Idlen – Turn AI Thinking Time into Passive Income
What it does
- Installs as a VS Code or Chrome extension (also works with Cursor, Lovable, Bolt, etc.)
- Monitors the package.json of your project locally to decide which developer-tool ads to show during AI-model response pauses
- Every time an ad is displayed you earn credits that can be withdrawn via Stripe/PayPal or spent as API credits, giving a 10% bonus
Key Features
- Zero latency – ads are served only while you wait for AI responses, so your workflow isn't slowed down
- 100% privacy – the ad selection runs entirely on your machine; source code never leaves your computer
- Earnings – typical users earn €20–€100 per month; plans range up to €5,000/mo for high-volume developers
- Wide platform support – works with Claude, ChatGPT, V0, Bolt, Lovable, Cursor, Replit, and more
- Flexible payouts – Stripe/PayPal withdrawals at a €50 threshold, or convert earnings to API credits with a 10% bonus
Target Users
- Developers who regularly use AI assistants in VS Code, Cursor, or Chrome extensions
- No-code builders, indie hackers, and freelancers who want to offset subscription costs for Claude, GPT-4, etc
- Teams looking for a privacy-first way to monetize idle compute cycles in their development process
Why it stands out
- First-ever solution that directly converts AI wait time into revenue without extra actions
- Ads are curated for relevance to developers (hosting, databases, APIs, SaaS tools)
- No-code setup; the extension auto-detects your project and starts earning as soon as you start a prompt
Getting started
- Install the Idlen extension from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace or Chrome Web Store
- Add Idlen to your VS Code or Chrome browser and sign in
- The extension runs automatically; earnings appear in your dashboard
- Once you reach €50 you can withdraw via Stripe/PayPal or convert to API credits
Start earning while you code – install Idlen today!
