---
title: The Magic of Repeated ‘Improve It’ Prompts
date: "2025-04-18T10:02:37Z"
lastmod: "2025-04-18T10:08:48Z"
categories:
  - coding
  - llms
wp_id: 4045
description: "Repeatedly telling a capable model to 'improve it' can evolve trivial code into surprisingly rich interactive apps, revealing iterative prompting as a creative search process."
keywords: [auto-improve, iterative prompting, GPT-4.1 Nano, code generation, creative search, UI evolution]
---

![The Magic of Repeated ‘Improve It’ Prompts](/blog/assets/screenshot-1.webp)

What if you **keep** ask an LLM `Improve the code - dramatically!`?

We used the new [GPT 4.1 Nano](https://platform.openai.com/docs/models/gpt-4.1-nano), a fast, cheap, and capable model, to write code for **simple** tasks like "Draw a circle".

The we fed the output back and asked again, `Improve the code - dramatically!`

Here are the results.

<a href="https://sanand0.github.io/autoimprove/">![](/blog/assets/screenshot-1.webp)</a>

- [`Draw a circle`](https://sanand0.github.io/autoimprove/#apps/circle.json) rose from a fixed circle to a full tool: drag it around, tweak its size and hue, and hit “Reset” to start fresh.
- [`Animate shapes and patterns`](https://sanand0.github.io/autoimprove/#apps/shapes.json) turned simple circles and squares into a swarm of colored polygons that spin, pulse, and link up by distance.
- [`Draw a fully functional analog clock`](https://sanand0.github.io/autoimprove/#apps/clock.json) grew from a bare face to one that builds all 60 tick marks in code—no manual copy‑paste needed.
- [`Create an interactive particle simulation`](https://sanand0.github.io/autoimprove/#apps/particles.json) went from plain white dots on black to hundreds of bright, color‑shifting balls that bounce, die, and come back to life.
- [`Generate a fractal`](https://sanand0.github.io/autoimprove/#apps/fractal.json) changed from a single Mandelbrot image to an explorer you can zoom, drag, and reset with sliders and the mouse wheel.
- [`Generate a dashboard`](https://sanand0.github.io/autoimprove/#apps/dashboard.json) jumped from static charts to a live page with smooth card animations, modern fonts, and a real‑time stats box.

A few observations.

**Models are getting **much** more reliable**. Even a low cost model like [GPT 4.1 Nano](https://platform.openai.com/docs/models/gpt-4.1-nano) wrote error-free code in ~100 retries.

**When pushed, they tend to brag**. They attach grand titles like "Ultimate Interactive Circle" or "Galactic Data Universe". They sin out flash descriptions like "This dramatically upgraded clock features a pulsating neon glow, animated pulsing background glow, highly stylized tick marks, …"

**A simple prompt like `Improve it` can spark new ideas**, revealing features such as:

- [Fading particle trails](https://sanand0.github.io/autoimprove/#apps/particles.json)
- [Smooth fractal color maps](https://sanand0.github.io/autoimprove/#apps/fractal.json)
- [Chart.js for dashboards](https://sanand0.github.io/autoimprove/#apps/dashboard.json)
- [Cyberpunk-style clocks](https://sanand0.github.io/autoimprove/#apps/clock.json)
- … and a ["smorgasbord of intricate animated patterns"](https://sanand0.github.io/autoimprove/#apps/shapes.json)

![](https://files.s-anand.net/images/2025-04-18-llm-autoimprove-apps-linkedin.jpg)

[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Ashare%3A7318940431025614848)