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Kickbacks.ai — Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the questions people search for when setting up Kickbacks in Cursor, VS Code, or the Claude Code terminal.

→ Setup guides: USER-GUIDE.md · INSTRUCTIONS.md · TROUBLESHOOTING.md

Getting started

What is Kickbacks.ai?

Kickbacks is a free VS Code extension that replaces the “thinking…” spinner in Claude Code and Codex with a tiny sponsored message. You earn up to 50% of ad revenue on impressions and clicks while your AI assistant works.

How do I install Kickbacks in Cursor?

  1. Install Claude Code extension first (Extensions → search “Claude Code”)
  2. Install Kickbacks.ai (Extensions → search “Kickbacks”)
  3. Reload window (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window)
  4. Click Kickbacks: Sign in in the status bar → Google sign-in

Full steps: USER-GUIDE.md

How do I install Kickbacks in VS Code?

Same steps as Cursor. Search Extensions for Claude Code, then Kickbacks. Works on local VS Code, Remote-SSH, and devcontainers.

What do I need before installing?

  • Cursor or VS Code
  • Claude Code and/or Codex (ChatGPT extension) — something must show the spinner
  • A Google account for sign-in and payouts
  • Internet connection

Why install Claude Code before Kickbacks?

Install order prevents Kickbacks incompatible and missing sign-in commands. Documented in GitHub issue #13. Always: Claude Code → Kickbacks → Reload Window.

Earnings & payouts

How much can I earn?

You receive an estimated 50% of net ad revenue. An impression counts when an ad is visible for at least 5 seconds during a genuine request; clicks pay roughly 50× more than impressions. Actual amounts depend on advertiser bids and how much you use Claude/Codex.

Is Kickbacks fully launched? Are there real advertisers yet?

It's early (as of June 2026). The platform is bootstrapping its own ad inventory while it onboards real advertisers, so early balances are typically small. Treat it as free upside, not income.

Do preview ads count before I sign in?

No. You may see real sponsored lines before sign-in — that's a live preview. Earnings start only after Google sign-in.

Where do I see my balance?

In the editor status bar (Kickbacks ($X today · $Y)) and in the full ledger on the kickbacks.ai dashboard.

How do I get paid?

Earnings accrue to your balance and are paid out monthly via Stripe Connect once your balance crosses the US $10 threshold. To set it up:

  1. Sign in with Google in the extension
  2. Visit kickbacks.ai with the same Google account
  3. Connect Stripe and complete the required tax forms when prompted

Which countries can receive payouts?

Most Stripe-supported countries work, but some are not yet supported for payouts — including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Vietnam. If you're in one of these, you can still install Kickbacks and accrue a balance, but you can't cash out yet. Check the latest list on kickbacks.ai/faq before relying on payouts.

What are hourly and daily caps?

Kickbacks may limit earnings per hour/day. When capped, a red pill appears (Hourly cap / Daily cap). Ads still show — earning pauses until the timer resets.

What are the ground rules — how do I avoid getting banned?

Kickbacks enforces anti-fraud rules. Stay eligible by keeping it simple:

  • One account per person — no alts or account networks
  • Real usage only — no bots, scripts, or auto-clickers to fake impressions/clicks
  • No tampering with telemetry and no circumventing caps

Let ads display naturally during genuine coding — that's the only thing that earns. Full rules: kickbacks.ai/faq.

Privacy & safety

Does Kickbacks read my code?

No. Kickbacks never reads your files, prompts, completions, or chat content. It only modifies spinner and status display text.

What data does Kickbacks send?

Per the official privacy details:

  • Ad/event identifiers and on-screen visibility metrics
  • A per-install ID plus extension/host versions
  • Your account email after sign-in (for earnings credit)
  • Your IP is processed for fraud checks but stored only as a salted, one-way hash — never the raw IP

It does not collect your code, prompts, AI responses, files, or project contents. All communication goes to kickbacks.ai only.

Can I fully remove Kickbacks?

Yes. Run Kickbacks: Restore Claude Code from the command palette, then uninstall the extension. Original Claude Code files are restored byte-for-byte.

Does Kickbacks slow down Claude or Codex?

No meaningful impact. Only display text changes during wait states.

Cursor, VS Code & terminal

Does Kickbacks work in Cursor?

Yes. Kickbacks officially supports Cursor the same as VS Code.

I only use Claude in Terminal — do I still need the editor extension?

Yes. Kickbacks locates Claude Code by scanning editor extension folders (~/.cursor/extensions, ~/.vscode/extensions). Install Claude Code + Kickbacks in the editor, sign in from the status bar, then use claude in Terminal normally.

What's the difference between panel ads and terminal ads?

Surface Where Requirement
Panel spinner Claude Code / Codex sidebar Compatible extension build
Terminal status line claude CLI Any Claude Code version
Terminal spinner verb claude CLI Claude Code 2.1.143+

My Mac code command installs fail — why?

On many Macs, /usr/local/bin/code symlinks to Cursor, not VS Code. Use the cursor CLI or full app path instead. Agents: see INSTRUCTIONS.md STEP-010.

Troubleshooting pointers

Symptom Go to
Kickbacks incompatible TROUBLESHOOTING.md
Sign-in command not found TROUBLESHOOTING.md
Balance stays $0.00 TROUBLESHOOTING.md
Kickbacks offline TROUBLESHOOTING.md
RELOAD warning Reload window via Command Palette

Extension bugs: official GitHub issues

About this repo

Is this official Kickbacks documentation?

No. This is a community setup kit maintained to make installation easy for humans and AI agents. Official support: support@kickbacks.ai.

How do I set up Kickbacks with an AI agent?

Paste into Cursor or Claude Code:

Fetch and execute INSTRUCTIONS.md from https://github.com/ckryptickunal/kickbacks-setup
Run STEP-001 onward. Report PASS/FAIL after each ACTION. Stop at every GATE until I reply.

See AGENTS.md and INSTRUCTIONS.md.

How can I help improve this guide?

⭐ Star the repo · Open a doc issue · Submit a PR — see CONTRIBUTING.md