How to Stop ADHD Mode in i-have-adhd: Disabling the Skill and Clearing Session Flags

Type stop adhd mode or normal mode in your chat interface to immediately disable the skill's modified output style and revert to default responses.

The i-have-adhd skill for LLM coding assistants modifies response formatting to accommodate ADHD-friendly cognitive patterns, but these rules persist across your entire session until explicitly disabled. According to the ayghri/i-have-adhd repository source code, the skill implements a sticky persistence mechanism that requires specific user input or file system operations to terminate.

How ADHD Mode Session Persistence Works

The skill operates through a sticky persistence rule that remains active for the duration of your interaction. As defined in /skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md#L15-L20, the rules automatically apply to every assistant response once activated, without requiring re-invocation on each turn. The runtime—whether Claude Code, Qwen Code, Codex, or Pi—checks for a flag file at the start of each new or resumed session to determine whether to inject the ADHD-specific system prompts.

Stopping ADHD Mode Temporarily (Session-Level)

Using the Stop Command Phrase

To disable the skill's behavior for your current session, issue the exact phrase "stop adhd mode" or "normal mode" in the chat interface. According to /skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md#L19-L20, when the assistant detects this command, it sends a one-line confirmation message and immediately reverts to its default response style for all subsequent turns.

# Example interaction in Claude Code, Qwen Code, or supported runtimes

> stop adhd mode
✅ ADHD mode disabled. Back to normal responses.

This command clears the in-memory flag for the current session, effectively disabling the skill until you explicitly re-invoke it.

Disabling ADHD Mode Permanently (System-Level)

Clearing the Flag File

For persistent environments where the skill activates automatically across restarts, you must remove the underlying flag file. As documented in /INSTALL.md#L464-L470, deleting the .i-have-adhd-flag file (located in the extension directory, typically under ~/.config/i-have-adhd/ or equivalent paths) removes the always-on behavior across all future sessions.

# Permanently disable the always-on flag

# Path may vary by installation; verify your extension's documentation

rm ~/.config/i-have-adhd/.i-have-adhd-flag

# Restart your IDE or extension host to apply changes

How the Flag Mechanism Works Under the Hood

The runtime implements a file-based state check on each session initialization. As detailed in /INSTALL.md#L434-L440, the system looks for the existence of the flag file to determine whether to append the ADHD-specific rules to the system prompt on every turn. The extension source in /extensions/i-have-adhd.ts handles this logic by reading the filesystem state and toggling the skill injection accordingly.

// Internal flag check implementation (reference only)
import { existsSync } from 'fs';

const flagPath = '/path/to/.i-have-adhd-flag';

if (existsSync(flagPath)) {
  // System appends ADHD rules to prompt
} else {
  // System uses standard response formatting
}

When you type "stop adhd mode", the extension removes this flag file or clears the session state, triggering the else branch and restoring normal output formatting.

Summary

• Immediate disable: Type stop adhd mode or normal mode to revert the current session to standard responses.
• Persistence mechanism: The skill uses a sticky flag file that survives across turns until explicitly cleared.
• Permanent removal: Delete the .i-have-adhd-flag file in your extension directory to prevent automatic activation in future sessions.
• Implementation files: Core logic resides in /skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md for command definitions and /INSTALL.md for flag management protocols.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exact phrase stops ADHD mode?

Type "stop adhd mode" or "normal mode" into your chat interface. Both phrases trigger the disable command as defined in the skill's command description at .opencode/command/i-have-adhd.md. The assistant will confirm with a brief acknowledgment message.

Does stopping ADHD mode affect previous responses?

No. Issuing the stop command only affects subsequent assistant responses. Previous messages in your conversation history retain the formatting style applied during ADHD mode, but all future outputs revert to the default system behavior immediately upon flag clearance.

Where is the ADHD mode flag stored?

The flag file (.i-have-adhd-flag) typically resides in your extension configuration directory, commonly found at ~/.config/i-have-adhd/ on Unix systems or equivalent paths on other platforms. The exact location varies by runtime implementation as specified in /INSTALL.md#L464-L470.

Can I re-enable ADHD mode after stopping it?

Yes. You can reactivate the skill at any time by invoking the ADHD mode command again (typically by saying "ADHD mode" or the original activation phrase). This recreates the flag file and re-injects the formatting rules into your current session according to the hooks defined in /hooks/always-on.mjs.

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