bolt.new
scanned 2026-09-21 05:53 UTC · defs 2026.09
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.
All-caps section labels (text-transform:uppercase)
All-caps
UPPERCASE section labels with positive letter-spacing ('DESIGNED FOR DEVELOPERS', 'MORE FEATURES', 'WHY US') are AI's idea of editorial chic.
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'.
Cards nested inside cards
Nested cards
Cards inside cards (a bordered/shadowed/rounded container holding more bordered/shadowed/rounded containers) create visual noise and excessive depth — a reflexive AI layout move where every group gets wrapped in its own panel.
Glassmorphism (backdrop-filter blur on translucent layers)
Glass
`backdrop-filter: blur()` on translucent layers is a 2021 trend that AI templates kept reproducing.
✓ clean, no tells in this category.
the four axes
slop: lower is better · system & AEO: higher is better
design slop
31/100
Heavy
copy slop
not run
system · DESIGN.md
none
no DESIGN.md
AEO · agent-readable
not run
scan to evaluate
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.
Glassmorphism (backdrop-filter blur on translucent layers)+4
why`backdrop-filter: blur()` on translucent layers is a 2021 trend that AI templates kept reproducing. It always reads as decorative-for-the-sake-of-it and signals 'theme.css from a Bolt starter'.fixRemove all backdrop-filter blur. Use opaque surfaces with strong contrast. If you need depth, a single subtle box-shadow (0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.05)) does more with less.ruleNo `backdrop-filter: blur()` anywhere on the page.
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.
Cards nested inside cards+4
whyCards inside cards (a bordered/shadowed/rounded container holding more bordered/shadowed/rounded containers) create visual noise and excessive depth — a reflexive AI layout move where every group gets wrapped in its own panel.fixFlatten the hierarchy. Pick ONE level to be the card and use spacing, typography, and dividers for the inner structure instead of nesting more containers. A card holding three sub-cards should usually be a card holding three text blocks separated by space or a hairline.ruleNo card-like container inside another card-like container. One level of elevation, max.
All-caps section labels (text-transform:uppercase)+3
whyUPPERCASE section labels with positive letter-spacing ('DESIGNED FOR DEVELOPERS', 'MORE FEATURES', 'WHY US') are AI's idea of editorial chic. They appear above every section in v0/Cursor output and add zero information.fixUse sentence-case section titles, or skip section labels entirely. The H2 should do the work. If a label is genuinely useful, write it as a normal sentence in a smaller, dimmed sans.ruleNo `text-transform: uppercase` with `letter-spacing` > 0 on section labels.
npx slop-detect bolt.new --fix