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Shared checklist · Security spine

Security Checklist — Secrets, Auth Boundaries & Threat Passes for Vibe Apps

Prompt loops optimize for a working screen. Attackers and hurried users optimize for the cheapest bypass. Run a security spine across secrets inventory, server-side auth, session hygiene, and a short threat pass before a public domain or paid campaign turns demo defaults into an incident.

30 min · senior team · leave with a clear next step

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CodeCross LLC’s security checklist for vibe-coded products focuses on secrets hygiene, auth and session boundaries, and a lightweight threat pass—so Lovable, Bolt, v0, or Cursor prototypes do not leak keys or trust client-only checks under real traffic. We inventory env exposure, privilege paths, and abuse cases founders skip during prompt loops, then close the highest-likelihood gaps before public domains or paid ads. Intent is security gates for vibe apps, not a SOC 2 binder rewrite.

Why vibe apps leak

Demo defaults become incidents under traffic

Generators ship the happy path. The cheap bypass is usually a key in a bundle, a client-only admin flag, or an ID that was never checked on the server.

  • Client bundles and chat logs leak keys

    API keys in the browser, shared demo credentials, .env pasted into a thread, and production secrets reused on preview are the overnight incidents.

  • localStorage is not an authorization decision

    If privileged actions trust a client flag, another user’s ID, or a stale session, you do not have a boundary. You have a costume.

  • Prompt loops skip abuse cases

    Founders exercise the screen they prompted. They rarely try object-level access mistakes, rate-limit gaps, or injection on the write API.

  • A public domain changes the threat

    A sandbox link is a small audience. A custom domain or a paid campaign turns the same defaults into a searchable, shareable target.

The spine

Close the highest-likelihood gaps first

This is not an enterprise audit. It is a prioritized pass sized for MVP launch — secrets, privilege, sessions, then a short abuse walk on the APIs that take money or personal data.

01

Secret inventory and rotation

List every key, token, and webhook secret. Rotate anything that appeared in source, logs, screenshots, or chat. Split preview from production.

02

Server-side privilege checks

Every read and write that matters is decided on the server against a role and a resource. “Admin if the client says so” fails the list.

03

Session lifetime and revocation

Short-lived sessions, a clear logout, and a way to kill a stolen cookie. Multi-tenant and partner portals need explicit roles, not a boolean.

04

A short threat pass on load-bearing APIs

Auth abuse, guessed IDs, rate limits, and injection on the critical writes. Deeper testing waits for a buyer or operator who actually requires it.

How to

Close vibe-coded security gaps before public traffic

A secrets, auth, and threat-pass spine you can run across builders. The output is closed gaps, not a binder.

  1. Step 01

    Inventory secrets and rotate anything leaked

    Search client bundles, repo history, preview env, logs, and chat for keys. Rotate what you find. Give preview and production different credentials.

  2. Step 02

    Enforce server-side privilege checks

    Map privileged routes and jobs. Verify another user’s ID, a stale session, and a member hitting an admin path are rejected at the server — not hidden in the UI.

  3. Step 03

    Define session lifetime and revocation

    Set expiry, logout, and a kill path for a stolen session. Write roles for multi-tenant or partner portals instead of a single admin boolean.

  4. Step 04

    Run a short threat pass on money and data APIs

    Walk auth abuse, object-level access mistakes, missing rate limits, and injection surfaces on the writes that matter. Record what you did not test.

  5. Step 05

    Close the highest-likelihood gaps before ads

    Fix the leaks that would become an incident in week one. Scope a deeper test only when a buyer, energy operator, or border partner actually demands it.

Read next

Proof, the essay, and sibling intents

These pages are already on the site. Use them to pressure-test the bet before a call.

Internals

Related pages

Stay inside the vibe-coding cluster, or open booking and the Austin money page.

Before you book

Practical answers

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Which secret mistakes show up most in vibe-coded MVPs?

API keys in client bundles, shared demo credentials, .env pasted into chat, and production secrets reused in preview. CodeCross LLC starts with a secret inventory and rotation plan so Bolt, Lovable, or v0 shortcuts do not become overnight incidents.

What auth boundaries should this checklist enforce?

Server-side verification for privileged actions, short-lived sessions with a clear revocation story, no “admin if localStorage says so,” and explicit roles for multi-tenant or partner portals. We harden specifically against generative and sandbox defaults that optimize for demos, not threat models.

Do you run a full penetration test as part of this checklist?

Not by default. The checklist is a prioritized threat pass—auth abuse, object-level access mistakes, rate limits, and injection surfaces on critical APIs—sized for MVP launch. Deeper testing is scoped when buyers, energy operators, or border partners demand it, without pretending a vibe MVP needs an enterprise red team on day one.

How does this relate to tool-specific hardening pages?

Tool hardening pages cover launch survival end-to-end for one generator. This security checklist is the secrets/auth/threat spine you can apply across tools. Cross-link /vibe-coding/v0-mvp-hardening or /vibe-coding/bolt-to-production when the next step is tool-specific production work.

Close the cheap bypass before you buy the traffic.

Bring the env list and the admin path. We will name the leak that would become week-one news — or tell you the spine is already tight enough to ship.

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