How to Make i-have-adhd Always On in Claude Codex: Enable SessionStart Hook

Create the flag file ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always to automatically inject ADHD-mode rules into every Claude Codex response without typing commands each time.

The i-have-adhd repository provides an opt-in always-on mode that prepends the full ADHD ruleset to every Claude interaction. This hands-free approach uses a SessionStart hook that checks for a flag file before injecting rules, giving you complete control over when the behavior activates.

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How the Always-On Hook Works

The always-on functionality relies on a modular hook system built into the repository under hooks/always-on.sh. This script integrates with Claude Codex through the hook registration file hooks/hooks.json.

When Claude initializes a new session, the following occurs:

1. Hook invocation – hooks/hooks.json registers always-on.sh as a SessionStart hook
2. Flag detection – The script checks for .i-have-adhd-always in your Claude config directory (~/.claude by default)
3. Rule injection – If the flag exists, the hook strips YAML front-matter from skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md and outputs the ruleset with an activation banner
4. Silent exit – If no flag exists, the hook exits immediately without affecting your session

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Enabling Always-On Mode

To activate the persistent behavior, create the flag file once:

# Create the flag file in the default Claude config directory

mkdir -p "$HOME/.claude"
touch "$HOME/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always"

This single file enables automatic rule injection for all future Claude Codex sessions on this machine.

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Disabling Always-On Mode

You have two options for turning off the behavior depending on your needs.

Permanent Disable

Remove the flag file to stop automatic injection across all sessions:

rm -f "$HOME/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always"

Temporary Disable (Current Session Only)

Send this command in any active Claude session:

stop adhd mode

The hook respects this instruction and ceases rule injection for the remainder of that session without deleting your flag file.

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Internal Hook Implementation

The hooks/always-on.sh script demonstrates clean shell patterns for conditional rule injection. Here's the core logic adapted from the source:

#!/usr/bin/env sh
claude_dir="${CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR:-$HOME/.claude}"
flag_path="$claude_dir/.i-have-adhd-always"

# Only run if flag exists

[ -f "$flag_path" ] || exit 0

script_dir=$(dirname -- "$0")
skill_path="$script_dir/../skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md"

[ -f "$skill_path" ] || exit 0

# Strip YAML front-matter and output the ruleset

body=$(awk '
  NR == 1 && $0 ~ /^---[[:space:]]*$/ { in_fm = 1; next }
  in_fm && $0 ~ /^---[[:space:]]*$/   { in_fm = 0; next }
  !in_fm                              { print }
' "$skill_path")

printf 'ADHD MODE ACTIVE (always-on). …\n\n%s\n' "$body"

The AWK front-matter stripper ensures clean rule output even if SKILL.md contains metadata headers.

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Key Source Files in i-have-adhd

File	Purpose
hooks/always-on.sh	SessionStart hook performing conditional rule injection
hooks/hooks.json	Hook registration manifest for Claude Codex integration
skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md	Source ruleset containing ADHD-mode instructions
README.md	Repository documentation and usage patterns

All paths are relative to the repository root at github.com/ayghri/i-have-adhd.

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Summary

• Create ~/.claude/.i-have-adhd-always to enable always-on mode permanently
• Remove the flag file to disable across all future sessions
• Type stop adhd mode to pause injection for the current session only
• The hooks/always-on.sh script implements opt-in behavior through explicit flag-file checking, preserving user control

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where does i-have-adhd look for the always-on flag file?

The hook checks ${CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR:-$HOME/.claude}/.i-have-adhd-always. You can override the default location by setting the CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR environment variable before launching Claude Codex.

Does always-on mode affect Claude's API rate limits or token usage?

The always-on mode prepends ruleset text to every response context, which marginally increases token consumption per interaction. The impact depends on skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md file size—typically under 1,000 tokens.

Can I use i-have-adhd without the always-on feature?

Yes. The repository functions normally without the flag file. You can manually invoke ADHD-mode behaviors through standard Claude prompts when needed, or enable always-on temporarily by creating the flag file and removing it later.

What happens if I delete the SKILL.md file after enabling always-on?

The hook includes defensive checks: [ -f "$skill_path" ] || exit 0. If skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md is missing, the script exits silently without injecting rules, keeping your Claude sessions stable.

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