npm · idledev-cli

Install idledev in 30 seconds

idledev wraps any terminal AI coding agent and shows a tiny sponsor sidebar next to it. You earn while your agent thinks. We never touch your code, prompts, or files.

Prerequisites Fresh install Upgrading Supported agents

Step 1

Prerequisites

Make sure your machine is ready before installing the CLI.

🪟

Windows

Node.js 18+ installed.

Recommended: run inside Windows Terminal (not plain cmd.exe) for sharp inline image rendering.

macOS

Run these once:

brew install node
brew install tmux

Need Homebrew? Install it from brew.sh. tmux is required for the Mac sidebar. chafa (sharp images) is auto-installed during npm install if Homebrew is present.

Step 2

Fresh install

On a brand new machine. Grab your token from your dev dashboard first.

npm install -g idledev-cli
idledev signin <your-token>
idledev claude

Get your token at idledev.xyz/dev

Step 3

Upgrading

Already had IdleDev installed? Read this before upgrading.

Heads up: If you previously used the sidebar version, run idledev install once after upgrading - it removes the old sidebar hook so you don't see double ads. Your token stays saved, so no need to sign in again.

npm install -g idledev-cli@latest
idledev install
idledev claude

⚡ Force a clean reinstallif upgrade seems stuck

npm uninstall -g idledev-cli
npm install -g idledev-cli

Step 4

Supported AI agents

IdleDev works with any terminal AI agent. Just replace `claude` with the agent you use. The agent must already be installed and working on its own first.

Agent	Command
Claude Code	`idledev claude`
OpenCode	`idledev opencode`
Codex CLI	`idledev codex`
Gemini CLI	`idledev gemini`
Aider	`idledev aider`
Hermes	`idledev hermes`
OpenClaw	`idledev openclaw`
Any other agent	`idledev run <agent-command>`

Step 5

How it works

What to expect once it's running.

🪟

On Windows

The sidebar appears automatically on the right while the agent is working, and hides when idle. Images render as real pixels in Windows Terminal.

On macOS

IdleDev opens a split view using tmux - agent on the left, sponsor sidebar on the right. Links are Cmd+Click-able.

🔁

Ad rotation

Ads rotate every 2 seconds. Active campaigns cycle round-robin so no single sponsor stays glued to your screen.

Ready to earn?

Grab your device token and run idledev signin.

Open dev dashboard →