Philips Hue Thinking Indicator

Visual AI activity indicator using Philips Hue lights. Pulse red when thinking, green when done.

Security Scan

The skill's purpose (turn Hue lights into an AI activity indicator) matches the instructions, but the package is missing the core 'hue' executable and contains a few unsafe/hardcoded bits (hardcoded bridge IP and a hardcoded user PATH) that don't add up and warrant caution before installation.

Purpose & Capability

The skill's stated purpose requires a 'hue' command-line tool; the SKILL.md, README, and package.json all reference a 'hue' binary, but the provided file list and code attachments do not include the 'hue' executable. Declaring 'hue' as a required binary while not providing it (or an install mechanism) is an incoherence that prevents verification of what will run.

Instruction Scope

Runtime instructions are narrowly scoped to local Hue bridge interaction and shell integration (setup, lights, thinking/done commands). However, hue-hooks.sh exports a hardcoded path (/Users/jesse/...) into PATH and suggests adding it to a user's shell profile — this would inject an external path (creator's local path) into a different system's environment if copied verbatim. quick-setup.sh posts to a hardcoded local IP (192.168.1.151) which is reasonable for Hue registration in principle but should be parameterized for the user's bridge IP.

Install Mechanism

There is no install spec; README and SKILL.md instruct copying a 'hue' file into PATH or using a (non-provided) Homebrew tap. package.json lists './hue' as the binary and as a packaged file, but that binary is absent from the provided manifest. Because the main executable is missing, we cannot inspect what network calls or other behaviors it implements — this is the primary risk/incoherence.

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables or unrelated credentials. Config is stored under ~/.config/philips-hue/config.json (bridge_ip, username) which aligns with Hue local API usage. No cloud secrets or unrelated service tokens are requested.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill does not request always:true and has normal user-invocable behavior. It suggests adding hooks/aliases to shell startup which is typical for CLI utilities. The hooks file, however, contains a hardcoded export PATH line pointing to the author's local development path — if blindly copied into a user's shell profile it could unintentionally alter PATH and allow unexpected binaries to be picked up. This should be corrected before use.

What to consider before installing

What to consider before installing: - The package is missing the main 'hue' executable that the skill and README repeatedly reference. Do not install or run any 'hue' command until you obtain and inspect that executable. Ask the author to include the 'hue' script/source or provide a trustworthy install method (e.g., official Homebrew tap or GitHub release) so you can review it. - Do not run quick-setup.sh blindly: it POSTs to a hardcoded local IP (192.168.1.151). Use your bridge's actual IP and run a manually crafted curl command after verifying it is correct. Prefer manual registration steps documented by Philips Hue if unsure. - Do not copy hue-hooks.sh verbatim into your shell startup. Remove or edit the export PATH line that references /Users/jesse/... — that path is specific to the author and could cause unintended PATH changes on your machine. Instead create hooks/aliases that call the verified 'hue' binary location you control. - Before adding any scripts to PATH or running with elevated privileges, inspect the 'hue' binary (or its source) for network endpoints, unexpected remote URLs, or data-exfiltration patterns. If the 'hue' binary is a shell script, review it line-by-line; if it is a compiled binary, request source or a reproducible build. - If you cannot obtain the 'hue' executable for inspection, treat this package as incomplete and avoid installation. The inconsistencies suggest sloppy packaging at best and make security assessment impossible at worst. If the missing executable is provided and its code is limited to local Hue Bridge API calls (and hooks are sanitized), the skill appears coherent and low-risk. Without that file, however, the package is suspicious and should not be trusted until fixed and reviewed.

Visual AI activity indicator — Connect your AI assistant's work status to your physical environment through Philips Hue smart lights.

What It Does

Turns a Philips Hue light into an AI activity indicator:

Light State	Meaning
🟢 Green	Ready / Done / Idle
🔴 Pulsing Red	AI is thinking, analyzing, or planning
🔴 Solid Red	AI is actively building/working

Why Use This?

• Ambient awareness — Know when your AI is working without checking screens
• Flow state protection — Visual indicator prevents interruptions during deep work
• Satisfying completion — Green light signals "ready for next task"
• Conversation starter — "My AI has a physical presence in my house"

Quick Start

1. Setup Your Hue Bridge

# Find your bridge IP (check router or Hue app), then run:
hue setup <bridge-ip>

# Example:
hue setup 192.168.1.100

2. Find Your Light

hue lights

# Output:
#   2: Bed room 1 💡 ON
#   3: Bedroom 2 ⚫ OFF
#   5: Front door 💡 ON  ← Use this one

3. Use It

# AI starts thinking
hue thinking 5

# AI is done
hue done 5

Installation

Option 1: Copy to PATH

# Clone or download
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/philips-hue-thinking.git

# Add to PATH
cp philips-hue-thinking/hue /usr/local/bin/
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/hue

Option 2: Use Directly

# Add to your shell profile (.zshrc or .bashrc)
export PATH="$PATH:/path/to/philips-hue-thinking"

# Then reload
source ~/.zshrc

Commands

Core Commands

# Setup (press bridge button first!)
hue setup <bridge-ip>

# List all lights
hue lights

# Thinking mode (pulsing red)
hue thinking <light-id>

# Done (solid green)
hue done <light-id>

# Set any color
hue set <light-id> <color>

Available Colors

hue set 5 red
hue set 5 green
hue set 5 blue
hue set 5 yellow
hue set 5 purple
hue set 5 orange

Utility Commands

# Turn off
hue off 5

# Pulse continuously
hue pulse 5 --color red

Workflow Integration

With AI Assistants

Planning Mode:

User: "Planning mode — I want to build a website"
AI:  [runs 'hue thinking 5'] 🔴 Pulsing...
     "Here are my questions..."
User: [answers]
AI:  [runs 'hue done 5'] ✅ Green
     "Starting build now..."
     [runs 'hue thinking 5'] 🔴 Solid red while building
AI:  [runs 'hue done 5'] ✅ Green
     "Done!"

Shell Aliases

Add to ~/.zshrc:

# Quick aliases
alias think='hue thinking 5'
alias done='hue done 5'

Then just type:

think  # Light pulses red
done   # Light turns green

Technical Details

How It Works

1. Hue Bridge API — Communicates via local HTTP API
2. Color XY Values — Uses CIE color space for accurate colors
3. Background Pulse — Bash loop dims/brightens light
4. Stateless — Stores config in ~/.config/philips-hue/

Color XY Values

Color	X	Y
Red	0.675	0.322
Green	0.214	0.709
Blue	0.167	0.040
Yellow	0.492	0.476
Purple	0.265	0.100
Orange	0.600	0.380

The Pulse Effect

# Brightness oscillation
254 (bright) → 50 (dim) → 254

# Timing
~2 second cycle
Background process keeps pulsing

Configuration

Config stored in: ~/.config/philips-hue/config.json

{
  "bridge_ip": "192.168.1.100",
  "username": "your-api-key"
}

Requirements

• Philips Hue Bridge (v2)
• Philips Hue color bulbs
• macOS/Linux with curl
• Bash 4.0+

Troubleshooting

"Link button not pressed"

Press the physical button on your Hue Bridge, then run setup within 30 seconds.

Light not responding

# Check connection
hue lights

# Verify config
cat ~/.config/philips-hue/config.json

Pulse won't stop

# Kill background process
pkill -f "hue-pulse-loop"

# Reset light
hue done 5

Future Ideas

• Auto-trigger via AI session lifecycle
• Multiple lights for different task types
• Heartbeat mode (gentle pulse every 30 min)
• Error state (flash purple)
• Success celebration (rainbow effect)

License

MIT — See LICENSE file

Credits

Created by Jesse & Kate (Clawdbot)
Inspired by the need for AI physical presence

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Questions? Open an issue or DM @jesse on Twitter