The timeline depends on the size of your app and is set in the quote.
I built it with Lovable / Bolt / Cursor. Does that matter?
No, and it is not a judgment on the tool. The AI builders and editors are good at what they do; the tools did their job. A shakedown covers the apps they generate, whatever the stack. Naming a tool is a fact, not an affiliation.
What is the "engineer ready" clean-up?
A shakedown also checks the clean-up that makes your codebase cheaper for AI to keep working in, and ready for your first engineering hire. Tangled code is the thing that makes every later change cost more, in AI tokens and in a new hire's first weeks. The clean-up is part of what you get back.
I'm not sure which offer I need. What do I do?
Choose "Not sure yet" when you book. Adam reads what you sent and helps you choose. The scoping reply includes a fixed quote for the size of your app, so you know what you're getting before you commit.
What happens to the details I send?
Nothing is stored. Your details go straight to Adam's inbox, and you'll hear back with a fixed quote for the size of your app. See the privacy page for the full detail.
Still have a question?
Send it with your enquiry and Adam will answer it. Or book a shakedown and get a fixed quote for the size of your app.