A new Hacker News project called brb is quietly solving one of the most annoying problems in modern coding: waiting. The plugin watches Claude Code while it churns through a long task, then after 10 seconds—configurable to your preference—opens a native panel giving you somewhere else to go. X, Reddit, HN, whatever rabbit hole you've been avoiding. You browse. Claude finishes. You're back before the coffee gets cold.

How It Works

The setup is refreshingly simple: brb integrates directly with Claude Code and monitors when the AI assistant hits what it considers a 'long turn.' By default, that's 10 seconds, but you can tune this threshold to match your attention span—or your project's complexity. When triggered, a native panel slides open with quick links to whatever sites you've configured. The moment Claude signals it's done or needs input, brb snaps you back to the terminal. It's like having a secretary who knows exactly when to interrupt you.

The Philosophy Behind ADHDmaxxing

The creator's framing is honest and a little bit funny: this is explicitly marketed as an 'adhdmaxxing' tool. For developers with attention challenges—or anyone who's spent 45 minutes staring at their screen waiting for an LLM to finish thinking—this isn't about laziness. It's about working *with* your brain instead of against it. The plugin acknowledges that fighting the urge to check notifications is exhausting, so why not schedule those distractions intentionally?

Why This Matters for AI Coding Workflows

Claude Code, Cursor, and similar AI pair programming tools are becoming standard in developer workflows. But they introduce a new kind of idle time: you're present but not actively coding while the model thinks. Traditional productivity advice says to stay focused. brb suggests that waiting is already broken for many developers—and maybe the better move is structured context-switching rather than willpower-based focus maintenance.

Key Takeaways

  • Default 10-second threshold triggers a distraction panel with your configured sites when Claude Code hits long tasks
  • Fully configurable: adjust wait time and customize which sites appear in the native panel
  • Explicitly marketed as an 'adhdmaxxing' tool designed for developers working with ADHD or attention challenges
  • Snaps you back to terminal automatically once Claude signals completion or requests input

The Bottom Line

Look, you could force yourself to stare at a terminal progress bar like it's 1999. Or you could use tooling designed around how brains actually work in 2026. brb isn't for everyone, but for developers who recognize themselves in this problem, it might be the difference between a productive coding session and three hours of Instagram disguised as 'waiting.' The code's on GitHub at usebrb/brb—judge it yourself.