From Frozen to Fast: A Founder's Case Study
AppUnstuck Team
Your Partner in Progress
The Challenge
A SaaS founder, Alex, built a promising project management tool on Replit. He rapidly developed the MVP using AI assistants, completing tasks in just a few days.
However, once the app grew, minor updates began breaking unrelated parts of the system. A small code change in one module would unexpectedly break the backend. This led to downtime and lost productivity. The initial AI system design was not scalable.
Alex tried relying on Replit’s AI agent, but issues persisted. Months were spent firefighting rather than building new features. Every feature release took 2–3 months instead of days. Alex was stuck, frustrated, and unable to scale his business.
The Partnership
Alex reached out to AppUnstuck after reading about similar issues online. We started with an immediate audit of the app and his development workflow. Our focus was on improving AI reliability.
Our priorities were:
- Stabilize the existing codebase: Identify recurring breakages and refactor fragile modules.
- Separate environments: Set up distinct development and production environments.
- Implement monitoring: Ensure all deployments include logging, testing, and alerts.
We worked with Alex over three weeks. We implemented solutions that not only stabilized the app but also sped up feature delivery. This is a core part of our mission at AppUnstuck.
The Solution
Week 1: Diagnosis and Stabilization
- Conducted a thorough code review, identifying duplicate functions created by AI assistants.
- Implemented a modular architecture, separating critical workflows into independent services.
- Configured unit tests for each module to detect unintended side effects early.
Week 2: Production Separation
- Moved the live app to an external VPS, a common practice explained in DigitalOcean's guides. Replit was kept only for development.
- Set up a separate production database on Supabase with automated backups.
- Correctly configured secrets and API keys in environment variables.
Week 3: Monitoring and Optimization
- Introduced logging via Papertrail and Sentry for real-time error monitoring while debugging the AI app.
- Tested feature releases using staged deployments to prevent production breakages.
- Implemented a rollback strategy with version control for safety.
The Results
Before AppUnstuck:
- Feature release cycle: 2–3 months
- Frequent breakages during minor updates
- Unstable production environment
After AppUnstuck:
- Feature release cycle: 3 days per feature (from 3 months)
- Zero production downtime over 2 months
- Clear development-to-production workflow
- Automated backup and monitoring in place
Business Impact:
- ✅ Reduced developer frustration
- ✅ Predictable deployment process
- ✅ Improved app stability and user experience
"I felt frozen every time I pushed a minor update. AppUnstuck not only stabilized my codebase but made me feel confident releasing new features daily instead of waiting months."
— Alex Turner, Founder
Key Takeaways
- Always separate development and production environments.
- Use automated testing and monitoring to prevent regressions.
- Modular code prevents minor updates from breaking unrelated areas.
- Backups and staging environments save weeks of troubleshooting.
Get Unstuck
Struggling with breakages and unpredictable deployments? AppUnstuck helps founders move from “frozen and frustrated” to shipping again, fast and safely.