How to know if an app is vibe-coded?
Gem Wallet: Bitcoin, USDT, BNB
Tasks.org: Open-source To-Do Lists & Reminders
Voxscribe - Offline Voice Input
Some interesting observations brandonp2412
I love F-Droid. I love what F-Droid stands for and I like the freedom that it gives its users. As a FOSS app maintainer I also have nothing but good things to say about the people behind the project. Maybe they’re even a bit too nice, considering how many times repro has failed due to me forgetting to commit before building 😅.
But my god is it hard to find human-written software now.
Intro #
The problem #
Sometimes I open F-Droid just to browse. You know, maybe I’ll find an app that solves a problem I didn’t know I had, or maybe I’ll find a better alternative to something I already use.
And one day, while browsing, I noticed an app with an obvious and ugly AI generated icon. It’s not on the list and I will not shame it, but it got me thinking. How much of F-Droid is AI?
As someone who does programming for fun and is only a student, untarnished by honest work, I get my knowledge of what the coding world is like mostly from clickbaity YT videos and Reddit posts of CS professionals. They either describe LLMs as god reincarnate or as glorified autocomplete.
Both are, obviously , wrong, but that’s not really helpful in determining what I want to know. What is the actual state of programming nowadays? Whenever I use FOSS software, how likely it is that it has been vibe-coded by a rando in an afternoon?
How to know if an app is vibe-coded? #
That’s the trick—you can’t. Text just doesn’t carry enough meta information for any kind of assessments to be even close to accurate. However, just as that em-dash I used in the first sentence probably triggered an alarm in your brain, there are signs.
While that does make the task at hand sound fickle and dependent on happenstance, the signs, especially concerning LLM code repositories, are never too hard to find.
You see, the main allure of LLMs is that they allow the developer to be more lazy. That’s kind of the whole point! You just prompt, sit back and relax. So it should not surprise you to hear that this attitude is then reflected in everything the vibe-coder touches.
Why write a README from scratch? Lol, just let the LLM do it.
Do code-review? Naw, just let the LLM review its own changes and then also give it access to the repo so you don’t even need to press the commit button.
If a project was concerned with looking legitimate, it would be trivial to do such things by hand. But it’s low effort all the way down.
My biases #
This part can be skipped if you don’t care about my stance on LLMs, but I need to make my position clear to avoid contributing to the circlejerk too much.
To begin with, I’d like to acknowledge that LLMs are incredibly useful and capable. As 2026 has progressed, this has become more and more visible, but people being able to one-shot medium scale games and software in half an hour is ridiculously impressive, even if the end product is usually not very good.
I also am very much in favor of software getting faster and more secure. The story of the Linux kernel development has shown that LLMs are capable of finding and sometimes even solving many types of code issues.
With the pleasantries out of the way though, I have to admit I really hate LLMs and what they have done to programming, related engineering fields, and society as a whole.
Their mere existence makes educating yourself and going on fun side projects much less rewarding. Like yeah , I did something, but with an LLM I could have done this in a quarter of the time. And when you do take the black pill and vibe-code, it’s even worse. It’s not like you did anything. The machine did that.
Then there’s the atrophying effects on human brains, their unfathomable capability for serving plausibly sounding misinformation and the climate disaster that we’re just kinda ignoring. All very fun things to think about.
Criteria / The experiment #
As mentioned before, there’s no way to effectively detect slop, so I propose a rough 3 tier system based on the aesthetics of the repo:
Mostly AI This is mostly for projects that have significant LLM smells and means I expect >50% of the code is LLM authored. Any kind of agentic infrastructure automatically lands an app in this tier as I do not believe it is possible to use AI responsibly from within a coding harness.
Hard to say / Mostly human / Other Occasional LLM commits either by maintainers or contributors, but mostly looks human. May have an LLM policy which permits certain uses. This tag means I expect <50% of the code is LLM authored.
No signs of AI Could not find anything suspicious/Has a strict LLM policy.
Note that my rating will still be quite superficial and the tiers quite loose. I did not build a “slop detector” or anything like that, so my decisions are based on looking at recent commits and their content along with the project’s branding.
Also note that since I have no way of knowing for sure, there may be errors. I still believe most of my findings to be accurate however.
I will also not look at the history of the app. If it has existed since 2014 but recent commits are LLM authored it will be categorized as “mostly AI”
The apps chosen were the batch of updates pushed to F-Droid on September 12, 2026. That amounted to 102 apps, which was quite a lot of work for me to go through.😅
If you just want the results, feel free to skip to the results
Apps #
Amber #
Description: Nostr event signer for Android
Repository: https://github.com/greenart7c3/Amber
Justification: All recent commits were done with LLM, PRs accepted from agents, Claude Code and Codex infrastructure present.
Aria for Misskey # Description: Dive into the interplanetary microblogging platform 🚀
Repository: https://github.com/poppingmoon/aria
Justification: This is a hard one as commit naming and structure felt a bit suspicious, but I did not see anything else and decided to err on the side of caution
Atmo Engine # Description: Animated wallpapers with Atmosphere, Glass, Canvas Sketch and playlists.
Repository: https://github.com/saad-khan-rind/nosatmosphereeffect
Justification: Heavy emoji usage in the README, but otherwise nothing looks suspicious.
Aves Libre # Description: Gallery and metadata explorer
Repository: https://github.com/deckerst/aves
Justification: Nothing looked suspicious
Balance # Description: Private offline bank balance dashboard
Repository: https://github.com/AshkanRafiee/balance
Justification: Code and commits exhibit various AI smells.
Baly Groceries Tracker # Description: Track your groceries, without worrying about running out.
Repository: https://github.com/rw-account/baly_groceries_tracker
Justification: Code and commits exhibit various AI smells.
Bati: Fitness RPG # Description: Turn workouts into quests, boss fights and a village built by your training.
Repository: https://github.com/Guiforge/bati
Justification: AI disclosure in README (Thanks for making it easy :D)
BayesianBahn # Description: Empirical arrival-time distributions for Deutsche Bahn trains
Repository: https://github.com/DerWeh/BayesianBahn
Justification: All commits are Claude co-authored. Though it’s really funny how Deutsche Bahn sucks so hard it has enticed people to vibe-code unofficial timetables.
BeatBridge: Bluetooth Music # Description: Auto-play music when your Bluetooth car, headphones, or speakers connect.
Repository: https://github.com/brandonp2412/BeatBridge
Justification: Includes Claude Code contributions, quite a lot of the commits look to be at least AI
Binary Eye # Description: QR code and barcode scanner with no ads
Repository: https://github.com/markusfisch/BinaryEye
BlockDrop: Block Puzzle # Description: Free and open source block-stacking puzzle game. Arrange falling shapes to clear
Repository: https://github.com/brandonp2412/BlockDrop
Justification: Has infrastructure for LLMs, Claude co-authored commits.
Braincup - Brain Training # Description: Train your focus, memory and math skills.
Repository: https://github.com/SimonSchubert/Braincup
Justification: All recent commits are Claude co-authored
BVD # Description: bilibili video resource downloader
Repository: https://github.com/KafuuNeko/BiliDownload
Justification: All recent commits look LLM authored
CaptureCap # Description: Record and Stream Audio and/or Screen
Repository: https://github.com/yepgoryo/CaptureCap
Justification: Has an AI disclosure listing files written with LLM help
Casio G-Shock Smart Sync # Description: Add smart functions to your Casio square BT G-Shock Watch.
Repository: https://github.com/izivkov/CasioGShockSmartSync
Justification: AI artifacts such as planning .md files pushed to repo.
Chompass - Calorie Tracker # Description: Ad-free AI calorie tracker. Snap, speak, or type meals. Open source.
Repository: https://codeberg.org/fitguy/chompass
Justification: Recent commits look AI authored. Note that this repository is hosted on Codeberg and likely violates their terms of use.
DeltaSync # Description: Encrypted KeePass sync — requires your own self-hosted server.
Repository: https://gitlab.com/Star95/keepass-deltasync
Justification: All recent commits co-authored by Claude Opus 5
DuressKeyboard # Description: Keyboard that reacts to triggers and performs security actions
Repository: https://github.com/pofesk0/lastcodeduresskeyboard
Justification: This may be the most confusing repo I’ve ever seen lol. Has been in development since November of 2025, but the owner doesn’t seem to know how to use git??? All the commits have seemingly been done by copy pasting the change code by hand through the GitHub web file editor. Quite bizarre!
eQuran # Description: Read, listen, choose from 5 reciters, and track your Quran journey.
Repository: https://github.com/ya27hw/equran_app
Justification: Has infrastructure for agents; most recent commit looks LLM generated.
evcc - solar charging # Description: charge your EV when the sun is shining or electricity is cheap and clean
Repository: https://github.com/evcc-io/app
Justification: Agent infrastructure; Claude co-authorship of commits; even commits without explict co-authorship look largely LLM generated.
Fechtkarte # Description: Warm-up drill card generator using notation credited to Joachim Meyer
Repository: https://github.com/J0s3f/Fechtkarte
Justification: Agent infrastructure; commits and code look LLM generated
Feeder # Description: An awesome Libre and Open Source RSS feed reader
Repository: https://github.com/spacecowboy/Feeder
Justification: Most recent code commits look LLM generated, accepted PRs from agents. Quite unfortunate, as this is the first app in this list that I actually use, but it works.
Felicity Music Player # Description: Advance audiophile grade offline music player.
Repository: https://github.com/Hamza417/Felicity
Justification: Several commits I checked exhibit signs of heavy LLM use.
FixupXer - URL Enhancer # Description: Clean URL tracking, fix embeds (X, IG, FB, TikTok, Bluesky), catch link leaks
Repository: https://github.com/NeatCode-Labs/fixupxer
Justification: AI generated icon + all recent commits look LLM generated.
Flexify: Gym Workout Log # Description: Log workouts, reps, cardio, and rest timers. Track strength offline.
Repository: https://github.com/brandonp2412/Flexify
Justification: Lot of LLM infrastructure; code looks almost entirely AI.
Forkyz # Description: Crossword puzzles application, download and play.
Repository: https://gitlab.com/Hague/forkyz
Justification: LLM infrastructure; recent commits look entirely LLM generated.
Gem Wallet: Bitcoin, USDT, BNB # Description: Secure crypto wallet for 100+ blockchains: Bitcoin, USDT, ETH, Solana, and more.
Repository: https://github.com/gemwalletcom/wallet
Justification: LLM infrastructure; recent commits look entirely LLM generated.
GeoWeather # Description: Modern weather app with 16-day forecast for multiple cities
Repository: https://github.com/FreetimeMaker/GeoWeather
Justification: Most recent commits look LLM generated.
GitHub Trending & Hacker News # Description: Daily AI picks from GitHub Trending, Hacker News & Product Hunt.
Repository: https://github.com/HarlonWang/TrendingAI
Justification: All recent commits Claude co-authored.
GPTMobile # Description: Your all in one chat assistant - Chat with multiple LLMs at once!
Repository: https://github.com/Taewan-P/gpt_mobile
Justification: Most recent commits look LLM generated.
GymMane # Description: Dark, offline gym log. Tap the muscle, log your sets, watch your numbers move.
Repository: https://github.com/InlitX/GymMane
Justification: README got that LLM emoji vomit; recent commits look AI
Harp # Description: Private on-device Personal Health Record Application
Repository: https://git.sr.ht/~lepisma/harp-kmp
Justification: My browser could not get through the sourcehut bot-detection test for some reason, so I was unable to check code. Saw one commit co-authored by Claude, status of others remains unknown.
Hue Spill # Description: Fill the entire board with a single color.
Repository: https://github.com/sidhant947/HueSpill
Justification: Very new, only few commits. UI looks vibe-coded though and UI is all this game has.
invoice, quote, delivery note # Description: Invoice in 10 seconds — bundle quotes and delivery notes into invoices!
Repository: https://github.com/gatesuperapp/g8-invoicing
Justification: All recent commits look entirely AI generated
KeyStoreViewer # Description: Quickly view MD5, SHA1, and Public Keys for App Signatures.
Repository: https://github.com/qdsfdhvh/KeyStoreViewer
Justification: Most recent commits look entirely AI generated.
kitshn (for Tandoor) # Description: An unofficial client for the self-hosted Tandoor recipe management software.
Repository: https://github.com/kitshn-app/kitshn
Justification: Most recent commits look entirely AI generated.
Klick'r - Smart AutoClicker # Description: Automating clicks based on what is displayed
Repository: https://github.com/Nain57/Smart-AutoClicker
Lens HRV # Description: Measure heart-rate variability with your phone camera, no extra sensors
Repository: https://github.com/LensHRV/lenshrv-app
Justification: Born from one +10k LOC “init” commit. 2 remaining commits look LLM authored
Léon – The URL Cleaner # Description: Removes tracking & other redundant parameters from web links for sharing
Repository: https://github.com/leon-cleaning-services/leon
Justification: LLM infrastructure; recent commits look entirely LLM generated.
LetterBox # Description: LetterBox is a simple kids game for learning letters
Repository: https://gitlab.com/muelli/letterbox
Justification: Most recent commits look entirely AI generated.
Libre Contacts Backup # Description: Offline and encrypted contact backups
Repository: https://github.com/AshkanRafiee/Libre-Contacts-Backup
Justification: All recent commits look entirely AI generated.
Lissen: Audiobookshelf client # Description: Clean Audiobookshelf Player
Repository: https://github.com/GrakovNe/lissen-android/
Justification: Most recent commits look entirely AI generated.
MainTask # Description: Reminders for your recurring tasks: filters, plants, backups, car checks…
Repository: https://codeberg.org/kapoue/MainTask
Justification: All recent commits co-authored by Claude Sonnet 5. Note that this repository is hosted on Codeberg and likely violates their terms of use.
Mako # Description: Privacy-first Android launcher designed for focus, speed, and simplicity.
Repository: https://github.com/rama-io/mako
Justification: I see some commits that look LLM generated, but others look human. Let’s err on the side of caution.
MarketMonk: Stock Tracker # Description: Track stocks, build a portfolio, and view performance charts.
Repository: https://github.com/brandonp2412/MarketMonk
Justification: LLM infrastructure; recent commits look entirely LLM generated.
Markleaf # Description: Local-first Markdown notes with tags, search, and file export
Repository: https://github.com/jeiel85/markleaf-android
Justification: LLM infrastructure; recent commits look entirely LLM generated.
MateDroid # Description: View Tesla vehicle data from your self-hosted Teslamate instance
Repository: https://github.com/vide/matedroid
Justification: LLM infrastructure; recent commits look entirely LLM generated.
Materialious # Description: Modern material design for YouTube and Invidious.
Repository: https://github.com/Materialious/Materialious
Justification: Only a brief look, but nothing jumped out as suspicious.
MetaGer: Search & Browser # Description: Anonymous search and tab groups, private browsing with tracker and ad blocking.
Repository: https://gitlab.metager.de/metager/metager-app
Justification: LLM infrastructure; recent commits look entirely LLM generated.
Mihrab: Prayer Times & Quran # Description: Adhan alarms, qibla compass, the Madinah mushaf, widgets. No trackers.
Repository: https://github.com/Hassan-PS/Mihrab
Justification: LLM infrastructure; recent commits look entirely LLM generated.
Minesweeper # Description: Beautiful Minesweeper. No ads, no trackers, no permissions.
Repository: https://github.com/john-athan/minesweeper
Justification: Most recent commits look entirely AI generated. So does the UI.
MinkLauncher OpenSource # Description: A minimal, keyboard-first Android home-screen launcher
Repository: https://github.com/katoaapps/openminilaunch
Justification: Was suspicious about the incredibly verbose README, but could not find anything else.
motd # Description: Native IRC client with a modern chat interface
Repository: https://github.com/trevarj/motd
Justification: LLM infrastructure; recent commits look entirely LLM generated.
N-Zik # Description: A modern, multilingual YouTube Music client for Android with offline support.
Repository: https://github.com/N-Zik-Group/N-Zik
Justification: LLM infrastructure; recent commits look entirely LLM generated.
neutriNote CE # Description: A hub of written thoughts in fast searchable plain text
Repository: https://github.com/appml/neutrinote
Nextcloud # Description: Synchronization client
Repository: https://github.com/nextcloud/android
Justification: Has LLM infrastructure, but most commits look human.
Nextcloud Pantry # Description: Shared household lists, photos & notes on your own server — and on your watch.
Repository: https://github.com/chenasraf/pantry-flutter
Justification: Most recent commits look entirely AI generated. So does the UI