👻 TypeGhost

A teleprompter for your code. Write it once, "type" it live.

TypeGhost replays pre-written code in your editor with human-like typing — irregular rhythm, thinking pauses, even typos that get noticed and fixed. Perfect for conference talks, screencasts, YouTube tutorials and classroom demos: no more typos in front of 300 people, no more "wait, what did I mistype?".

▶ Try the live demo in your browser — no install needed.

Two ways to fake it

🎬 Auto mode

Press play. Your code types itself at a human pace while you narrate. Pause anytime, or drop checkpoints in your script so playback stops exactly where you want to talk.

🕶 Hacker mode (the crowd favorite)

You mash any keys — the real script comes out. Your hands are genuinely moving, the rhythm is genuinely yours, and you physically cannot make a typo. This is the most convincing illusion for live presentations.

VS Code extension

1. Install TypeGhost from the Marketplace — or search "TypeGhost" in the Extensions view (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+X).
2. Copy your prepared code, open the file you'll "write" in front of your audience.
3. Run TypeGhost: Play From Clipboard — or TypeGhost: Hacker Mode From Clipboard and start mashing.

Command	What it does
TypeGhost: Play From Clipboard / File…	Auto-types the script at the cursor
TypeGhost: Hacker Mode From Clipboard / File…	Your keystrokes type the script
TypeGhost: Pause / Resume (ctrl/cmd+alt+T)	Also continues past checkpoints
TypeGhost: Stop (ctrl/cmd+alt+backspace)	Instantly hands the keyboard back

Settings: typing speed, typo simulation on/off and rate, characters per keystroke in hacker mode.

JetBrains plugin (IntelliJ IDEA, PhpStorm, WebStorm, PyCharm…)

The same two modes and the same directives, powered by a Kotlin port of the engine — one plugin covers every IntelliJ-based IDE (2024.2+).

Install from the JetBrains Marketplace — or search "TypeGhost" in Settings → Plugins. Commands live under Tools → TypeGhost (alt+shift+T to pause/resume, alt+shift+backspace to stop).

Script directives

Any comment with a ~ glued to the comment marker is a TypeGhost directive. It is stripped from what gets typed:

function fibonacci(n) {
  if (n <= 1) return n;
  return fibonacci(n - 1) + fibonacci(n - 2);
}
//~ pause 800

//~ checkpoint explain-recursion
console.log(fibonacci(10));

• //~ pause 800 — extra pause (ms) before the next character.
• //~ checkpoint <name> — auto playback stops here until you resume. Talk to your audience, then hit ctrl/cmd+alt+T.
• Works in any language: #~ (Python, shell), --~ (SQL, Lua, Haskell), ;;~ (Lisp), %~ (LaTeX, Erlang).

How it compares

	TypeGhost	vscode-hacker-typer	doitlive	demo-magic
Target	Editors (VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, web)	VS Code	Terminal	Terminal
Auto mode with human-like typing	✅ typos, rhythm, thinking pauses	❌	partial	partial
Hacker mode (mash keys)	✅	✅	✅	❌
Checkpoints / pauses in script	✅	~	✅	✅
Editor-agnostic core library	✅ typeghost-core	❌	❌	❌
Maintained	✅	❌ (archived-ish, last push 2023)	✅	~

Terminal demos? Use the excellent doitlive. Editor demos? That's what TypeGhost is for.

Monorepo layout

packages/
  core/               typeghost-core — the typing engine (pure TS, tested, no editor deps)
  vscode-extension/   the VS Code extension
  web-demo/           the Monaco-based browser playground
  jetbrains-plugin/   the IntelliJ Platform plugin (Kotlin port of the engine, Gradle)

npm install
npm run build
npm test        # engine test suite
npm run dev:web # playground on http://127.0.0.1:8123

The engine's golden rule, enforced by tests: whatever the simulation does — typos, corrections, pauses — the final buffer is byte-identical to your script. Your demo cannot derail.

Roadmap

• Publish the extension to the VS Code Marketplace
• Publish the engine to npm: typeghost-core
• Publish the extension to Open VSX (VSCodium, Gitpod, Cursor…)
• Record mode — code it once for real, TypeGhost captures and replays the session
• Multi-file scenarios (open file, jump to line, edit in the middle)
• JetBrains plugin (IntelliJ IDEA, PhpStorm, WebStorm, PyCharm, GoLand, Rider…)
• Checkpoint control from a presentation remote / foot pedal
• //~ speed 30 directive for per-section pacing

Contributions welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md.

FAQ

Is this… cheating? It's a teleprompter. Newscasters use them, keynote speakers use them, and half the conference circuit already fakes terminal demos. Your audience came to learn, not to watch you hunt for a missing semicolon.

Does hacker mode work with the Vim extension? Not simultaneously — both need to own the type command. TypeGhost tells you instead of failing silently.

License

MIT © Papa Sidy Mactar Traoré