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Pair Programmer on GitHub

Complete source code, installation guide, and configuration examples

What Is It?

Ever wished Claude could just see what you’re working on? Now it can. Pair Programmer gives Claude Code eyes and ears—capturing your screen, microphone, and system audio in real-time. No more screenshots, no more copying error messages, no more explaining context. Just hit a keyboard shortcut and get instant AI assistance based on everything Claude has been watching.
The Magic: Press Cmd+Shift+A from anywhere to get instant help. Claude analyzes your screen, recent activity, and conversations—then shows the answer in an overlay without disrupting your flow.

Why Developers Love It

Your Time Back

No more:
  • Taking screenshots and pasting them
  • Copying error messages to Claude
  • Describing what’s on your screen
  • Explaining multi-file context
Claude sees it all automatically.

How It Works

1

Background Recording

An Electron app runs quietly, capturing your screen, mic, and system audio. Everything streams to VideoDB for real-time AI processing.
2

AI Indexing

VideoDB extracts:
  • Visual descriptions from your screen (every 2 seconds)
  • Transcripts from your voice
  • Summaries from system audio
3

Context Buffering

Indexed events fill local memory buffers (FIFO queues). Old entries drop as new ones arrive. Nothing written to disk.
4

On-Demand Help

Use slash commands or hit Cmd+Shift+A. Claude reads the context buffers and answers based on your full workflow.

Slash Commands

CommandWhat It Does
/recordStart or stop recording session
/record-statusCheck recording state and buffer sizes
/refresh-contextFetch latest screen/mic/audio context
/what-happenedGet AI analysis of recent activity
/record-configSet up API key and indexing settings
/triggerActivated by Cmd+Shift+A shortcut

Real-World Scenarios

Chasing a bug across multiple files and terminals? Run /what-happened.Claude sees your recent screen activity, reads terminal output, and suggests where to look next—without you explaining a thing.
Following a tutorial video while coding along?Claude references what’s on your screen (the tutorial steps) AND what’s in your editor (your implementation) to provide targeted advice that bridges the gap.
On a video call discussing code?Claude captures your screen AND the conversation (mic + system audio). Later, ask Claude to summarize what you both decided or reference a specific comment.
Experimenting with an unfamiliar API, jumping between docs and Stack Overflow?When something breaks, hit Cmd+Shift+A for instant analysis based on everything you tried, read, and where it went wrong.
Reviewing a pull request across multiple files?Let Claude watch your screen as you navigate the diff. Ask /what-happened and get a structured overview of changes reviewed, potential issues, and questions for the author.

Tech Stack

Electron 28

Desktop shell with screen capture APIs

Node.js 18+

JavaScript runtime and HTTP API server

VideoDB SDK

Media streaming and AI processing

Cloudflare Tunnel

Secure webhook delivery (auto-created)

Getting Started

Prerequisites
1

Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/video-db/videodb-capture-quickstart.git
cd videodb-capture-quickstart/apps/claude/pair-programmer
2

Open Claude Code

Launch Claude Code in the project directory.
3

Start Recording

Run /record to begin your first capture session. The recorder will automatically:
  • Prompt for your VideoDB API key (if not configured)
  • Configure indexing settings
  • Start screen, mic, and audio capture
  • Begin AI processing
4

Wait for Context

Wait 10-15 seconds for the first context entries to populate in the buffers.
5

Try It

Run /what-happened to see what Claude can see, or hit Cmd+Shift+A for instant help!
macOS Permissions RequiredGrant these in System Settings > Privacy & Security:
  • Microphone Access
  • Screen Recording
  • System Audio Recording

Privacy & Security

Local Storage - Context buffers stored in memory only, nothing written to disk
API Key Security - Stored locally, masked in output, never transmitted except to VideoDB
Configurable Limits - Control buffer sizes and what gets captured
Secure Webhooks - Cloudflare tunnel auto-created and torn down per session

Complete Setup Guide on GitHub

Detailed installation instructions, troubleshooting tips, and configuration examples