Simon Willison — 2026-05-15#

Highlight#

Simon’s latest AI-assisted project is a lightweight QR code generator built entirely with the help of Claude. It perfectly highlights his ongoing exploration of “vibe-coding” to quickly spin up practical, small-scoped utilities for everyday tasks.

Posts#

[QR code generator] · Source Simon used Claude to write a custom tool for instantly generating QR codes. The utility gracefully handles standard text and URL inputs, and also features a dedicated mode for generating QR codes that connect mobile devices to WiFi networks. It serves as another practical demonstration of using generative AI to rapidly build, iterate, and ship helpful little tools.

[inaturalist-clumper 0.1] · Source Simon announced the 0.1 release of inaturalist-clumper, a piece of infrastructure he developed to publish his iNaturalist sightings directly to his blog. After running the code in production for several weeks, he iterated on its mechanics and decided it was ready for an official versioned release. The tool works by outputting a compiled JSON file of his observations, streamlining his personal site’s integration with the broader nature-tracking ecosystem.

Project Pulse#

Today’s updates perfectly reflect Simon’s dual focus: leveraging modern LLMs for rapid front-end utility generation while steadily iterating on the bespoke, data-driven backend infrastructure powering his personal site.