# open/close the menu (registered UI actions):
POST /ui/invoke {"id": "samples-menu.open"}     # and "samples-menu.close"

# list what the menu shows (id, label, blurb):
GET /claude/sample-prompts

[{"id":"thread-my-demo","label":"My demo","blurb":"one line","prompt":"the full prompt text"}]

---
name: hydrogen-lightbulb
description: >-
  Hydrogen's lightbulb menu of sample prompts in the title bar: each item opens
  a fresh Claude thread and types a demo prompt; sample-prompts.json adds or
  rewords them without a release. Use when asked about the lightbulb, sample
  prompts, demo prompts, or adding a sample prompt.
---

# hydrogen-lightbulb — the sample-prompts (💡) menu

The **lightbulb button** just right of the Adom logo in Hydrogen's title bar (moved there
0.1.265 — the AI work happens on the left where VS Code lives) opens a menu of curated sample
prompts. Picking one opens a **new Claude conversation** in the editor and
human-types the prompt (open → ready → type → verify → submit, all verified) —
the user just watches it run. It exists to teach by DOING: each prompt
demonstrates a capability end to end.

**Hidden by default since 1.0.142** (`Settings > Hydrogen > Behavior > Show Lightbulb`,
default off): the menu earns its keep while learning Hydrogen and is header noise after
that. Turning the setting on shows the button immediately, no restart. The
`samples-menu.open` / `samples-menu.close` AI commands stay registered even while the
button is hidden.

## Current lineup (0.1.260+)

Full tour (everything at once) · Adom parts search · KiCad · Fusion 360 ·
Altium · pup (AI-driven browser) · Native Chrome/Edge · Google Workspace ·
chip-fetcher · adom-tsci (build a board) · shotlog · Webview panels ·
Hands-free (TTS) · **Speak Adom (wv, pup, nb...)** — teaches the popular Adom
shorthand with a cheat sheet in a wv and a quick quiz.

## Drive it as an AI

```bash
# open/close the menu (registered UI actions):
POST /ui/invoke {"id": "samples-menu.open"}     # and "samples-menu.close"

# list what the menu shows (id, label, blurb):
GET /claude/sample-prompts
```

## Where the list comes from (three layers, later wins)

1. **Compiled defaults** in the Hydrogen build (offline fallback).
2. **The wiki list** (0.1.263+): `lightbulb-prompts/prompts.json` on the Hydrogen wiki
   page — the fleet-wide lineup, updated INDEPENDENTLY of Hydrogen releases. Hydrogen checks
   it on every menu open (debounced 15 min) plus every 4 hours during business
   hours (Mon-Fri 7am-7pm local); a changed list pops into an open menu live.
   Cache: `%APPDATA%\hydrogen-desktop\sample-prompts-remote.json`. Docs + PR
   guide: the [Lightbulb Prompts sub-readme](https://wiki.adom.inc/adom/hydrogen-desktop/files/lightbulb-prompts/README.md).
3. **The user's local file** `%APPDATA%\hydrogen-desktop\sample-prompts.json` —
   personal overrides, always wins:

```json
[{"id":"thread-my-demo","label":"My demo","blurb":"one line","prompt":"the full prompt text"}]
```

- A **new id** appends a menu item; a **matching id** overrides a lower layer
  (label/blurb, and the prompt body if non-empty).
- Any `thread-*` id routes to the runner automatically — no code change needed.
- Bad JSON (local or wiki) is logged and ignored — the menu never breaks.
- To contribute a prompt for EVERYONE: PR `lightbulb-prompts/prompts.json` in the
  hydrogen-desktop repo (see the sub-readme above for the rules).

Prompts are written in the user's casual first-person voice, as ONE flat
paragraph (a typed newline would submit early). Never edit John's compiled
prompt bodies without permission; add new ids instead.