How to Enable Always-On Mode for the i-have-adhd Claude Assistant

To enable always-on mode for the i-have-adhd Claude assistant, create the flag file at ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always; Claude Code will then automatically load the skill rules at the start of every session.

The ayghri/i-have-adhd repository provides a Claude Code skill designed to optimize AI interactions for users with ADHD. When you enable always-on mode, the system automatically injects behavioral rules from skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md into every session without requiring manual activation commands.

How Always-On Mode Works

Claude Code executes SessionStart hooks defined in hooks/hooks.json at the beginning of every session. According to the source code in the ayghri/i-have-adhd repository, one of these hooks runs the script hooks/always-on.sh.

The script performs the following operations:

1. Checks for a flag file at $HOME/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always (you can override this path using the CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR environment variable)
2. If the flag exists, reads the skill's rule set from skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md, strips any leading YAML front-matter, and prints an activation banner
3. If the flag is missing, exits silently and allows the session to start normally

Enabling Always-On Mode

Create the flag file once to activate persistent ADHD mode across all future Claude Code sessions.

touch ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always

Start a new Claude Code session:

claude code

Upon startup, the terminal displays a confirmation banner similar to:

ADHD MODE ACTIVE (always-on). The ruleset below applies to every response. "stop adhd mode" turns it off for this session; delete /home/youruser/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always to turn always-on off for good.

Custom Configuration Directory

If you use a non-standard Claude configuration directory, set the CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR environment variable before creating the flag file:

export CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=/path/to/custom/dir
touch $CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR/.i-have-adhd-always

Disabling ADHD Mode

You have two options to disable the skill depending on whether you need a temporary or permanent change.

Temporary disablement: Type the following command during any active session to disable ADHD mode for that session only:

stop adhd mode

Permanent disablement: Delete the flag file to prevent automatic activation in all future sessions:

rm ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always

Summary

• The always-on mode activates automatically when the flag file ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always exists
• Claude Code's hooks/hooks.json triggers hooks/always-on.sh at session start to check for this flag
• Enable permanently with touch ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always and disable permanently with rm ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always
• Use the command stop adhd mode to disable the skill temporarily for a single session
• The skill rules are sourced from skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md as implemented in the ayghri/i-have-adhd repository

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the i-have-adhd assistant store its always-on configuration?

The assistant checks for a flag file at $HOME/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always by default. You can override this location by setting the CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR environment variable, in which case the script looks for .i-have-adhd-always within that directory instead.

What happens if I enable always-on mode but want to disable it for one session?

Type stop adhd mode in the Claude Code chat interface. This disables ADHD mode for the current session only without deleting the flag file, so the skill will activate again automatically in your next session.

Which files are responsible for loading the ADHD skill rules?

The hooks/hooks.json file registers the SessionStart hook that executes hooks/always-on.sh. When the flag file is present, always-on.sh reads and processes skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md, stripping any YAML front-matter before injecting the rules into your session.

Can I use a custom directory for the Claude configuration?

Yes. The always-on.sh script respects the CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR environment variable. If set, the script looks for the .i-have-adhd-always flag file within that custom directory rather than the default $HOME/.claude/ location.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}