Background timers — a heartbeat timer runs every second in the extension
host and schedules a break every 20 minutes (configurable).
Annoying sound — when a break starts, Eyesbreaker plays a generated alarm
through the OS audio player (no webview autoplay restrictions). Choose from
alarm, beep, or siren.
20-second countdown popup — a full webview panel appears with a big
countdown, a progress bar, and the 20-20-20 instructions. It disappears
automatically after 20 seconds.
Webview settings — an Activity Bar panel styled like the reference
AISUG project, with toggles, number
inputs, a dropdown, and a volume slider. Everything is saved to VS Code
settings.
Status bar countdown — see the time until your next break at a glance.
Snooze — postpone a break without disabling reminders permanently.
How it works
On startup, activate() starts a background
setInterval heartbeat and schedules the first break.
When the timer fires, BreakReminderController
opens a webview panel and starts the 20-second countdown.
AnnoyingSoundPlayer generates a PCM WAV at runtime and
plays it via System.Media.SoundPlayer (Windows), afplay (macOS), or
paplay/aplay (Linux).
When the countdown reaches zero, the panel closes and the next break is
scheduled automatically.
Commands
Command
Description
Eyesbreaker: Open Settings
Open the Activity Bar settings webview
Eyesbreaker: Start Break Now
Trigger a break immediately (handy for testing)
Eyesbreaker: Toggle Reminders
Enable or disable reminders
Settings
Setting
Default
Description
eyesbreaker.enabled
true
Master switch for reminders
eyesbreaker.intervalMinutes
20
Minutes between breaks (1–120)
eyesbreaker.breakSeconds
20
Seconds the reminder stays visible (5–300)
eyesbreaker.soundEnabled
true
Play the annoying sound
eyesbreaker.soundVolume
1
Sound volume (0.0–1.0)
eyesbreaker.soundPattern
alarm
alarm, beep, or siren
eyesbreaker.snoozeMinutes
5
Minutes to snooze a break (1–60)
Recommendations
Keep the default 20 / 20 / 20 values — they match the optometric
guidance the extension is based on.
Leave the sound on but lower eyesbreaker.soundVolume if you work in an
open office; the "annoying" part is the point, but volume should stay
courteous.
Use Snooze only when you are in the middle of something critical — it
postpones the current break without turning the whole feature off.
Pair this with a standing/water reminder for an even healthier workday.
Development
npm install
npm run compile
Then press F5 in VS Code to launch an Extension Development Host with
Eyesbreaker running. To test quickly without waiting 20 minutes, run the
Eyesbreaker: Start Break Now command or use the Test Break Now button in
the settings webview.
