Building & Product

How do I take an AI-built prototype to a production-ready product?

A prototype proves the idea can exist; production proves strangers can depend on it. Before real users touch it, do the hardening pass AI tools skip: turn on row-level security and auth rules (the Lovable-Supabase leaks exposed 170+ apps that didn't), get API keys out of the code, add real error handling, a basic CI pipeline, and a database that survives concurrent users. Budget for this as its own milestone, either a focused week of your own time following a checklist or a short engagement with an engineer who reviews before launch.

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18 resources.

More in Design & Prototyping

Why prototype with AI before hiring a designer? 18 → How do founders turn ideas into clickable prototypes in hours (v0, Figma AI, Lovable)? 19 → How do I use AI to improve UX copy, onboarding flows, and landing pages? 19 → Which AI prototyping tool should I pick: v0, Lovable, Bolt, Replit, or Figma Make? 17 → How do I write prompts that get good UI out of AI design tools? 18 → How do I stop my AI-generated UI from looking generic? 18 → Do I still need a designer if AI can design, and when should I hire one? 19 → How do I test my AI prototype with real users, and can AI simulate user feedback? 19 → How do I design and ship a mobile app with AI? 18 → How do I create pitch decks, product images, and marketing visuals with AI? 18 → How do I create a logo and brand identity with AI on a founder budget? 19 →

Also in Starting Up

The same ground, over in Build the product, our Starting Up track.

What actually counts as an MVP, and what's the smallest one I can get away with? 20 → Which no-code tool should I use to build my first product? 20 →
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