Monetize the spinner in Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code and Codex CLI.

The short version: one extension, four front-ends

claudearn is one VS Code Marketplace extension. It hooks the moment your AI agent is thinking and slips a single sponsored line into that spinner — about five seconds, non-blocking, one-click reversible. You install once, point it at a wallet, and keep coding. That part is the same in every supported tool, so we cover it in one sentence and link out: spinner becomes an ad slot, you keep ~50% in USDC, full mechanics on /get-paid-to-code.

What changes tool to tool is plumbing, not money. VS Code and Cursor share the same extension host, so they install identically. Claude Code and Codex CLI reach the agent's thinking state differently, so the enable step and the exact spot the line renders differ slightly. The table below is that map.

• ▸One install covers all four — no separate build per tool.
• ▸Same line, same ~5s, same 50% USDC split everywhere.
• ▸What differs: install path and where the line sits in each spinner.

VS Code — the baseline install

VS Code is the reference target. Install claudearn from the Marketplace, paste a Solana wallet in the setup prompt, and toggle it on from the status bar. When an AI coding agent running inside VS Code (Copilot Chat, Cline, Roo, or any agent that surfaces a thinking indicator) enters its wait-state, the sponsored line renders in that progress UI for about five seconds, then clears when the agent responds.

Compatibility note: claudearn needs a recent VS Code build with extension support enabled (the default). It doesn't replace or wrap your agent — it observes the thinking state and renders one line. Your agent's behavior, output, and keybindings are untouched.

• ▸Install from the Marketplace, set wallet, flip on from the status bar.
• ▸Line renders in the agent's progress indicator during thinking.
• ▸Works alongside your existing agent extensions — no conflict, no wrapper.

Cursor — VS Code under the hood, so it just installs

Cursor is a VS Code fork and runs the same extension model, so there's no separate Cursor build to chase. Install the claudearn Marketplace extension into Cursor exactly as you would in VS Code — open Extensions, install, set your wallet, enable. If you've installed a VS Code extension before, you're done.

Because Cursor's own agent (Composer, the inline chat) drives a thinking spinner of its own, that wait-state is where the line appears. One caveat worth stating plainly: Cursor ships its own Marketplace mirror, so if you don't see it there, install from the open-vsix/Marketplace URL directly. Everything downstream — split, payout, privacy — is identical to VS Code.

• ▸No Cursor-specific package — the VS Code extension is the Cursor extension.
• ▸Line appears in Cursor's own agent thinking state.
• ▸If Cursor's mirror lacks it, install from the Marketplace URL directly.

Claude Code — same extension, the panel spinner

Claude Code runs as an extension surface inside your editor, and claudearn rides along in its thinking spinner — the 'Thinking…' / 'Working…' indicator Claude Code shows while it reasons or runs a tool. Install claudearn from the Marketplace into the editor hosting Claude Code, enable it, and the sponsored line lands in that panel's wait-state.

There's nothing Claude-Code-specific to configure beyond the one-time wallet + toggle. The line is appended to the existing spinner text, not injected into the conversation or your code, so it never affects what Claude Code reads, writes, or returns. It's the same five-second, one-line, reversible slot — just rendered in the Claude Code panel instead of the editor status area.

• ▸Same Marketplace extension, enabled in the editor running Claude Code.
• ▸Line rides the Claude Code 'Thinking…' panel spinner.
• ▸Never enters the conversation or your files — it sits in the spinner text.

Codex CLI — yes, the terminal counts

The terminal is a first-class target. When the Codex CLI prints its thinking state in your terminal while it works, claudearn renders one sponsored line in that wait-state — same ~5 seconds, same non-blocking behavior, just in stdout instead of a GUI panel. Enable it for Codex CLI the same way: install, set wallet, flip on.

Terminal-specific notes: the line is plain text styled to sit quietly under the spinner, and it clears when Codex returns control to you. It doesn't pipe into your command output, doesn't touch your shell history, and doesn't alter what Codex generates. If you live in the terminal, this is the same deal as the GUI editors with zero loss.

• ▸Renders one line in the Codex CLI terminal thinking state.
• ▸Plain-text, non-blocking, clears when Codex hands control back.
• ▸Never enters command output or shell history.

What's identical across all four (the 1-sentence version)

Across VS Code, Cursor, Claude Code, and Codex CLI the economics never change: advertisers bid in a live market for the #1 spinner slot in 1,000-impression blocks, about $10 reaches you per 1,000 impressions (~50% of a ~$20 CPM) in USDC on Solana mainnet, claimable to any wallet such as Phantom once you pass the $1.00 minimum and verifiable on Solscan. That's the whole money story — the deep version is on /get-paid-to-code and /how-it-works.

Privacy is also identical and tool-agnostic: in every front-end the extension renders the line and reports that a view happened, and nothing else. It has no path to your code, prompts, or repo in any of the four — that's enforced by how it's built, not which editor you opened.

How do you make money with Claude Code?

You make money with Claude Code by installing claudearn, the free opt-in extension that places one sponsored line in the agent's thinking spinner and pays you roughly 50% of the ad revenue in USDC on Solana. You are not selling anything, writing prompts for hire, or flipping a product — you are renting the few idle seconds your AI agent spends thinking. The honest number is ~$15-$60/mo, varies, not a guarantee, and it scales with how much your agent actually runs.

To be precise about who pays: Anthropic and Claude Code do not pay you. Advertisers bid in a live auction for the #1 spinner slot, and claudearn settles your share — about $10 per 1,000 impressions (~50% of a ~$20 CPM) — directly to your wallet. This is the same model whether you code in Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, or the Codex CLI. If you also code with no agent attached, the same idea applies to other front-ends; see how to make money vibe coding for the wider picture.

• ▸Install claudearn free from the VS Code Marketplace (works in Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Codex CLI).
• ▸Link any Solana wallet (e.g. Phantom) — claudearn never holds your funds and never asks for your seed phrase.
• ▸Flip it on and keep coding; the line renders ~5s in the spinner and reports one view.
• ▸Claim your USDC to your wallet once you pass the $1.00 minimum; verify every payout on Solscan.

How much can you actually earn, and is it guaranteed?

No, it is not guaranteed — claudearn pays per real impression, so earnings track how much your agent runs, not a fixed salary. The realistic range is ~$15-$60/mo, varies. A developer whose agent thinks for hours a day surfaces more impressions than someone who opens their editor twice a week, and the live ad auction means the CPM moves with demand. Anyone promising fixed monthly income from this is wrong.

The math is simple and verifiable: about $10 reaches you per 1,000 impressions, paid in USDC on Solana mainnet, claimable to any wallet and checkable on Solscan. There is no lock-up — you self-custody, and claudearn never holds your funds. For the full earnings breakdown and the per-1,000 math, see the honest earnings page and the 50%-split mechanics.

• ▸Range: ~$15-$60/mo, varies — never guaranteed.
• ▸Driver: total time your agent spends thinking, times the live CPM.
• ▸Payout: USDC on Solana, $1.00 minimum, self-custody, verifiable on Solscan.

Frequently asked questions