Tetraphenylethylene (TPE),an archetypal luminogen with aggregation-induced emission (AIE),was grafted to a salt-responsive peptide to yield a yet luminescent hydrogelator.After testing different parameters,we found that only in the presence of salt rather than temperature,pH,and solvent,did the monodisperse hydrogelators self-assemble into a hydrogel network with bright emission turned on.The induced luminescence was a dynamic change and enabled real time monitoring of hydrogel formation.Grating AIE molecules to stimuli-responsive peptides is a promising approach for the development of self-revealings of materials for biological applications.