Build a complete talk track
Move from restating the problem to clarifying questions, approach, code, complexity, and a worked example.
Open source · Bring your own key · No app account
Practice the interview.
Own the workflow.
Turn a coding problem into a structured walkthrough you can rehearse out loud. Run the overlay on your machine, use your own API key, and customize every part of the experience.
Bring your own key
No mic or screen capture
Keyboard-first
Apache 2.0
Why it exists
Practice explaining, not just solving.
Strong technical interviews require a clear thought process. The overlay turns a problem into a structured guide you can rehearse, question, and adapt to your own voice.
Capture only when you ask
The Chrome extension reads the current page only when you press the shortcut. It never needs microphone or screen-capture access.
Keep your practice flow
The mouse passes through the overlay, while keyboard shortcuts handle scrolling, docking, opacity, and answer effort.
Comparison
Why pay $799 for a privacy light?
Interview Coder and UltraCode charge hundreds for a closed tool that asks for mic and screen-recording permission. Open Interview Assistant is free, open source, and never turns on the OS privacy indicator.
| Capability | Open Interview Assistant | Interview Coder / UltraCode |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — bring your own API key | ~$799 closed paid product |
| Open source | Yes — Apache 2.0, fork and tweak | No — closed binary |
| Microphone permission | Never requested | Required |
| Screen recording permission | Never requested | Required |
| OS privacy indicator | Stays off — no orange/green light | Lights up — can make interviewers suspicious |
| How it reads the question | Chrome extension reads the HTML DOM text from CodeSignal, HackerRank, LeetCode, and similar pages | Mic + screen capture / pixel screenshots |
| Answer quality input | Clean page text — better signal than screenshots | Noisy pixels and OCR-style capture |
| Invisible overlay | Local always-on-top panel with content protection; hidden from screenshare | Vendor-controlled closed overlay |
| Customizable | Change shortcuts, prompts, layout, opacity — ship your own variant | Locked product surface |
| Your keys / your machine | Runs locally with your Anthropic key — no app account | Paid vendor stack |
Competitor pricing and permission behavior based on publicly marketed Interview Coder / UltraCode offerings. Always verify current pricing and permissions on their sites before purchasing.
Flow
One shortcut. A complete practice walkthrough.
Open a problem, generate a guide, then rehearse how you would explain it.
Open the question
LeetCode, a doc, a take-home brief — anything in Chrome. The extension only reads when you ask.
Press ⌘⇧U
Page context reaches the local app over an authenticated loopback connection, then goes to Anthropic with your API key.
Practice the walkthrough
Rehearse a realistic interview arc: summary → clarify → approach → code → complexity → walkthrough.
Product
A small, transparent workflow.
Understand every step, keep control of the key, and change what does not fit.
01
Page text, not pixels
Chrome extension reads the page on demand — cleaner input than screenshots, no screen-recording permission.
02
Interview-arc answers
Structured like a strong candidate talks: orient, clarify, approach, code, prove it.
03
Keyboard-only controls
Dock, hide, scroll, opacity, and effort are all shortcuts, so your hands can stay in the editor.
04
Transparent data path
Browser and overlay connect over authenticated loopback. The captured URL, title, and page text go to Anthropic using your key.
05
Adaptive thinking
Claude Sonnet decides how long to reason. Cycle effort when you need speed or extra care.
06
Yours to tweak
Apache 2.0. Change shortcuts, prompts, layout, opacity — ship the version that fits you.
Open source on purpose
It belongs to you.
Not a locked binary with a waitlist. A small Electron app and a plain Chrome extension you can read, change, and run on your machine.
-
electron/Remap shortcuts Bindings live in one array. Fix collisions in minutes. -
src/App.tsxRestyle the panel Opacity, fonts, section order — the UI is one React file. -
llm.tsSwap prompt or model Shape the interview script the way you like to speak. -
extension/Tune capture Plain JS, no build step. Change what gets read from the page.
Get started
Set up the app and extension.
Bring an Anthropic API key and allow a few minutes for the one-time local setup. No Open Interview Assistant account required.
# clone git clone https://github.com/harry-the-nerd/open-interview-assistant.git cd open-interview-assistant # install + configure npm install echo 'ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...' > .env # run the overlay npm run dev
Load the extension once
-
Open
chrome://extensionsand enable Developer mode. -
Load unpacked → select
the repo’s
extension/folder. - With the app running, pairing happens automatically on install or the first ⌘⇧U.
-
Shortcut collision? Rebind at
chrome://extensions/shortcuts— or change the app bindings.
Keyboard shortcuts Complete control surface · Ctrl on Windows/Linux
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘⇧U | Send this page and answer — the daily driver |
| ⌘↵ | Answer again from what was already captured |
| ⌘↑ ⌘↓ | Scroll the answer |
| ⌘B | Hide or show the panel |
| ⌘⇧← ⌘⇧→ | Dock left or right |
| ⌘⇧S | Flip to the other side |
| ⌘⇧↑ ⌘⇧↓ | Nudge the panel up or down |
| ⌘⇧E | Cycle thinking effort |
| ⌘⇧O | Cycle opacity |
| ⌘⇧K | Show or hide help |
| ⌘R | Clear everything |
Before you install
Know exactly what you are running.
Open source means the useful details—and the tradeoffs—should be easy to find.
What data is sent to the AI model?
The extension reads the
current page only when you press the shortcut.
It sends the page URL, title, and extracted text to the local
Electron app, which then calls Anthropic with your API key. The
app does not request microphone or screen-recording access.
What do I need to run it?
You need Node.js with npm, Chrome or a Chromium-based browser,
and an Anthropic API key. The app itself requires no account and
the Chrome extension is loaded locally.
How much does it cost?
Open Interview Assistant is free under Apache 2.0. Anthropic
bills model usage to your API account, so cost depends on the
model, prompt size, and how often you generate answers.
Which platforms are supported?
The Electron app targets macOS, Windows, and Linux. Use Ctrl
instead of Command on Windows and Linux. Window and
content-protection behavior can vary by OS and conferencing app,
so test your setup before depending on a specific behavior.
Where should I use it?
It is designed for interview practice, mock interviews,
take-home work, and sessions where AI assistance is explicitly
allowed. Follow the rules set by your interviewer, employer,
school, or assessment platform.
Open source tool + guided preparation
Build your workflow—or follow a structured plan.
Open Interview Assistant is the free, customizable BYOK tool. DarkInterview adds curated question banks, structured courses, and company-specific tracks.