Flappy Claude

A terminal-based Flappy Bird game that integrates with Claude Code hooks to provide entertainment during wait times.

Quick Start

uvx flappy-claude

Controls

• SPACE - Flap / Resume from pause
• Y - Return to Claude (when Claude is waiting)
• Q / ESC - Quit

Claude Code Integration

Flappy Claude integrates with Claude Code hooks to automatically:

• Prompt to play when Claude is working on a long task
• Pause the game when Claude asks you a question
• Notify you when Claude finishes and is ready for input

How It Works

1. PreToolUse Hook: Monitors Claude's tool usage. After several tool calls in a conversation turn, prompts you to play while Claude works.
2. Stop Hook: Fires when Claude finishes a response. Signals the game that Claude is ready, showing a prompt to return.
3. Pause on Question: When Claude uses AskUserQuestion, the game pauses with a 4-second cooldown so you can switch to answer Claude.

Installation

Option 1: Claude Code Plugin (Recommended)

Install as a Claude Code plugin for automatic hook configuration:

# Add the marketplace (if using a custom marketplace)
/plugin marketplace add yourusername/flappy-claude

# Install the plugin
/plugin install flappy-claude

Or install directly from GitHub:

/plugin install github:yourusername/flappy-claude

That's it! The hooks are automatically configured.

Option 2: Manual Installation

If you prefer manual setup:

1. Copy the hook scripts to your Claude Code hooks directory:

   mkdir -p ~/.claude/hooks
   curl -o ~/.claude/hooks/pretooluse.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/yourusername/flappy-claude/main/hooks/pretooluse.sh
   curl -o ~/.claude/hooks/stop.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/yourusername/flappy-claude/main/hooks/stop.sh
   chmod +x ~/.claude/hooks/*.sh
   

2. Configure Claude Code by adding hooks to your settings file.

   Edit ~/.claude/settings.json (create if it doesn't exist):

   {
     "hooks": {
       "PreToolUse": [
         {
           "matcher": "*",
           "hooks": ["~/.claude/hooks/pretooluse.sh"]
         }
       ],
       "Stop": [
         {
           "matcher": "*",
           "hooks": ["~/.claude/hooks/stop.sh"]
         }
       ]
     }
   }
   

The game runs via uvx flappy-claude - no Python installation required!

Hook Behavior

PreToolUse Hook (pretooluse.sh)

Triggers during Claude's tool execution with the following conditions:

• Only prompts once every 10 conversation turns
• Requires at least 5 tool calls in the current turn before prompting
• Only prompts when a terminal app is in focus (macOS)
• Pauses the game immediately when Claude asks a question (AskUserQuestion tool)

Configuration variables at the top of pretooluse.sh:

TURNS_BETWEEN_PROMPTS=10    # Conversation turns between play prompts
MIN_TOOL_CALLS=5            # Minimum tool calls before prompting

Stop Hook (stop.sh)

Triggers when Claude finishes a response:

• Writes "ready" signal if game is running
• Game shows prompt: "Claude has finished! [Y] Return to Claude [N] Keep playing"
• Auto-closes after 10 seconds if no input

Game States

State	Description	Controls
Waiting	Start screen before playing	SPACE to start
Playing	Active gameplay	SPACE to flap, Q to quit
Paused	Claude asked a question	Wait 4s, then SPACE to resume
Prompted	Claude finished working	Y to return, N to keep playing
Claude Waiting	Playing after dismissing prompt	Header shows "CLAUDE WAITING", Y to return

File Locations

File	Purpose
/tmp/flappy-claude-signal	IPC signal file ("ready" or "pause")
/tmp/flappy-claude-lock	Lock directory (indicates game is running)
/tmp/flappy-claude-hook.log	Debug log for hook activity
~/.flappy-claude/highscore	Persistent high score

Troubleshooting

Game doesn't pause when Claude asks a question:

• Ensure the game was started after the hook updates (restart the game)
• Check that the lock directory exists: ls -la /tmp/flappy-claude-lock
• Check the hook log: tail -f /tmp/flappy-claude-hook.log

Prompt to play never appears:

• Verify hooks are installed: ls ~/.claude/hooks/
• Check Claude Code settings include the hooks configuration
• Ensure terminal is in focus (hook checks frontmost app on macOS)
• May need to wait for 5+ tool calls and 10+ conversation turns

Game doesn't detect Claude is ready:

• Check signal file: cat /tmp/flappy-claude-signal
• Verify stop hook is configured in settings.json

Development

# Run locally
uv run python -m flappy_claude

# Run tests
uv run pytest

# Single-life mode (exit on death instead of auto-restart)
uv run python -m flappy_claude --single-life

# Custom signal file location
uv run python -m flappy_claude --signal-file /tmp/my-signal

License

MIT