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Pair Programmer on GitHub

Complete source code, installation guide, and configuration examples

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What Is It?

Pair Programmer is an agentic skill that gives your AI coding assistant real time perception. It captures:
  • Screen for visual context like terminals, editors, browser tabs, errors, and UI state
  • Microphone for your spoken intent, ideas, and debugging notes
  • System audio for tutorials, meetings, demos, and anything else your computer is playing
Once captured, that context becomes searchable. So instead of re explaining what was on screen, copy pasting logs, or summarizing a 20 minute debugging session, you can ask:
  • What was I doing when the auth flow broke?
  • What did I say about the database migration?
  • Show me what was on screen when the test failed
  • What happened in the last 10 minutes?
The Missing Piece: This is the missing perception layer for coding agents. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and other skill compatible agents.

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Why This Is Useful

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Stay Grounded

Most coding agents can write code. Very few can stay grounded in the same context as you.Pair Programmer helps your agent stay on the same page by giving it access to what you saw, what you said, and what your machine was playing.

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Use Cases

Pair Programmer is perfect for:
  • Debugging sessions — Track what you tried and where it went wrong
  • Tutorial driven development — Build while following video tutorials
  • Bug reproduction — Capture exact steps that triggered the issue
  • Meeting follow ups — Search conversations and screen activity
  • Architecture walkthroughs — Review code with full context
  • Voice first coding workflows — Speak your thoughts and code together

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Installation

Prerequisites
  • Node.js 18+
  • macOS 12+ (Windows support is currently in beta)
  • VideoDB API key (free, no credit card required)
If you have an older version installed, remove it first before upgrading. 
npx skills add video-db/pair-programmer

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Setup

1

Get API Key

Get a free VideoDB API key from console.videodb.ioNo credit card required.
2

Set API Key

Export your API key in your shell:
export VIDEO_DB_API_KEY=your-key
Or add it to a .env file in your project root
3

Run Setup

Install dependencies and complete local setup:
/pair-programmer setup

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Quick Start

1

Start Recording

Start recording your screen, mic, and system audio:
/pair-programmer record
A source picker will open so you can choose what to capture. Once recording starts, a lightweight overlay shows recording status, active channels, and elapsed time.
2

Work Normally

Continue your coding session. Pair Programmer captures everything in the background.
3

Search Your Session

Search your session in natural language:
/pair-programmer search "what was I working on when I mentioned the auth bug?"

/pair-programmer search "what did I say in the last 5 minutes?"

/pair-programmer search "show me what was on screen when the test failed"
4

Get Summary

Get a summary of recent activity:
/pair-programmer what-happened
5

Stop Recording

Stop recording when you’re done:
/pair-programmer stop

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Commands

CommandDescription
/pair-programmer recordStart recording and open the source picker
/pair-programmer stopStop the active recording
/pair-programmer search "<query>"Search screen, mic, and audio context using natural language
/pair-programmer what-happenedSummarize recent activity
/pair-programmer setupInstall dependencies and complete local setup
/pair-programmer configUpdate indexing and recording settings

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Real-World Examples

You’re chasing a bug across multiple files and terminals. Instead of documenting every step, just keep coding. Later, run:
/pair-programmer search "what was on screen when the test failed"
Get instant context about terminal output, error messages, and which files you had open.
Following a video tutorial while coding? Pair Programmer captures both the tutorial (system audio) and your implementation (screen).
/pair-programmer search "build me the project from the video I was just watching"
Your agent sees what was on screen and heard what was being said in the tutorial.
In a meeting discussing code? Pair Programmer captures your screen and the conversation.
/pair-programmer what-happened
Get a summary of what was discussed, what code was reviewed, and action items.
Speaking your thoughts while coding? Your microphone captures your debugging notes and ideas.
/pair-programmer search "what did I say about the database migration?"
Find moments where you verbally explained your thinking.

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How It Works

Pair Programmer uses VideoDB’s Capture SDK to:
  1. Record — Continuously capture screen, microphone, and system audio
  2. Process — Stream to VideoDB for real-time AI indexing
  3. Search — Query across all captured context with natural language
  4. Retrieve — Get timestamped results with relevant clips
All context is searchable in real-time, giving your coding agent full perception of your workflow.

Complete Setup Guide on GitHub

Detailed installation instructions, troubleshooting tips, and configuration examples

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