Simply by mixing in water, a liphophilic dipeptide (L), a surfactant (S), and a fluorophore (F) self-assemble to give a sensor able to detect Cu(II) ions (see scheme). Despite the ease of construction, the sensor displays high selectivity and a low detection limit for the target ion. This new modular approach to sensing devices allows easy variations of the components, making optimization of the system very simple and fast.