Cognitive Drift Detector

A Visual Studio Code extension that detects when your mental context has drifted.

This is attention analytics — not productivity analytics.

Overview

Cognitive Drift Detector watches patterns, not performance:

• lots of file jumping
• repeated backtracking (A → B → A)
• long idle gaps while still switching context

It shows a passive status indicator:

• 🟢 Drift: Low
• 🟡 Drift: Medium
• 🔴 Drift: High

When drift is high, click the indicator for gentle “re-orient” actions.

Key Features

• Drift scoring — based on file switches, backtracking, and idle time
• Status bar indicator — always passive
• Re-orient actions — open Recent Files / Open Editors / Explorer
• Notifications are off by default — optional gentle reminder

Commands

Settings

{
  "cognitiveDrift.enabled": true,
  "cognitiveDrift.lookbackMinutes": 8,
  "cognitiveDrift.switchesForHigh": 10,
  "cognitiveDrift.idleSeconds": 90,
  "cognitiveDrift.notifications": false
}

Use Cases

“I’m bouncing and not progressing”

The indicator helps you notice drift early.

Re-orienting without guilt

Use the built-in actions to re-anchor.

License

MIT License — see LICENSE.