How to choose a security scanner for a vibe-coded app

New scanners for AI-built apps appear constantly. Here are the honest criteria that actually matter — accuracy, real exploit-testing, and clear limits — not feature counts.

A lot of tools now promise to "secure your vibe-coded app." They mostly check similar things, because the risks are similar. Here’s how to tell a trustworthy one from a noisy one — without us trashing anyone by name (a comparison is only useful if it’s accurate, and competitor features change weekly).

1. Does it avoid false alarms?

The fastest way to lose trust is to flag a Supabase anon key, a Firebase apiKey, or a Stripe pk_ as "leaked" — those are public by design. A good scanner has an allowlist and reassures you about them instead of crying wolf.

2. Does it actually test, or just guess?

Telling you "you use Supabase, RLS might be off" is a guess. Proving "this table is readable with your public key" by safely asking for a row count is a test. The second is worth far more — and it should require you to verify ownership first.

3. Is it honest about its limits?

No passive scanner can certify your app. Be wary of anything that says "secure," "compliant," or "guaranteed." A trustworthy tool says what it checked, what it did not, and that absence of findings isn’t a guarantee. (The FTC fined an accessibility-overlay vendor for overclaiming; security is no different.)

4. Does it show its evidence?

You should be able to see why something was flagged — a redacted fingerprint, the file path, the row count — not just a scary score.

5. Does it help you fix, not just scare?

A finding you can’t act on is noise. The useful output is a concrete, copy-paste fix for your builder.

Those are the principles Shipshape is built on. → Try a free scan and judge it by them.

FAQ

What makes a vibe-coding security scanner trustworthy?
Accuracy first: it should never flag public-by-design keys (Supabase anon, Firebase apiKey, Stripe pk_), it should prove exploitability rather than guess, show its evidence, be honest that it is not a guarantee, and give you a concrete fix.

Should I trust a scanner that says my app is "secure"?
Be cautious. No passive scan can guarantee security. Trustworthy tools state what they checked and what they did not, and never claim "secure" or "compliant."