Interface
Can an agent reproduce the visible product?
Modern coding agents are good at screens, forms, CRUD, charts, and familiar interaction patterns. This is usually the easiest layer, and the least defensible moat.
Methodology
Code is only one layer of a product.
We score the part an AI coding agent can build, then subtract the parts a prompt cannot manufacture: proprietary data, network effects, rights, trust, compliance, and dependable operations.
Core workflow
Does the smaller version still do the job?
We isolate the repeatable personal workflow from the vendor's full platform. A narrow tool that handles one real job is more valuable than a fake clone with dozens of dead controls.
Data access
Can the required data be obtained legally and reliably?
Search indexes, market data, maps, social graphs, licensed media, and historical datasets cannot be generated into existence. If data is the product, code is not the blocker.
Operations
Who keeps it working next month?
Retries, deliverability, queues, backups, support, abuse prevention, API migrations, and monitoring rarely appear in a demo prompt. We count them because you inherit them.
Trust & safety
Is DIY acceptable when it fails?
Security, payroll, legal, identity, finance, and regulated workflows need more than feature parity. Audits, accountability, recovery, and qualified human review change the verdict.
Verdict rules
What the labels actually mean
Strong build
A focused personal version can preserve the main value without a hard external dependency.
Scoped build
The core is achievable, but collaboration, integrations, mobile polish, or operations leave meaningful gaps.
Weak replacement
The product is primarily a network, dataset, regulated service, rights catalogue, or infrastructure operation.
A demo is not a replacement.
Every build brief adds the parts agents tend to skip: persistent data, validation, error states, accessibility, backups, secrets, logs, tests, responsive behaviour, deployment notes, and explicit non-goals. It also bans fake integrations and hard-coded success states.
Find a build brief