IdleDev
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What is IdleDev?
IdleDev is an ad platform built for the terminal that lets developers earn passive income while their AI coding agent thinks. Every time Claude Code pauses to think (during tool calls, network waits, or thinking steps), IdleDev slots a tiny native ad into the Claude Code status bar. Real businesses bid in a live auction for these slots, and developers earn from both impressions and clicks without any interruption to their workflow.
Key features include: a globally installed CLI (idledev-cli) that auto-hooks Claude Code's status line, a live bid-market auction that runs every 5 seconds, an earnings dashboard showing real-time accrual, and a flat 65% revenue split to developers with no tiers or upsells. The CLI polls every 5 seconds, rotates top 5 live campaigns by rank, and pays 5× the impression bid for clicks. Hard caps exist at $50/hour and $300/day per device, enforced server-side.
IdleDev is for developers who use Claude Code (CLI + VS Code) and want to earn passively while coding. It's India-first, built for Indian developers and advertisers with UPI payouts, but global expansion is coming. Advertisers are real businesses who fund campaigns via Cashfree (UPI, cards, netbanking) in rupees with self-serve campaign management.
Privacy is a core promise: IdleDev never reads your code, files, or prompts. The CLI only sends your device token plus an anonymous targeting hint (hour-of-day). No telemetry on what you're building, no file watchers, no path scraping. Ads are sanitized of terminal escape sequences before render to prevent shell hijacking, and bot-style requests are rejected.
The reward pool is structured with one budget split into three pools: $50 for impressions (1,000 imps = $32.50 to devs = $0.0325 per impression), $25 for clicks (100 clicks = $16.25 to devs = $0.1625 per click), and $25 for signups (10 signups = $16.25 to devs = $1.625 per verified signup). House ads (IdleDev's own promos) don't pay out.
IdleDev pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Free for developers to install and earn. Developers keep 65% flat of every bid with no Pro tier or upsell. Advertisers fund campaigns with Cashfree in rupees (UPI, cards, netbanking) with India-first pricing. Can pause, resume, or delete campaigns any time. Estimated earnings: up to $32.50 per 1,000 impressions ($0.0325 per impression), $0.16 per click, $1.63 per verified signup. Hard caps at $50/hour and $300/day per device enforced server-side. Payouts to devs via UPI in 10 days for Indian developers.
IdleDev pros
- 65% flat revenue split to devs with no tiers or upsell
- Earn passively while AI agent thinks during coding
- One-line native ad in status bar, no popups or interruptions
- Never reads code, files, or prompts - privacy first
- Install in 30 seconds with one CLI command, zero deps
- Works on macOS, Linux, Windows with Node 18+
- Real-time earnings dashboard showing accrued earnings
- Live auction runs every 5 seconds with bid-market rotation
- Clicks worth 5× impression bid (press o + Enter or click link)
- House ads don't pay out, only real advertiser campaigns
- UPI payouts in 10 days for Indian developers
- Self-serve advertiser platform with Cashfree funding
- Hard caps enforced server-side at $50/hr and $300/day
- Ads sanitized of terminal escape sequences before render
- Reach 27+ million AI-coding developers globally
IdleDev cons
- Only works with Claude Code (CLI + VS Code) currently
- India-first only, global expansion not yet live
- Only one ad surface live: status bar sponsored line
- 0 campaigns currently bidding (new platform)
- UPI payouts take 10 days, not instant
- Hard caps may limit high-usage developers earnings
- Requires Node 18+ which some older setups may lack
- Only 5-second impression windows, must stay on screen
Frequently asked questions about IdleDev
What is IdleDev and how does it work?
IdleDev is an ad platform built for the terminal where developers earn passively while their AI agent thinks. Every time Claude Code pauses to think (during tool calls, network waits, or thinking steps), IdleDev slots a tiny native ad into the status bar. Real businesses bid in a live auction every 5 seconds, and developers earn from impressions and clicks. The CLI only sends your device token plus an anonymous targeting hint - never your code, files, or prompts.
How much can I earn with IdleDev?
Estimated earnings are up to $32.50 per 1,000 impressions ($0.0325 per impression), $0.16 per click, and $1.63 per verified signup. Each 5-second window the ad is on screen equals 1 impression. Clicks are worth 5× an impression bid. Hard caps exist at $50/hour and $300/day per device, enforced server-side. Developers keep 65% of every bid flat with no tiers.
Does IdleDev read my code or prompts?
No. IdleDev never reads your code, files, or prompts. The CLI only sends your device token plus an anonymous targeting hint (hour-of-day). No telemetry on what you're building, no file watchers, and no path scraping. This privacy-first approach is a core promise of the platform.
Which AI agents does IdleDev support?
Currently, IdleDev only works with Claude Code (CLI + VS Code). More agents are on the roadmap but not yet live. The platform is focused on one surface today: a one-line sponsored ad in the Claude Code status bar.
How do I install IdleDev?
Install in 30 seconds with one CLI command: run 'npm i -g idledev-cli' then 'idledev install' to auto-hook Claude Code's status line. Grab your device token from the earnings dashboard and run 'idledev signin <token>'. Restart Claude Code and ads appear in the status line. Works on macOS, Linux, Windows with Node 18+.
What is the revenue split for developers?
Developers keep 65% flat of every bid with no Pro tier, no upsell, and no tiers. Most ad networks keep 50%+ for themselves, but IdleDev doesn't. For every $100 an advertiser spends, $32.50 goes to devs for impressions, $16.25 for clicks, and $1.625 per verified signup.
How do clicks work and how much are they worth?
Clicks are worth 5× the impression bid. Press 'o + Enter' in Claude Code or click the OSC 8 link in the status bar to count as a click. The estimated click rate is $0.1625 per click ($25 pool for 100 clicks, 65% to devs). Each click is paid when the advertiser fires a server-side confirmation webhook.
When do I get paid and how?
UPI cash-out goes live in 10 days for Indian developers. Your earnings ledger is already accruing today in the earnings dashboard. Payouts are via UPI for India-first users, with global payout methods coming soon. The more engagement you drive (impressions, clicks, signups), the more you earn.
Are there any security concerns with ads in my terminal?
No. Ads are sanitized of terminal escape sequences before render, so a malicious advertiser can't hijack your shell. Bot-style requests (wrong User-Agent, polls faster than 3s) are rejected and logged. The CLI only polls every 5 seconds and never double-counts the same ad if it re-wins.
What if there are no campaigns bidding right now?
The platform is new and currently has 0 campaigns bidding. The top bid shows ₹0 ($0) with 0% change today. As more advertisers join via the self-serve platform (fund with Cashfree in rupees), the auction will have active bids. Developers can still install and their earnings ledger will accrue when campaigns start bidding.