What this service fixes
AI can build a WordPress or WooCommerce site fast. It cannot take responsibility when that site leaks data, breaks checkout, or quietly fills Google with duplicate pages. This service is the senior cleanup after the AI: we audit what was generated, find what is unsafe or broken, and fix it, with a human accountable for every change.
This is not the same as our general WordPress repair and technical support or a standard WordPress security audit. Those assume a site built by people. Here the failure patterns are specific to generated code and content, and the remediation is different.
How AI-built sites tend to break
The damage clusters into a few recognisable patterns. A typical case is a WooCommerce store where an AI-generated checkout customisation skipped nonce verification, so the cart could be manipulated through a forged request, and nobody noticed until chargebacks started. Another is a marketing site where an assistant generated forty near-identical service pages that compete for the same query, so none of them rank and the whole domain looks thin to Google.
Other recurring failures:
- Generated PHP that calls functions that do not exist, or that were hallucinated from a different plugin’s API.
- Admin-ajax and REST endpoints registered without a capability or nonce check.
- Unsanitised form input written straight into the database or echoed back into the page.
- Plugin sprawl: ten plugins installed to solve a problem one line of code would have handled, dragging Time to First Byte over a second.
- Content with confident but wrong facts, fabricated statistics, and invented client names.
- Migrations the AI “finished” that silently dropped redirects, breaking indexed URLs.
Symptom triage: rescue vs rebuild
Not every broken AI-built site needs the same response. The symptom usually points to whether a targeted rescue is enough or the foundation should be replaced. Use this table as a first-pass triage before you commit budget or downtime.
| Symptom | Likely cause | First action |
|---|---|---|
| Checkout or cart fails intermittently | AI-wired WooCommerce hooks, missing nonce on cart mutations | Pause paid traffic; run a functional audit on the checkout path |
| Subscriber or anonymous user can trigger admin AJAX | Missing current_user_can() on a wp_ajax handler | Security pass on generated PHP; see auditing AI-generated plugin code |
| Scanner flags critical CVEs on common plugins | Outdated versions installed during a fast AI-assisted build | Run a WordPress security audit and patch or remove exposed plugins |
| Forty near-identical service pages, none rank | AI content cannibalisation and thin duplication | Content inventory; consolidate or noindex duplicates |
| White screen or fatal error after a small change | Hallucinated function calls in generated custom code | Code inventory against developer.wordpress.org; scope rescue vs rewrite |
| Time to First Byte above one second on a simple page | Plugin sprawl from “install a plugin for that” answers | Performance strip-down; measure before adding more tooling |
| Form saves but stored data looks corrupted or executable | Unsanitised $_POST written straight to options or post meta | Plugin code audit; treat as active XSS or injection risk |
| REST or admin-ajax endpoint returns data it should not | Missing permission_callback or nonce on custom routes | Endpoint audit; block public access until fixed |
| Owner wants to keep using AI in the build | No review gate, no version control on generated output | Rescue first, then guardrails; see remediation stages below |
If most rows point to isolated, fixable gaps in otherwise sound WordPress core usage, rescue is usually the cheaper path. If hallucinated APIs, missing security primitives, and plugin sprawl show up together across custom code and content, plan for a partial or full rebuild and say so before repair work starts.
What we check in an AI-build audit
The audit inventories everything the AI touched and triages it by two axes: security risk and revenue risk. We separate the code AI wrote, the plugins it chose, and the content it produced, because each needs a different fix. You get a written split of what is safe to keep, what must be rewritten, and what should be removed, with the reasoning behind each call.
Remediation stages
Remediation follows a fixed order so security and revenue risks close before cosmetic work. Stages can overlap in calendar time, but we do not skip ahead to performance tuning while checkout is still broken or a public endpoint still leaks data.
| Stage | Focus | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Inventory and triage | Map every AI touchpoint: custom PHP, plugin choices, content, migrations | Written keep / rewrite / remove split with reasoning |
| 2. Security pass | Nonces, capabilities, sanitisation, exposed AJAX and REST routes | Patched or removed vulnerable handlers; plugin code audit findings closed |
| 3. Functional repair | Checkout, forms, CRM and payment integrations | Broken user flows restored and regression-checked |
| 4. Content remediation | Duplicate pages, hallucinated facts, thin AI filler | Consolidated pages that can rank; corrected or removed false claims |
| 5. Performance recovery | Plugin bloat, render-blocking assets, cache misconfiguration | Core Web Vitals back in range on key templates |
| 6. Guardrails | Version control, staging workflow, review checklist for future AI use | Short runbook so the next prompt does not reopen the same holes |
Emergency items (active exploit, broken checkout during a campaign, legal or compliance exposure) jump the queue inside stage 2 or 3 regardless of where the rest of the site sits in the table.
Security gaps generated code commonly ships
Generated WordPress code passes the “it runs” test while failing the “it is safe” test. We test directly for the gaps that matter: missing wp_verify_nonce and current_user_can checks, input that reaches the database without sanitize_* or prepared statements, output that skips esc_*, PHP files reachable without an ABSPATH guard, and endpoints exposed without authorisation. The failure patterns repeat often enough that we published a diagnostic walkthrough in auditing AI-generated WordPress plugin code. Where the security surface is large, this connects to a full WordPress security audit. We documented the real CVE patterns these stacks carry in outdated-plugin CVEs.
Content remediation, not just code
A site built with AI usually has an AI-content problem too. We deduplicate pages that cannibalise each other, correct hallucinated facts and round-number fake statistics, and consolidate thin pages into ones that earn citations. This is the same discipline behind GEO and LLMO optimisation: content that is accurate and distinct, not generated filler.
Performance recovery
AI tends to solve problems by adding plugins. We reverse that: remove the bloat, replace plugin stacks with targeted code, and bring Core Web Vitals back into range. See plugin sprawl after an AI build for a documented teardown pattern and AI-slop content cleanup when hallucinated facts need editorial triage.
Rescue, rebuild, or do it right next time
After the audit you get an honest recommendation. If most of the AI output is salvageable, a targeted rescue is the cheapest path. If the foundation is unsound, we scope a rebuild instead of patching forever. And if you want to keep using AI in the build, but safely, with a human gate, that is exactly what our AI implementation for companies covers: agents and tooling with version control, tests, and review built in.
What you get
A working, accountable site: insecure generated code rewritten, broken flows repaired, AI-slop content cleaned, performance restored, and a short guardrails document so the next round of AI assistance does not reopen the same holes. Every change is reviewed by a senior engineer, not applied autonomously.
Related services
- Auditing AI-generated WordPress plugin code, Diagnostic patterns for vibe-coded PHP before you ship
- WordPress security audit, Deep security pass for high-risk generated code
- WordPress repair and technical support, Ongoing support after the rescue
- AI implementation for companies, Using AI in the build safely, with human gates
- Core Web Vitals audit, Performance recovery after plugin sprawl
- GEO and LLMO optimisation, Turning cleaned content into citations
Pricing is individual and scoped after the audit. Contact us with the site and a short note on how it was built.
