Technical project rescue for stuck software projects
A project that has stalled, an app that keeps breaking, a build that the previous developer or agency left half finished. I take these on, find out what is actually there, and get them moving again. For companies with no developer of their own, and for teams that need an experienced hand.
I'm all in on AI. In a rescue that matters twice: I can read a large unfamiliar codebase quickly, and I can fix a lot without cutting corners. Laravel and Vue are what I use most, and I'm based in Germany.
I usually reply within one working day.
What a rescue usually involves
Every stuck project is different, but the work tends to fall into these parts.
Finding out what is really there
What was promised, what was built, what works, what only looks like it works. I read the code, the hosting, the tickets and the contracts, and tell you the state of things in writing, without sugar-coating it.
Stopping the bleeding
The site that goes down every night, the checkout that fails for some customers, the sync that silently drops records. Urgent problems first, with a fix that holds, before anything else.
Deciding what to keep
Most stuck projects do not need a rewrite. They need the bad parts removed and the good parts finished. I tell you which is which, and what it would cost either way.
Getting the basics in place
A development environment that works, version control that is actually used, a staging site, tests around the risky parts, and deployments that don't depend on one person's laptop.
Finishing what was started
Half-built features, integrations that never worked, an admin area nobody can use. I complete them or cut them, depending on what the business needs, one at a time.
Handing over or staying on
At the end you get documentation of what changed and how the system works. Then your own team takes over, or I stay on for maintenance. Both are fine.
How I work
You don't need to have everything figured out before we talk. An idea, access to the repo, a screen recording or a list of problems is enough. I look at what is there, tell you what I would do and what it costs, and then I build it.
I use Claude Code, Codex and my own agent workflows for reading code, planning changes, writing tests, refactoring and debugging. It is not vibe coding. It is senior engineering with a much faster loop.
AI-first, which is what makes a rescue affordable
Claude Code and Codex let me read tens of thousands of lines of someone else's code quickly, trace how a broken feature actually flows, and write the tests that make the next fix safe. I use my own agent workflows for the mechanical cleanup and spend my own time on the decisions.
I stay in control
AI writes a lot of my code. I still make every technical decision, read every change before it ships, and test it. Fast, but meticulous: the speed is only worth something if what goes live is right.
The way you want to work
Some clients want to look at every change before it goes live, others want me to deploy. Some want a weekly call, most prefer written updates. I work well asynchronously, and I still ask the important questions when they come up.
I think like an owner
I still run my own online products. So when I build or fix yours, I think about traffic, conversion, revenue and support as much as about the code, and I tell you when something is not worth building.
Ways to work with me
Fixed price, a flat monthly rate, or hourly. It's always me doing the work, not an agency. If you're not sure, describe what you need and I'll suggest one.
Examples of my work
Rescues from the last years.
Unstable site, failing sync, old stack
A Laravel 5 site with performance problems, an unreliable Salesforce sync and broken multilingual support. I fixed the bottlenecks, got the sync working, upgraded the platform to Laravel 11, and moved hosting to Hetzner with automated deployments.
Undocumented framework, urgent bugs
A decade-old SaaS on a homegrown PHP framework with no documentation. I fixed the urgent problems first, then wrote down how the system works and set up a Docker development environment so changes stopped being a gamble.
Legacy Laravel and Vue app nobody understood
I took over a hard-to-follow configurator with many product variants and pricing rules, extended the configuration logic, and improved the exports for sales and production without breaking what already worked.
What clients say
"Vincent is one of those rare developers who can jump into a complex codebase, become useful immediately, and solve real problems without hand-holding."
"He doesn't need micromanagement - he's fully capable of making decisions and driving the project forward, which has freed me up to focus on other parts of the business."
"You have a chat, you express what you need, and he comes back with what you asked for."
Questions
How does a rescue start?
I look at the code, the hosting and what was promised, and tell you what is there, what can be saved, and what I would do first. You get that in writing, with a price for the next step.
Will you tell me if a rewrite is the better option?
Yes. Most of the time it is not, and repairing is cheaper and faster. When it is, I say so and explain why.
Can you work with the developers or agency who are still on the project?
Yes. Sometimes I take over completely, sometimes I work alongside the people who are there. Both are fine, as long as it is clear who decides.
What if we don't have access to our own code?
That happens more often than you would think. Getting the repository, the hosting and the domain into accounts you control is the first job, and I help with that.
What do you need from me?
Access to the code and the hosting, whatever documentation or contracts exist, and somebody who can answer questions and make decisions.
How do you charge for a rescue?
Fixed price for a job with a clear outcome, a flat monthly rate for ongoing work, or hourly. Describe what you need and I'll suggest one.
Get a quote
What the project is, what is not working, and who built it so far. A few sentences are enough. I'll reply with what I would do first and what it would cost.
If you would rather talk first, book a 30-minute call.