Pip
Pip naps in the notch and wakes when an agent starts. It grows a little each time an agent finishes a job and each time you play, and it never shrinks.
Meet Pip, the desktop petYour notch has a pet now.
IdlePal is a Mac notch app with a pet in it. Pip wakes up when Claude Code, Cursor or Codex starts working. Play a two-minute game, feed Pip, and get back to your code when the agent is done.
A Mac app by Initiums. Coming free to the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later.
How the IdlePal Mac notch app works
Your agent opens the panel, you play for the two minutes it takes, and the panel goes away when the job is done. No agent? Press ⌥⌘G and Pip is there.
You give your agent a job.
Claude Code, Cursor or Codex starts on it.
Pip wakes up.
A small panel drops from the notch. Your keyboard stays with your editor until you click in.
The agent finishes.
If you weren't playing, the panel tucks itself away. If you were, Pip tells you, and your game is saved.
A pet, a puzzle and an idle game in the panel
The panel is a small window, 380 to 560 pixels wide, so everything in it is built to be played in 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Two of the three are free for good. The idle game comes with the one‑time unlock.
Daily puzzle
One number puzzle a day: merge tiles to make 128 in as few moves as you can. Same board for everyone, so you can compare moves.
Play today's puzzleIdle game
It keeps building while your agent works and while the panel is closed. Open the panel, collect, buy one thing, close it.
Try the previewWorks with Claude Code, Cursor and Codex
A free hook tells IdlePal when your agent starts and finishes. Claude Code and Codex also say when they need you. Cursor's hooks only cover start and finish. The hook never reads your code or prompts, and IdlePal works fine without it.
Claude Code
Two commands from the plugin marketplace. Live at launch
Sends: started, finished and needs you
Claude Code setup guideCursor
One command. It keeps your other hooks. Live at launch
Sends: started and finished
Cursor setup guideCodex
One command, then trust it once with /hooks. Live at launch
Sends: started, finished and needs you
Codex setup guideHow a Mac notch app stays out of your way
A game that drops over your editor has to be polite about it. These are the rules the panel follows, every time.
It never takes your keys first
An agent opens the panel without keyboard focus, so you can keep typing in the terminal. Click the panel or press ⌥⌘G to play.
It waits for the last agent
Two Claude Code sessions and a Codex run count as three agents. The panel stays down until the last one finishes.
It tells you, it doesn't yank
If you're mid-game when the agent finishes, you get a green banner instead of losing the game. Needs you shows an orange banner, and never opens a closed panel.
It saves when you leave
Esc or a click outside closes the panel and pauses the game, which saves. The next wait picks up where this one stopped.
Pricing: free to keep, $9.99 to unlock
One payment through the Mac App Store. No subscription, no account.
Free
$0
- Pip, the desktop pet
- The daily puzzle
- Opens with Claude Code, Cursor and Codex
Unlock
$9.99 once
- The idle game
- Every game we add later
- Extra pets and scarves for Pip
Questions about IdlePal
Does IdlePal read my code?
No. The agent hook sends IdlePal a signal (started, finished, and from Claude Code and Codex also needs you) plus a session ID so it can tell two agents apart. It never sees your prompts, your files or your agent's output, and nothing goes over the network.
Will the IdlePal panel steal my keyboard while I'm typing?
No. When an agent opens the panel, it shows up without taking keyboard focus. It only takes your keys after you click it or press ⌥⌘G. Esc or a click outside closes it and saves your game.
Do I need a MacBook with a notch to use IdlePal?
No. On Macs without a notch, Pip hangs just under the menu bar, top centre. It looks better with a notch, honestly. IdlePal needs macOS 14 or later.
Do I need Claude Code, Cursor or Codex to use IdlePal?
No. Press ⌥⌘G or click the menu bar icon and Pip is there. The agents just open the panel for you at the right moment.
When can I get IdlePal?
IdlePal is in the final stretch before the Mac App Store. Leave your email below and you'll get one message when it's out.
What does the $9.99 IdlePal unlock include?
The idle game, every game we add later, and extra pets and scarves. Pip, the daily puzzle and the agent auto-open stay free. It's a one-time payment through the Mac App Store, with no subscription and no account.
Does the IdlePal notch app make sound?
Sound is off by default. IdlePal sits on top of your work, so it stays quiet unless you choose otherwise.
Get Pip first.
One email when IdlePal is on the Mac App Store. Nothing else.
Buttondown opens in a new tab to confirm. Unsubscribe any time.
macOS 14 or later. Best on a MacBook with a notch.