thinkmax for VS Code

Quick puzzles and reply alerts for Codex and Claude Code in VS Code.

Install

Install thinkmax from the VS Code Marketplace. For a .vsix file, open Extensions → … → Install from VSIX…. Reload VS Code after an update.

Requires desktop VS Code 1.96 or later and Codex or Claude Code installed and signed in.

Start

Open a trusted project and run codex or claude in the VS Code terminal. thinkmax detects the session and opens a puzzle. To play at any time, run thinkmax: Play a Puzzle from the Command Palette or click thinkmax in the status bar.

Activity alerts connect automatically in trusted projects. Codex may ask you to trust thinkmax hooks in /hooks; restart the terminal if prompted. For terminals outside the project, run thinkmax: Connect All Terminals to add account-wide hooks.

Native Codex and Claude Code extensions can also report activity through verified project hooks when their backend belongs to the same VS Code window. Restart the assistant conversation after connecting hooks. Native activity does not open the puzzle automatically, and you return to those chats through the assistant extension. If ownership cannot be verified, the panel shows Activity unavailable. See [native extension compatibility] for validation and limits.

Each VS Code window has one shared puzzle for its assistant terminals. Use Open chat on an alert to return to that terminal. Puzzle progress saves automatically.

Puzzles

Lights, Lights 3D, Sum Grid, Symbol Grid, Mental Rotation, AI River, and Robot Tracks. Choose a puzzle and difficulty in the panel; hints are available as you play.

Settings

Run thinkmax: Settings to change puzzle selection, difficulty, automatic opening, notifications, or terminal behavior. Use thinkmax: Disconnect This Project to remove project hooks, or thinkmax: Disconnect Account Alerts to remove account-wide hooks.

Privacy and compatibility

Activity signals stay local. thinkmax does not read prompts, replies, or transcripts. Hooks preserve existing settings. Codex may update features.daemon_auto_start so alerts can identify the right terminal; disconnect restores its original value if unchanged.

Tested on macOS; Windows support is included but has not been live-tested. Remote SSH, WSL, and container terminals are not supported.

Development

Press F5 to open an Extension Development Host. Run npm test, npm run check, and python3 scripts/package.py from this folder to check and package the extension.