Emergency Fixes & Rescue

We use AI assistants as technical partners to diagnose issues faster and generate solutions more accurately. Every output is reviewed and tested before deployment.

AI accelerates critical work in two ways: First, it helps us pattern-match against thousands of known scenarios, narrowing diagnosis time from hours to minutes. Second, it generates code that we verify against your specific tech stack. You're paying for expertise in using AI well—knowing when to trust it, when to override it, and how to test thoroughly.

Think of it like an experienced mechanic using diagnostic software. The tool speeds things up, but the human expertise determines the actual solution.

Yes. We use external AI providers (like OpenAI, Anthropic) with strict privacy modes enabled. Your code is processed but never used to retrain their models and is not retrievable by anyone else.

Here's how we protect your information: All major AI providers offer enterprise privacy settings that prevent your data from being stored long-term or used for model improvement. We work exclusively with these privacy-enabled modes. For sensitive data (API keys, credentials, personal information), we sanitize or exclude it entirely before any AI processing. We also sign NDAs for confidential projects.

For authentication systems, payment handlers, and personal data processing, we often write critical sections manually with zero AI involvement. Security isn't negotiable—we balance AI efficiency with your privacy requirements.

We review every line of AI-generated code before it reaches production. No AI output goes live without human verification, testing, and security review.

Our workflow: AI suggests solutions, we evaluate them against your requirements, test for edge cases, check for security vulnerabilities, and verify the code integrates properly with your existing system. We treat AI suggestions like junior developer output—useful starting points that require experienced oversight.

What we check: Security flaws (SQL injection, XSS, authentication bypasses), performance issues (N+1 queries, memory leaks), maintainability (is this code readable in 6 months?), and business logic correctness (does it actually solve your problem?). Insecure or poorly architected code gets rewritten or rejected, regardless of whether AI or humans wrote it first. You're protected by our review process, not blind trust in AI output.

We're transparent about this: AI tools are integrated into our development workflow, and we believe that benefits you directly. Modern development assistants help us write cleaner code faster, catch bugs earlier, and maintain consistency across your project — which means better quality at fair prices.

But here's what matters: Your project data, business logic, and sensitive information stay private. We use AI the same way we use any professional tool — strategically, with full control over what gets processed and how. Think of it like spell-check for code, not outsourcing your project to a black box.

If you have specific privacy requirements (healthcare data, proprietary algorithms, regulated industries), we work within those constraints. We can discuss exactly what tools are used where and adjust our approach for sensitive components.

What we won't do is pretend the industry hasn't evolved. AI-assisted development is now standard practice at serious software houses — the difference is whether your provider is honest about it and uses it responsibly. We are, and we do.

Yes, if the project is recoverable. We first audit what exists, identify what's salvageable, and give you an honest assessment before committing to completion.

Here's the typical "developer vanished" process: Within 24-48 hours, we access what they left behind—codebase, databases, documentation (if any), deployment setup. We run diagnostics to determine code quality, completion percentage, and technical debt severity. Then we give you three options: Complete as-is (fastest), Refactor critical sections (medium timeline), or Rebuild from scratch (if the existing code is unsalvageable).

What we won't do: Promise to finish any project without assessment. Some abandoned projects are so poorly architected that completion costs more than rebuilding. We'll tell you the truth within the first diagnostic session—even if that truth is "start over." Expect the audit phase to include testing what works, documenting what's missing, and estimating realistic completion timelines based on actual code quality, not wishful thinking.

Most production-down emergencies get initial diagnosis within 2-4 hours, with many critical issues resolved within 24-72 hours depending on complexity and access to systems.

Speed depends on three factors: How quickly you can provide access (hosting credentials, database, codebase), how clear the error symptoms are (specific error messages beat "it just stopped working"), and whether it's a known issue or requires deep debugging. For example, a misconfigured server after a host migration might be fixed in hours. A subtle database corruption issue causing intermittent crashes could take 2-3 days to fully diagnose and repair safely.

Our approach: We prioritize getting your site functional first (even if ugly), then apply proper fixes once you're back online. No point spending 8 hours crafting the perfect solution while your business is offline. Expect regular updates during diagnosis—we don't go silent during emergencies.

We reverse-engineer what exists. Most codebases are self-documenting if you know where to look—database schemas, Git history, code comments, and naming conventions tell the story.

Undocumented projects are common. We start by mapping the architecture: What framework is this? How is data flowing? Where are the critical dependencies? Then we trace the bug backward from symptoms to root cause. Tools help (AI-assisted code analysis, dependency graphs, error log correlation), but experience matters more—recognizing patterns from hundreds of previous debugging sessions.

The biggest risk with undocumented code isn't fixing the immediate issue—it's breaking something else unknowingly. That's why we test thoroughly before, during, and after repairs. If your previous developer left zero comments and no Git history, expect the diagnosis phase to take longer. We're not just fixing the bug; we're building a mental model of how your entire system works to avoid collateral damage.

Yes, for most common hacks (malware injections, defaced pages, spam redirects). We assess damage severity, remove malicious code, patch vulnerabilities, and restore from clean backups when available.

The recovery process depends on attack type and how deep the compromise goes. Surface-level hacks (injected spam links, defaced homepage) are often cleaned within 24-48 hours. Deeper compromises (backdoors in core files, database manipulation, server-level access) require more thorough investigation—sometimes 3-5 days to ensure the attacker is fully removed and can't return.

What we do: Isolate infected files, scan for malware signatures, check database integrity, review server logs for entry points, patch the vulnerability that allowed the hack, change all credentials, and verify the site is clean before bringing it back online. If you have backups from before the attack, recovery is faster. If not, we rebuild what's salvageable and document what was lost. We also provide post-recovery hardening recommendations (updated software, security plugins, firewall rules) to prevent repeat attacks—but ongoing security monitoring requires a maintenance plan, not a one-time fix.

Yes, we can step in as your new technical contact. First, we get access to everything (hosting, domain, codebase, accounts), then assess what was delivered and its current state.

When the original developer is no longer available, continuity can be a challenge. Our takeover process: We request credentials for all systems (hosting, domain registrar, CMS admin, Git repository if it exists, email/analytics accounts). Then we audit what was delivered—does the code function as intended? Are there pending issues that need attention? Is the codebase maintainable and well-documented?

From there, you decide next steps: Fix immediate issues and move on, engage us for ongoing support, or plan improvements if the current infrastructure needs enhancement. We've worked with projects of varying quality—from well-structured codebases to those needing significant refactoring. Either way, you'll get an honest assessment within the first week—including whether it's worth maintaining the current work or planning a gradual modernization. We work for you and your project's success.