Only after doing six squats does Claude agree to move: this open-source AI plugin Workout Gate wants to force you to exercise

A Claude Code hook circulating in the community requires users to complete 6 squats before submitting a prompt, with the camera confirming the action; the movement also randomly switches to push-ups. The tool has been uploaded as open source on GitHub, sparking a lot of discussion in the community.
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How many things do you ask AI to do every day? Writing code, editing copy, organizing data—each one may remove some of the reasons you would otherwise get up, think, and discuss with other people. So recently, an open-source GitHub project called “Workout Gate” does the opposite: the moment you press Enter, it requires you to stand up first.

This tool is a Claude Code hook that allows custom scripts to run before and after a user submits a prompt. In simple terms, it lets you insert any program you want between the action “you speak, AI responds.” And what this developer inserted is 6 push-ups or 9 squats (you can choose the difficulty).

The logic of how the exercise tax works

The process is as follows: the user inputs a command, presses send, the program opens the camera, and confirms that you’ve really completed 6 push-ups before Claude starts executing the task. If you don’t do it, nothing happens.

The reason this tool has struck a chord—besides being funny—is that it taps into a real anxiety.

When AI can complete work that would normally take a human 20 minutes in just a few seconds, many start to realize: those 20 minutes originally included the actions of getting up to find someone, looking up information, and thinking—those disappear as well. The time knowledge workers spend in front of their screens doesn’t decrease, but the reasons to move are quickly shrinking.

This hook responds to that anxiety in a half-joking way. Its underlying message is very direct: even if you outsource all your mental effort to AI, at least you can preserve a bit of physical strength. It’s not some serious productivity plan, but it turns a bit of mockery into a program that actually runs—not a sticky note you slap next to your screen.

This is different from the logic of “sit-all-day reminder” apps. Those are optional—you can install them and turn them off anytime. This Hook is a hard requirement: if you don’t do it, there’s no AI. With enforcement being different, the effect is naturally different, too.

From joke to mechanism

However, this design also opens up another old problem: how much are you willing to let the camera see for the sake of self-discipline? Handing the camera over to a script that verifies whether you really squatted involves more than health management—it’s also about how willing you are to accept self-monitoring.

Right now, this project is more like a behavioral experiment than something that can be promoted to all users. But it has indeed sparked more discussion.