A unique chromism-based assay technique (CHROBA) using photochromic spiropyran-containing peptides has been firstly established for detection of protein kinase A-catalyzed phosphorylation. The alternative method has advantages that avoid isolation and/or immobilization of kinase substrates to remove excess reagents including nonreactive isotope-labeled ATP or fluorescently-labeled anti-phosphoamino acid antibodies from the reaction mixture. Such a novel protocol based on thermocoloration of the spiropyran moiety in the peptide can offer not only an efficient screening method of potent kinase substrates but also a versatile analytical tool for monitoring other post-translational modification activities.