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What do you do while your AI coding agent works?
WTF is an AI coding wait-state?: Its the gap after you give an AI coding agent a task and before you come back to review the result.
Kickbacks.ai has a funny idea.
When Claude Code or Codex is thinking, the extension replaces the little spinner/status text with a sponsored line.
The developer gets a share of the ad revenue.
On paper, it sounds like:
AI codes.
You wait.
You earn.The homepage says 50% of revenue goes to the developer. Advertisers buy blocks of 1,000 five-second impressions. The FAQ says an impression counts only when the ad is visible for at least five seconds during a real human-started coding wait-state.
That is clever.
It also points to something bigger than ads.
Agentic coding has changed the rhythm of work.
Before, you typed code, checked the result, typed again, checked again.
Now a lot of work looks like this:
delegate
wait
review
correct
delegate againKickbacks.ai is trying to monetize the waiting part.
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Lets Dive Deep 🐰
⭐Today's Shortcut
The valuable space is not the loading bar.
The valuable space is the moment between:
I gave the agent workand:
Now I need to verify what came backThat gap is new.
Today, most people waste it.
They switch chats, check phone, scroll X, open another task, or wait for the done notification.
So the question is not only:
Can we show an ad while the agent works?The better question is:
What should help the developer return sharper?What Kickbacks.ai Actually Does
Kickbacks turns AI coding wait-states into ad inventory.
From the public pages:
Supported now:
Claude Code VS Code extension
Claude Code CLI
Experimental:
Codex extension
Coming later:
OpenCode
CursorAdvertisers bid for short sponsored lines. Developers earn based on qualifying impressions and clicks. The FAQ says payouts happen monthly through Stripe Connect once the balance crosses the payout threshold.
Important India note:
Kickbacks says Stripe Connect cannot currently send payouts to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Vietnam, and some other countries. Credit can accrue, but payout waits until the country is supported.
So for Indian developers, this is not:
Install today and cash out tomorrow.The useful takeaway is:
AI agent waiting time is becoming valuable.The Weakness
The spinner is not always real attention.
When I give Codex or Claude Code a task, I usually do not sit and stare at the screen.
I do something else.
That makes basic spinner ads tricky.
They may be visible, but the developer may not be mentally there.
The FAQ tries to handle fake usage with fraud rules: no scripted prompts, no bots, no impression farming, no multiple earning accounts, no network rotation.
That protects advertisers from fake traffic.
It does not solve the bigger product question:
Is the developer actually using this waiting time well?The Better Product
Build an AI coding waiting room.
A small space that opens while the agent works and helps you return to the task.
It could show:
1. Review checklist
What to check when the agent comes back.
2. Context card
The task, files, acceptance criteria, and risks.
3. Debugging puzzle
A 45-second bug or code smell related to the current work.
4. Tiny lesson
One useful idea from testing, databases, security, frontend, or agents.
5. Focus reset
Look away, breathe, stretch, return ready to review.Example:
Agent task:
Fix login redirect bug.
Waiting room card:
When it returns, check:
- Did auth middleware change?
- Did redirect preserve next URL?
- Are logged-in and logged-out paths tested?
- Did it touch unrelated files?That is more useful than a random ad beside a spinner.
Where Ads Fit
Ads are not the bad part.
Random attention is the weak part.
A devtool sponsor inside useful waiting content can make sense.
Examples:
SQL debugging card
Sponsored by a database company.
Test-writing checklist
Sponsored by a CI tool.
Security review checklist
Sponsored by a security startup.
API latency puzzle
Sponsored by an observability tool.These are very bad examples…
But the wait time gap is real.. and maybe able to monetize it.
If you are building around AI coding wait-time, ask:
Is the developer actually looking?
Does this help the review step?
Can it understand the current coding task?
Does it reduce doomscrolling?
Can India/global payouts work?
Can users inspect what data is collected?
Does it make the developer return faster and sharper?
If the answer is no, it is only a prettier loading screen.
Final Thought
Kickbacks.ai found the surface.
Agentic coding created a waiting gap.
The first version is ads on the spinner.
The stronger version is a waiting room that helps developers come back ready to review.
That space is small now.
It may become one of the most interesting parts of agentic coding.
Now go build on this if you are interested 🫡🫡
The ShortList
🛠️Cool Tools of the Week:
Rebel Audio: The AI-powered podcast studio has launched in public beta.
ChatGPT Model Picker: OpenAI has updated its chatbot's model selection tool with an updated list of options.
Project Genie: Google has expanded access to its world model project to AI Ultra 5X subscribers.
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