Taking over an AI system from another vendor: audit, docs, stabilisation
The vendor left and the system stayed. We get to grips with the code, document how everything works, set up monitoring and fix the critical risks. In 2–4 weeks the system is under control again. From $5,000.
What hurts
A freelancer or agency built the system, and the engagement ended. There is no documentation, and credentials sit in personal accounts. Nobody knows what the next update will break.
You are afraid to touch the code because nobody understands how it works. Every small change turns into a week of digging. New vendors quote a full rewrite.
The system already serves customers and brings in revenue. You cannot stop it for a rebuild. First you need to understand what you have and make it safe.
What we build
- Collecting credentials and moving them to company accounts
- Audit of code, architecture, dependencies and infrastructure
- Audit of prompts, models, LLM vendors and their costs
- Security review: secrets in code, access rights, personal data handling
- Documentation of architecture, integrations and deployment
- Monitoring, alerting and backup setup
- A baseline test suite and CI/CD for safe releases
- Fixes for the critical risks found in the audit
What you get
- Audit report with risks ranked by priority and fix estimates
- System documentation any team can work with
- Credentials moved to your company accounts
- Working monitoring and alerts
- A roadmap: what to keep, fix or rebuild
How we measure the result
- Critical risks before and after the takeover
- Time to deploy a release and to roll it back
- Test coverage of key user flows
- Incidents in the first month after takeover
Systems and stack
Industries
Questions
How much does a takeover cost?
From $5,000. The price depends on codebase size, the number of integrations and services, and the state of documentation and access. After a first call and a look at the repository we give a fixed estimate in 2 to 3 days. If we exceed it through our fault, we finish at our own cost.
How long does it take?
Two to four weeks. The first week goes to access and the audit. Then documentation, monitoring and critical fixes. The system keeps serving your customers the whole time. We do not take it offline.
What if the code is so bad it needs a rewrite?
We will say so plainly and back it up in the report. More often, replacing parts step by step without downtime costs less than a rewrite from scratch. The decision is yours, and we estimate both options.
What do you need from us?
Access to the repository, servers, cloud, integration admin panels and LLM vendor accounts. If the previous vendor still holds some of it, we help you recover it. We sign an NDA and a GDPR compliant DPA before we get access.
What happens after the takeover?
The system moves to monthly SLA support or a product development retainer. You can also take the documentation and hand the system to your own team. You are not locked in with us.
Can the previous vendor help during the handover?
Yes, and it helps. One or two sessions with the previous developer often save a week of audit. We prepare questions in advance and record the answers in the documentation. If the engagement ended badly, we work from the code and access alone.
Related services
More in this section
Describe the task. We reply within one business day, the first call is with the founder.
Describe the task. The first call is with the founder.
We reply within one business day. 30 minutes to tell you whether it is worth doing and what it costs.