bolt.new
scanned 2026-06-10 11:13 UTC · defs 2026.08
category overview
the breakdown
7 of 27 patterns flaggedAI-default font stack (Inter / Geist / Space Grotesk)
Slop fonts
Inter, Geist, Space Grotesk, and Instrument Serif (italic) are the four fonts LLMs default to because Stripe/Linear/Vercel standardized them and training data is saturated with them.
Gradient-heavy backgrounds (5+ elements)
Gradient bgs
5+ gradient-background elements means decorative blobs, glows, conic rainbow swirls, or 'aurora' panels everywhere.
Perma dark mode + medium-grey body text
Perma dark
Dark background + mid-grey body text (#a0a0a0 region, HSL saturation <15%, L 0.35–0.75) is the AI default for 'premium' feel.
Centered hero in generic sans (Inter-style)
Centered hero
Centered hero text + large H1 + slop font is the combined fingerprint of 'Vercel template starter, copy-pasted, hero customized in 30s'.
Bento-grid wall — mixed-span rounded card grid
Bento grid
A wall of heavily-rounded cards at mixed column/row spans — the Apple-keynote 'bento box'.
Aurora / mesh gradient blobs (blurred glowing backdrop)
Aurora blobs
Large blurred radial/conic gradient 'blobs' glowing behind the hero — the v0/Lovable default backdrop.
Big colored box-shadow glows (purple/blue/pink)
Colored glows
Big colored `box-shadow` glows under hero buttons / behind product images / inside cards are the AI template's idea of 'futuristic'.
✓ clean, no tells in this category.
the four axes
slop: lower is better · system & AEO: higher is better
design slop
33/100
Heavy
copy slop
not run
system · DESIGN.md
none
no DESIGN.md
AEO · agent-readable
not run
scan to evaluate
system & aeo detail
system · DESIGN.md drift
No DESIGN.md declared. Add a design system file to track drift between redesigns.
AEO · agent-readable
Page is reachable (HTML 2xx)+10
AI crawlers are not blocked (GPTBot gets 2xx)+25
robots.txt does not Disallow AI crawlers+20
Page is indexable (no noindex)+15
Markdown twin served at <url>.md+10
HTML advertises the markdown twin (Link rel=alternate)+8
/llms.txt published at the site root+7
HTML sends Vary: Accept (content-negotiation aware)+5
Eight checks, weighted to 100. Evaluated live per scan. Run a fresh scan to see pass/fail.
competitive analytics
cleanliness radar
You've seen the score. Now fix it.
7 tells, heaviest first.
AI-default font stack (Inter / Geist / Space Grotesk)+8
whyInter, Geist, Space Grotesk, and Instrument Serif (italic) are the four fonts LLMs default to because Stripe/Linear/Vercel standardized them and training data is saturated with them. Using any of these signals 'AI-built' to anyone who's looked at more than 10 landing pages in 2026.fixReplace the body and heading typefaces with something that actually reflects your brand. Pick from foundry sans (Söhne, Aeonik, GT America, Untitled Sans, Suisse Int'l, Pangea, Telegraf, Object Sans) OR a system-font stack (`-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI`) for body + a single distinctive display face for H1.ruleIf you can't name the foundry, don't ship the font. Inter/Geist/Space Grotesk are banned for this site.
Aurora / mesh gradient blobs (blurred glowing backdrop)+5
whyLarge blurred radial/conic gradient 'blobs' glowing behind the hero — the v0/Lovable default backdrop. Soft aurora orbs add zero information and instantly date the page to the 2026 AI-template era.fixRemove the blurred gradient blobs. Let the background be a solid color or honest negative space. If the hero feels empty, fill it with something real: product UI, a photograph, or stronger copy — not ambient glow.ruleNo blurred radial/conic gradient blobs as decorative hero backdrop.
Gradient-heavy backgrounds (5+ elements)+4
why5+ gradient-background elements means decorative blobs, glows, conic rainbow swirls, or 'aurora' panels everywhere. This is the AI template equivalent of a 2008 MySpace page.fixAim for zero decorative gradients. At most ONE subtle gradient if it has structural purpose (a section background that aids hierarchy). Replace decorative gradients with: solid color blocks, a single tasteful photograph, real product UI screenshots, or negative space.rule≤1 gradient element total on the page.
Big colored box-shadow glows (purple/blue/pink)+4
whyBig colored `box-shadow` glows under hero buttons / behind product images / inside cards are the AI template's idea of 'futuristic'. They never have brand justification.fixRemove colored glows entirely. If you need shadow, use neutral grey (0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,0.08)) at most. If you want visual interest behind your hero, use a real product screenshot or video, not a glow.ruleNo box-shadow with a saturated color (red/orange/yellow/green/blue/purple/pink). Greys only, ≤8% opacity.
Centered hero in generic sans (Inter-style)+4
whyCentered hero text + large H1 + slop font is the combined fingerprint of 'Vercel template starter, copy-pasted, hero customized in 30s'. It's not wrong — it's just instantly recognizable as default.fixSwitch to left-aligned text in an asymmetric layout. The classic move: hero copy on the left (40-50% width), real product UI/video on the right. Or: editorial layout with a big H1, a single supporting paragraph, no CTA buttons above the fold (force the scroll).ruleNo `text-align: center` on the H1 + subhead + CTA stack.
Perma dark mode + medium-grey body text+4
whyDark background + mid-grey body text (#a0a0a0 region, HSL saturation <15%, L 0.35–0.75) is the AI default for 'premium' feel. The mid-grey body text fails WCAG AA and signals 'I let v0 pick the colors'.fixEither: (a) go full light mode with crisp dark text on cream/white, OR (b) keep dark but increase body text contrast to at least #d4d4d8 (L 0.85+). Better: ship both themes and respect `prefers-color-scheme`.ruleBody text on dark backgrounds must have L ≥ 0.85. No defaulting to dark — the user's system preference is the default.
Bento-grid wall — mixed-span rounded card grid+4
whyA wall of heavily-rounded cards at mixed column/row spans — the Apple-keynote 'bento box'. Every AI builder ships this section now, so a varied-span rounded grid reads as a template default rather than a considered layout.fixDecide what the section is actually for, then pick the simplest layout that serves it. If the cards are equal in importance, use a plain uniform grid or a list. If one thing matters most, make it big and the rest small — but justify the asymmetry with content hierarchy, not decoration. Drop the uniform 16px+ corner radius; tighten spacing.ruleNo mixed-span rounded-card 'bento' wall unless each span maps to real content priority.
npx slop-detect bolt.new --fix
Claim this page
Own bolt.new? Verify by email to list it in the directory with a real dofollow backlink and get an alert if it ever drifts back into slop.
monitoring
Keep bolt.new on-system between redesigns.
A daily re-scan, and a regression or design-drift email the moment a redesign slips back into slop. Scanning stays free; this remembers a domain over time.
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