Is Your Vibe-Coded App Actually Ready?
The 20-point checklist every vibe coder needs before flipping the switch. Built for apps going from MVP to real users — auth, payments, errors, env, and launch.
Enable Row-Level Security (RLS) on every table
Without RLS, any authenticated user can read or write every row in your database.
Error Trap: Shipping with RLS disabled because it worked fine in development — ignoring that dev mode bypasses all policies.
Test every auth flow end-to-end in production
Auth bugs in prod are the #1 support ticket for new SaaS apps. Broken login = zero revenue.
Error Trap: Only testing sign-up in dev, then discovering forgot-password or social OAuth fails in production with different redirect URLs.
Enforce email verification before accessing paid features
Unverified emails lead to spam accounts, failed payment notifications, and abuse.
Error Trap: Skipping email verification to reduce friction — then getting flooded with fake accounts on day one.
Configure session expiry and token rotation
Stale sessions are a security liability — and refresh token bugs cause mysterious logouts that kill retention.
Error Trap: Leaving Supabase's default JWT expiry at 3600s without enabling refresh token rotation, causing users to get suddenly logged out.
Register and verify your Stripe webhook endpoint
Without a verified webhook, payment events (subscription created, cancelled, failed) never reach your app — subscriptions appear broken.
Error Trap: Testing with the Stripe CLI locally, then forgetting to register the live webhook URL before going to production.
Switch Stripe from test mode to live mode
Test mode accepts any card and never charges real money — live users will get declined or nothing will happen.
Error Trap: Deploying with STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_... still set in production environment variables.
Confirm receipt and invoice emails send correctly
Users expect a receipt immediately after payment. No receipt = refund request.
Error Trap: Relying on Stripe's default emails but not verifying the from-address is your brand domain — emails land in spam or look sketchy.
Handle failed payment and dunning flows
Card declines are inevitable. Without automated dunning, you lose MRR silently every month.
Error Trap: Building checkout but not building the 'your payment failed, update card' page and email — leaving churned revenue on the table.
Add React error boundaries around critical UI sections
One uncaught render error in a child component can blank your entire app for the user.
Error Trap: Wrapping only the root layout — not individual feature sections — so a broken widget kills the whole dashboard.
Build custom 404 and 500 pages
The default framework error pages look unfinished and kill trust at the worst moment.
Error Trap: Shipping with Next.js's default 404 page — it screams 'early beta' and has no path back to your product.
Connect a logging/monitoring service (Sentry, LogSnag, etc.)
You can't fix what you can't see. Production errors are invisible without a logger.
Error Trap: Only using console.log — which is completely invisible after deployment unless you're watching server logs in real time.
Standardise API error responses and handle them gracefully in UI
Unhandled API errors cause blank screens and cryptic 'something went wrong' messages that erode trust.
Error Trap: Returning raw Postgres/Supabase error objects to the client — leaking table names, columns, and internal structure.
Verify all production environment variables are set
Missing env vars are the single most common reason deployments fail silently.
Error Trap: Forgetting to add NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefixed client-side vars — they resolve to undefined at runtime with no build error.
Audit codebase for hardcoded API keys or secrets
Hardcoded keys in public repos get scraped by bots within hours — your API bills will confirm it.
Error Trap: Committing a Supabase anon key directly in a component during a late-night debugging session and forgetting to clean it up.
Separate staging and production environments completely
Staging tests on prod data = data corruption. Prod tests on staging = false confidence.
Error Trap: Using the same Supabase project for staging and production — one botched migration wipes user data.
Confirm npm run build passes cleanly with zero errors
A passing local build means no surprises on the CI/CD pipeline or deployment platform.
Error Trap: Ignoring TypeScript errors suppressed by // @ts-ignore — they accumulate until they break the production build.
Point your custom domain and verify DNS propagation
Launching on a *.vercel.app or *.railway.app URL signals 'not serious' and kills conversion.
Error Trap: Adding the domain in the platform dashboard but not updating the nameservers/A-records at the registrar — the domain never resolves.
Confirm SSL certificate is active and HTTPS works
Browsers show a scary warning on HTTP sites that send 90% of visitors away before they read a word.
Error Trap: Checking the live URL directly without testing that HTTP → HTTPS redirect is working (not just that HTTPS exists).
Generate and submit a sitemap.xml to Google Search Console
Without a sitemap, Google may take weeks to discover and index your pages.
Error Trap: Forgetting to submit after launch — the site exists but is invisible to search engines for months.
Install basic analytics (Plausible, PostHog, or GA4)
Day 1 data is irreplaceable — you can't retroactively see your launch traffic.
Error Trap: Skipping analytics 'until there's real traffic' — then having zero baseline data when you need to make product decisions.
Add a Privacy Policy page (required for payments + analytics)
GDPR/CCPA require it. Stripe, Apple, and Google can suspend your account without one.
Error Trap: Copying a policy from another site without replacing company name, data types, or contact details — legally useless and a trust killer.
Final Call
Build a production-ready app in 7 days.
The VibeOrigin weekly challenge takes you from idea to launched — with this checklist baked in at every step.
Start the challenge