Aikido — The layer nobody sees (until something breaks)

TL;DR

Aikido is a security platform that scans everything you’ve built (code, dependencies, database, cloud) and warns you before the attacker finds it. Replaces half a dozen expensive tools. Has a decent free plan.

Why this matters for a founder

You built a dashboard in Lovable. Connected your CRM. Pushed it live.

Now think: who’s checking if that URL is vulnerable?

• Admin password in code?
• Old library with known flaw?
• Database open to the internet?
• Stripe API key leaked?

Without a dedicated tool, no one is looking. When they discover it, it’s usually after the leak.

What Aikido covers (in 1 panel)

Before Aikido, you’d need 6-7 different tools (Snyk, SonarQube, Wiz, etc). Aikido consolidates everything:

Code

• SAST — analyzes source code for insecure patterns
• SCA — checks libraries/dependencies with known flaws
• Secrets detection — finds key/password leaked in commits
• Malware detection — flags malicious library

Infrastructure

• IaC scanning — checks cloud configuration (AWS, GCP, Azure)
• Container scanning — scans Docker images
• CSPM — cloud posture audit
• VM scanning — virtual machines

Application

• DAST — tests running app like an attacker would
• AI pentesting — autonomous agents try to break in
• Continuous pentesting — runs 24/7

Runtime

• Zen — firewall that blocks attacks in real time (injection, bots)
• Browser extension — protects devs against malicious plugins

The practical difference: AutoTriage

The biggest frustration with security tools is noise. You get 500 alerts, 480 are false positives, no one looks.

Aikido has AutoTriage: AI that understands context and eliminates the noise before you see it. Result: only alerts that actually matter.

How to start (10 minutes)

Step by step

1. Go to aikido.dev → Start free
2. Connect with GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket (choose where your code lives)
3. Authorize read scope on the repository
4. Aikido scans automatically (3-5 minutes)
5. Panel appears with issue list ordered by severity

Connecting the Lovable app

1. In Settings → Cloud Integrations → add Supabase (Lovable uses Supabase under the hood)
2. In Settings → CI/CD → add Vercel (where Lovable publishes)
3. Full coverage: code + database + hosting

What the free plan covers

Honestly, quite a bit:

• Up to 10 repositories
• Code scan (SAST, SCA, secrets)
• Cloud scanning (1 account)
• Unlimited container scanning
• Email and Slack alerts

For a founder starting out: the free plan is enough.

When you grow (10+ repos, team, compliance) → Pro starting at US$ 350/month.

Severities and what to do with each

Severity	What it means	Action
Critical	Can be exploited now. Leaks data, gives root access	Stop everything and fix today
High	Real risk but with a time window	Fix this week
Medium	Known vulnerability, low probability	This month’s sprint
Low	Hygiene/best practice	Backlog

Most tools scream “CRITICAL” for everything. Aikido actually calibrates.

Pitfalls

• Rotate exposed keys: if Aikido finds an API key in an old commit, rotating the key is more important than deleting the commit (which stays in Git history).
• Don’t ignore by habit: it easily turns into an alert queue no one opens. Make a rule: every Critical automatically becomes a card in Linear/Jira.
• DAST can cause load: scanning a production app may trigger false alerts in your monitoring. Configure for low-demand hours.
• Compliance isn’t just Aikido: if your company handles payments (PCI), health (HIPAA) or European data (GDPR), Aikido helps but doesn’t replace human audit.

Why this is the “last layer” of the immersion

You spent energy building:

• Analyses in Claude
• Dashboards in Lovable
• Connectors with your systems

Without security, all of this becomes liability. A leak costs more than everything you’ve saved.

Aikido is what makes AI for the company adult — something you trust to put on the critical path.

Next step

You finished the foundation track. Recommended next reads:

• Data analysis with AI — full practical application
• Advanced prompt engineering — techniques that double quality
• Building custom Skills — automating repetitive work in your company