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What are Micro-Breaks?

Micro-breaks are brief 1-minute breaks that fire every 20 minutes during your coding session. They’re designed to prevent digital eye strain, repetitive stress injuries, and postural fatigue from prolonged screen time. These quick interventions target:
  • Eye health — reducing strain from constant focus on screens
  • Wrist and hand health — preventing carpal tunnel and RSI
  • Neck and shoulder tension — reversing forward head posture
The 20-minute interval is based on the 20-20-20 rule endorsed by the American Academy of Ophthalmology for reducing digital eye strain.

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The 20-20-20 Rule

The 20-20-20 rule is a simple technique to prevent eye fatigue:
  • Every 20 minutes of screen time
  • Look at something 20 feet away (or more)
  • For at least 20 seconds
This gives your eye muscles a break from the constant near-focus required for screen work. Following this rule can significantly reduce symptoms like dry eyes, blurred vision, and headaches.
Combine the 20-20-20 rule with rapid blinking (15-20 times) to re-lubricate your eyes after each break.

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Example Micro-Break Tips

Vibe Check rotates through a variety of micro-break exercises. Here are some examples from the plugin:

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👁️ Eye Reset

Look at something 20+ feet away for 20 seconds (the 20-20-20 rule). Then blink rapidly 15 times to re-lubricate your eyes.

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🤲 Wrist Stretch

Extend one arm, palm up. Gently pull fingers back for 15 sec. Flip palm down, press fingers toward floor for 15 sec. Both sides.

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🧘 Chin Tuck

Sit tall. Pull your head straight back (make a double chin). Hold 5 seconds, repeat 5 times. Fixes forward head posture from screen staring.

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😌 Palming

Rub your hands together until warm. Cup them gently over your closed eyes for 30 seconds. Breathe deeply. Don’t press on your eyeballs.

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🙆 Shoulder Release

Raise your shoulders to your ears, hold 3 seconds, then drop them. Roll backward 5 times, forward 5 times. Release that tension.

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🤸 Prayer Stretch

Press palms together at chest level. Slowly lower your hands toward your desk keeping palms touching until you feel the stretch. Hold 7 sec, repeat 3 times.

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🔄 Near-Far Focus

Hold your thumb 6 inches from your face, focus on it for 5 sec. Shift focus to something 20+ feet away for 5 sec. Repeat 10 times.

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How Reminders Appear

When a micro-break is due, you’ll see a reminder card in your Claude conversation: 
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
⏰ VIBE CHECK — 👁️ Eye Reset (20 min since last break)
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Look at something 20+ feet away for 20 seconds (the 20-20-20 rule). Then blink
rapidly 15 times to re-lubricate your eyes.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Claude will also add a friendly one-sentence encouragement after the reminder box, then seamlessly continue with your coding task.
The reminder shows how long it’s been since your last break, helping you stay aware of your session duration.

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Configuration

You can customize the micro-break interval using environment variables: 
VIBE_CHECK_MICRO_INTERVAL=900  # 15 minutes instead of 20
See the Configuration page for all available options.

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Next Steps

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