React Native AI app code audit checklist
A code audit checklist for React Native and Expo apps built with AI tools: architecture, dependencies, auth, payments, analytics, App Store readiness, and rebuild risk.
If an AI tool helped build your React Native or Expo app, you need a code audit before you keep investing.
Not because AI-generated code is always bad. Because the demo can hide the exact problems that make launch expensive: broken auth, fake paywalls, outdated dependencies, duplicated business logic, missing analytics, and App Store blockers.
Use this checklist to decide whether the project is ready to fix, ready to launch, or ready to rebuild.
1. Project foundation
Check the basic health of the app:
Expo SDK version
React Native version
TypeScript configuration
package lockfile
EAS build configuration
iOS bundle identifier
Android package name
environment variables
native permissions
secrets handling
Red flags:
Expo was downgraded to satisfy one package
multiple packages solve the same job
build works locally but not in EAS
secrets are hardcoded
there is no clear production environment
2. Architecture
Open the file tree and look for structure.
A launchable app should make it obvious where these live:
screens
reusable components
navigation
API clients
state stores
auth helpers
payment helpers
analytics events
constants and configuration
AI-built apps often put business logic into screens because that is the fastest way to make a demo appear functional. That becomes expensive when you need to change pricing, onboarding, or entitlements.
3. Authentication
Audit every auth state:
signed out
signed in
email not verified, if relevant
onboarding incomplete
onboarding complete
paid
unpaid
expired subscription
deleted account
Then test:
signup
login
logout
password reset or magic link
session restore
account deletion
route protection
If logout does not fully clear state, or protected screens flash before auth loads, the app is not ready.
4. Payments and subscriptions
For subscription apps, audit both purchase flow and access control.
Check:
RevenueCat, StoreKit, Google Play Billing, or Stripe setup
store product IDs
entitlement logic
restore purchases
purchase failure state
trial eligibility
expired subscriptions
subscription status after app restart
server-side receipt or webhook plan, if needed
If the paywall exists only as UI, do not call the app revenue-ready.
5. AI workflow
Most AI apps have one core workflow. Audit it like a product system, not a button.
Check:
prompt inputs
prompt templates
model provider
error handling
retries
rate limits
loading states
empty states
result storage
abuse prevention
cost controls
An AI workflow that works once in a demo can still fail under real usage because latency, malformed inputs, and cost ceilings were ignored.
6. Analytics and crash reporting
At minimum, production launch needs:
crash reporting
onboarding funnel
activation event
paywall events
purchase events
retention events
core workflow success and failure events
If analytics are missing, you are flying blind. If analytics are sprinkled manually in random screens, you will get inconsistent data.
7. App Store readiness
Audit:
privacy policy
account deletion
support URL
metadata
screenshots
subscription disclosure
permissions copy
Sign in with Apple, if required
review notes
test account
AI tools do not usually build the App Store layer. You need to handle it before submission, not after rejection.
8. Fix-vs-rebuild score
Give the app a simple score:
0 to 2 major issues: fix and launch
3 to 5 major issues: rescue sprint
6+ major issues: rebuild the critical path
Major issues include broken builds, broken auth, fake payments, duplicated state, no analytics, incompatible dependencies, or unclear data ownership.
What Silpho audits
Silpho's AI App Rescue Audit covers the same surface: architecture, dependencies, auth, API, payments, analytics, AI workflow, App Store readiness, and whether the code should be fixed or rebuilt.
Related guides:
FAQ
What is the most important thing to audit first?
Start with the main user journey: onboarding, auth, core value, paywall, and return session. If that path is broken, polishing individual screens is wasted effort.
Do AI-built apps always need a rebuild?
No. Many need targeted rescue. The rebuild decision depends on whether the foundation is cheaper to repair than to replace.