Using Flic for Vibe Coding

Walking pad under a standing desk. Laptop at eye level. Speed at 2.4–2.6 mph — fast enough to keep blood moving, slow enough that your brain stays free. Flic remote for controlling dictation and sending my commands.

Walking at this pace doesn't compete with thinking. I'm not really exercising. I'm just...not sitting. The body is occupied, so the mind is free. And again — I can't stress this enough — I'm not just sitting.

flic

Bluetooth universal keyboard button. Press to trigger any keystroke on your computer.

Handy / Whisprflow

Local speech-to-text. Handy is free. Whisprflow isn't free but is better.

pi / Claude Code / Codex

Agentic coding in the terminal. Takes voice-dictated instructions and runs with them.

Walking Pad

UMAY under-desk treadmill with incline. Any pad will work, but if you're tall, check the belt width — my first one was too narrow.

The flic button runs in Universal mode, sending HID keyboard commands over Bluetooth. A single press triggers Opt/Alt + Space — which activates Handy. Push to talk should be disabled in Handy; use the flic button to toggle instead.

Flic app home — button named vibecode in Universal mode

Step 1: Flic button paired in Universal mode, named "vibecode".

Reconnect dialog to change Universal configuration

Step 2: Tap the button to reconnect and edit its Universal configuration.

Flic config — Push sends Opt/Alt + Spacebar, Double Push sends Return

Step 3: Push → Opt/Alt + Spacebar (triggers Whisper transcribe). Double Push → Return.

Full Flic config — Push, Double Push, and Hold commands

Step 4: Full config — Push: Opt/Alt + Space, Double Push: Return, Hold: Esc.

In Handy, set the transcribe shortcut to option+space and make sure Push To Talk is off. With this off, you are controlling a toggle state. I tried some things to do hold-to-talk at first but it ended up being a bit complicated given some limitations in the flic. This works better.

Handy app config — Transcribe Shortcut set to option+space, Push To Talk disabled

2.4–2.6 mph is the sweet spot. I can maintain this pace for hours without thinking about it, and it seems to be the best speed for creativity.
Step tracking may not work. If your hand is resting on the standing desk, something like an Apple Watch isn't going to count your steps. I have my flic in the left hand though, so it's fine.
Just use the built-in MacBook mic. My AirPod Pros kept having connection and transcription issues — other people have reported the same. You're talking out loud anyway, so it's not like you need noise isolation on the input side. It is a little annoying if you're in a co-working space, though. I wouldn't do this there.

flic Duo — push, swipe, and rotate actions

I should've got the flic Duo instead. It has push, swipe, and rotate actions — the rotate and swipe would let you navigate between tmux windows without touching the keyboard. That's the dream: voice for input, button for navigation, hands completely free. I wasn't sure if the Duo could work as an HID without the hub, though — should've asked them first.