An AI generated app can work once and still be difficult to maintain. The next step is not always to rewrite it. First find out what it does, which parts matter to users, and whether the project has checks that protect those behaviors. Then make the smallest changes that improve clarity and reliability.
Understand the app before asking for a cleanup
Start the application and trace its main user flows. Read the package scripts, routes, data model, and any backend rules. Ask the agent to map the current structure and point to code it cannot explain. Confirm the map by checking the files yourself before accepting a refactor plan.
List known problems in order of impact. A broken sign in boundary or a lost user record is more important than a repeated style rule. Avoid combining formatting, framework migration, and product changes in one large prompt because you will have a harder time seeing what broke.
Add checks before changing the behavior
Capture the behavior the app must keep with a test, a reproducible example, or a written acceptance check. Then make one focused improvement at a time. After each change, run the relevant tests and inspect the diff for accidental behavior changes.
Review dependencies for a clear purpose and a real package source. Search for exposed credentials, overly broad database access, missing input validation, and errors that reveal private details. Ask a person with the relevant security or product context to review sensitive flows.
- Write down the core flows and important data boundaries.
- Add a check for behavior before you refactor it.
- Make a small change and run its focused tests.
- Review security, dependencies, and recovery before release.
Keep the project understandable for its next owner
Update the setup guide, environment variable example, and deployment notes when the workflow changes. Record decisions that are not obvious from the code. Make sure another developer can install the project, run the checks, and find the owner for the parts that need maintenance.
A coding agent can help document or simplify a prototype, but ask it to show the commands it ran and the files it changed. Do not accept claims of production readiness without checking the app’s authentication, data access, backup, monitoring, and test requirements.