Developers wait on AI all day. That wait is an ad slot. One network, three doors. If you code: install the VS Code, Cursor or Chrome extension. A native ad while the model thinks. You keep 70%. We don't read your prompts. If you sell a developer tool: you show up in the IDE and the browser, targeted by the stack they actually use (React, Python, AWS). Pay €200, get €400 this week. If you shipped a chat app: npm i @idlen/chat-sdk. Three lines. Ads optional. No key, no ads. You keep 70%.
I got tired of ads that pretend developers hang out on LinkedIn. They hang out in the editor, in the browser tab waiting on Claude, or in the chat app someone shipped last month.
Idlen is one network, three doors.
1. You code: VS Code / Cursor / Chrome extension. Ads while the model thinks. You keep 70%. Prompts stay on your machine.
2. You sell a tool: you buy that slot. Targeting is the real stack, not a persona. Pay €200, get €400 this week.
3. You built a ChatGPT-style app: npm i @idlen/chat-sdk. Three lines. Ads off until you put a key in.
Video is 50 seconds, one pass per door.
If you try it, tell me which door and what broke. I'll be in the comments today.
"prompts stay on your machine" and "targeting is the real stack, not a persona" are in tension - if you're targeting by React/Python/AWS, something has to detect that stack locally and send at least a category label out, even if the raw prompt text never leaves. what exactly gets transmitted to pick the ad - installed extensions, file extensions in the workspace, package.json contents? that's the part I'd want spelled out before installing something that sits in my editor
Door 2, for people who sell to developers.
Pay €200, get €400. First deposit this week. We match it. You show up in the IDE and the browser, targeted by the stack they actually use, not a persona.
Not a free credit. You put €200 in, the balance is €400.
I like the privacy angle here, especially the point about not reading prompts. That's important when developers are working with private code or company data.
Keeping 70% of the ad revenue makes this more interesting for developers. If the ads stay relevant and unobtrusive I could see this working well.
About Idlen on Product Hunt
“Earn while you work with AI in any IDE or browser”
Idlen launched on Product Hunt on September 15th, 2026 and earned 92 upvotes and 10 comments, placing #17 on the daily leaderboard. Developers wait on AI all day. That wait is an ad slot. One network, three doors. If you code: install the VS Code, Cursor or Chrome extension. A native ad while the model thinks. You keep 70%. We don't read your prompts. If you sell a developer tool: you show up in the IDE and the browser, targeted by the stack they actually use (React, Python, AWS). Pay €200, get €400 this week. If you shipped a chat app: npm i @idlen/chat-sdk. Three lines. Ads optional. No key, no ads. You keep 70%.
Idlen was featured in Chrome Extensions (52.8k followers), Advertising (29.8k followers), Developer Tools (519.7k followers) and Artificial Intelligence (478.9k followers) on Product Hunt. Together, these topics include over 226.6k products, making this a competitive space to launch in.
Who hunted Idlen?
Idlen was hunted by Paul. A “hunter” on Product Hunt is the community member who submits a product to the platform — uploading the images, the link, and tagging the makers behind it. Hunters typically write the first comment explaining why a product is worth attention, and their followers are notified the moment they post. Around 79% of featured launches on Product Hunt are self-hunted by their makers, but a well-known hunter still acts as a signal of quality to the rest of the community. See the full all-time top hunters leaderboard to discover who is shaping the Product Hunt ecosystem.
Want to see how Idlen stacked up against nearby launches in real time? Check out the live launch dashboard for upvote speed charts, proximity comparisons, and more analytics.
Paul
Maker here.
I got tired of ads that pretend developers hang out on LinkedIn. They hang out in the editor, in the browser tab waiting on Claude, or in the chat app someone shipped last month.
Idlen is one network, three doors.
1. You code: VS Code / Cursor / Chrome extension. Ads while the model thinks. You keep 70%. Prompts stay on your machine.
2. You sell a tool: you buy that slot. Targeting is the real stack, not a persona. Pay €200, get €400 this week.
3. You built a ChatGPT-style app: npm i @idlen/chat-sdk. Three lines. Ads off until you put a key in.
Video is 50 seconds, one pass per door.
If you try it, tell me which door and what broke. I'll be in the comments today.
idlen.io