This repository contains everything that runs on your machine when you install The Diff Bits: the installer, the Claude Code status-line client, and the optional Cursor / VS Code extension.
It's published so you can read exactly what you're running before you install
it. The files here are the same ones served from bits.the-diff.com.
The Diff Bits shows bite-size tech & world news, ideas, and TLDRs in your Claude Code status line (and an editor panel) during the wait states while the agent works. You pick your topics; you can uninstall anytime.
Install:
curl -fsSL https://bits.the-diff.com/install.sh | sh| File | What it is |
|---|---|
bits.mjs |
The status-line client. Runs as Claude Code's statusLine command. Zero dependencies (Node ≥18 built-ins only). |
install.sh |
The one-line installer. Backs up + safely merges your ~/.claude/settings.json, and installs the editor extension if Cursor/VS Code is found. |
uninstall.sh |
One-command clean uninstall — restores your previous status line, removes everything. |
test.mjs |
The client's test suite (rendering, rotation, fail-safe, sync). Run with node test.mjs. |
extension/ |
The Cursor / VS Code extension source. |
It reads: the session JSON Claude Code pipes to the status-line command (to
show your git branch), your repo's .git/HEAD, and a local cache of bits under
~/.the-diff/bits/.
It never reads: your code, your prompts, the AI's responses, file contents, file paths, or repository names. The telemetry literally has no field that could carry them.
It makes exactly two network calls, both off the hot path in a detached background process:
GET /api/feed— download the rotating content (bits + settings).POST /api/track— anonymous impression/click counts + a heartbeat (OS, client version). Keyed only by a random per-install UUID.
It is fail-safe: any error degrades to a normal/blank status line and exits clean. It can never break Claude Code.
No remote-code-execution, no reading of credentials or source, no IP stored.
Verify all of the above by reading bits.mjs — it's ~600 lines and commented.
MIT — see LICENSE.