[FEATURE] Optional mini-games in the side panel while Claude works, pausing when Claude is done
The problem
Long tasks in Claude Code mean waiting. Two to five minutes is too short to start something else and too long to stare at the spinner, so most of us pick up the phone, start scrolling, and come back late.
The idea
A small, optional game corner in the side panel of the desktop app while Claude works.
- A few games to choose from: mahjong solitaire, a crossword, sudoku, a word game. People have different tastes, and a choice makes it feel like a feature, not a gimmick.
- Short rounds, sized to a typical wait (two or three minutes).
- When Claude finishes, the game steps aside: it pauses, saves itself, and says "Claude is done, your answer is waiting." This is the real value. It keeps people in the app and brings them back on time, instead of losing them to their phone.
- Quiet by default: off unless you open it, and it never covers the work. One small offer with three choices (Play, Not now, Never).
- An admin switch that turns games off for a whole organization.
- A personal touch (optional): tiles from your own photos, or from the session itself (the files it touched, the tools it used).
- Later, maybe: a quick shared round when several teammates are waiting on Claude at the same time.
Working demo
I built a demo of the flow with Claude:
https://claude.ai/artifact/T6iU3f6hw6FasWoDmHxKUE
Try it in 30 seconds:
- A long task is already running, and a small message pops up: "Play while you wait?"
- Tap Play and pick a game. It opens in the side panel next to the code, or full screen.
- Tap "Make Claude finish now". The game steps aside, the panel goes back exactly as it was, and the answer lights up.
Where it came from
I run a small signage company in Israel and use Claude Code every day. I asked Claude to build a holiday gift for my wife: a mahjong solitaire game where the tiles are photos of our kids and grandkids. It took one evening, and she plays it every night. I now keep it open in the desktop app's side pane while Claude runs, so the idea already half-works today. A built-in version with the "Claude is done" pause would make it part of the product.
I emailed this to support on 24 Sep 2026 and was pointed to feedback channels, so I'm posting it here. Happy to be a beta tester.
Tully