Install your local runner.
Build Idlehand from source, then connect it to your dashboard.
1. Check the prerequisites
On macOS or Linux, install Git, Bun, and the GitHub CLI. Idlehand runs gh auth login itself when you start a run or idlehand dev. Install and sign in to Claude Code, Codex, or the Cursor CLI on the same machine.
Linux also requires bubblewrap (bwrap) and enabled user namespaces. On Debian or Ubuntu, install it with sudo apt install bubblewrap. macOS uses its built-in sandbox-exec. Verification stops if the sandbox cannot start.
Verification commands can use the public internet to install declared dependencies. They have no personal credentials and no access to your home directory. On macOS they cannot contact localhost.
2. Build and install Idlehand
Run these commands in your terminal. They download the Idlehand source repository and build a binary for your machine.
git clone https://github.com/Dodecahedr0x/idlehand.git
cd idlehand
bun install
bun run --cwd apps/cli build
mkdir -p "$HOME/.local/bin"
cp apps/cli/dist/idlehand "$HOME/.local/bin/idlehand"
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"The PATH command applies to this terminal session. Add export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH" to your shell profile to make idlehand available in new terminals. If you already have the source, start with bun install in that checkout.
3. Connect and check your setup
Return to your dashboard for your server’s login command. After signing in, run idlehand doctor, then refresh the dashboard to confirm the connection.
Preview the queue before your first contribution. Claude dollar budgets use an estimated spending threshold; in-flight calls can exceed it, so leave headroom. Codex and the Cursor CLI report estimated spending with no dollar cap and require a task, time, or remaining budget.