Estimated runtime: 3–5 minutes
Record with: QuickTime (⌘⇧5) or OBS
Resolution: 1920×1080 recommended
Tip: Pause 1–2 seconds between each action so viewers can follow
What to show: The app opens with a warm welcome — not a scary blank terminal.
[Action] Launch NeuroShell (⌘R from Xcode)
[Pause] Let the welcome messages appear in the terminal
[Show] Point out the sidebar: navigation, timer status, mood selector
Narration idea: "When you open NeuroShell, you're not greeted with a blank cursor and silence. You get a welcome, tips, and a reminder that you can just ask for help."
What to show: Built-in help is friendly, not a man page wall of text.
help
Narration idea: "Type 'help' and you get human-readable guidance, not a wall of flags and options."
What to show: Start typing in plain English and watch suggestions appear in real-time.
[Type slowly] show me what files are here
[Pause] Let the suggestion bar populate
[Click] Click the "ls -la" suggestion
[Pause] Let it run, show the ✅ celebration message
Then try another:
[Type slowly] find large files
[Pause] Show the suggestions that appear
[Click] Pick one or press Enter
Then one more:
[Type slowly] go home
[Pause] Show "cd ~" suggestion appears
[Click] Run it
Narration idea: "You don't need to memorize commands. Just describe what you want in your own words. NeuroShell suggests the right command and explains what it does."
What to show: The yellow explanation bar that appears while typing.
[Type slowly, don't press Enter] grep
[Pause] Show the 💡 explanation: "Searches for text in files — like Ctrl+F but for multiple files"
[Clear input]
[Type slowly] chmod
[Pause] Show explanation: "Changes who can access a file — like changing locks"
[Clear input]
[Type slowly] sudo
[Pause] Show explanation with ⚠️ warning
Narration idea: "Every command gets a real-time, jargon-free explanation. No Googling, no guessing."
What to show: The terminal actually works — it's not a toy.
pwd
ls -la
mkdir neuroshell-demo
cd neuroshell-demo
touch hello.txt
echo "NeuroShell is awesome" > hello.txt
cat hello.txt
ls -la
Narration idea: "This is a real terminal. Everything you'd normally do works here — but with guardrails."
What to show: Trigger errors and show how NeuroShell responds with kindness.
cd nonexistent-folder
Shows: "Directory not found" + "💡 Tip: Use 'ls' to see what's in the current directory"
fakecmd123
Shows: error + "💡 This might be a permissions issue or the command might not exist"
cat doesnotexist.txt
Shows: error with helpful guidance
Narration idea: "When something goes wrong, you don't get yelled at. You get an explanation, a suggestion, and a reminder that errors are just clues."
What to show: The built-in emotional support.
encourage me
Shows a random encouragement message like "🌟 You're doing amazing!"
encourage
Another one — show it rotates through different messages
Narration idea: "Sometimes you just need to hear that you're doing okay."
What to show: Context recovery — the killer feature for ADHD.
First, build up some context:
cd ~
cd Desktop
git status
ls -la
Then click the "Where was I?" button in the top-right corner of the terminal.
Shows: current directory, recent commands, pinned notes, saved memory slots
Narration idea: "You got distracted. You came back. You have no idea what you were doing. One click and NeuroShell tells you exactly where you left off."
What to show: Click "Task Chunker" in the sidebar.
[Action] Click "Task Chunker" in sidebar
[Type] "Deploy my project" in the description box
[Click] "Break It Down!" button
[Pause] Show the generated steps with difficulty ratings and time estimates
Show the steps:
- 🟢 Check your status —
git status(~2 min)- 🟡 Run tests —
npm test(~5 min)- 🟡 Build the project —
npm run build(~5 min)
...
[Click] The "Run" button on Step 1 to show it executes in the terminal
[Click] The ✓ checkmark to mark a step complete — show the celebration
Then try a template:
[Click] "Debug an error" template button
[Pause] Show how it generates a different set of steps
Narration idea: "'Deploy my project' is terrifying. Five small steps with green dots? That's doable. Task Chunker turns mountains into staircases."
What to show: Click "Quick Actions" in the sidebar.
[Action] Click "Quick Actions" in sidebar
[Show] Scroll through the categorized buttons
[Click] "Where Am I?" button → runs pwd
[Click] "What's Here?" button → runs ls -la
[Click] "Open Finder Here" → opens Finder at current directory
Narration idea: "Zero memorization. Just buttons. Tap what you want, it runs."
What to show: Click different mood emojis in the sidebar footer.
[Click] 😊 emoji → show "Awesome! Let's make the most of this energy!"
[Click] 😰 emoji → show "Take a breath. You don't have to do everything right now."
Narration idea: "NeuroShell checks in with you. When you tell it you're overwhelmed, it doesn't push harder — it pulls back."
What to show: Click "Timer & Breaks" in the sidebar.
[Action] Click "Timer & Breaks" in sidebar
[Show] Session timer counting, progress bar toward break
[Click] The "☕ Quick — 5 min" break button
[Show] Break countdown starts, break ideas appear
Narration idea: "Time blindness is real. NeuroShell tracks time so you don't have to, and makes taking breaks feel like a reward, not a failure."
What to show: Click "Breathing" in the sidebar.
[Action] Click "Breathing" in sidebar
[Click] Select "Box Breathing" pattern
[Click] "Start Breathing" button
[Show] Watch the circle expand and contract for 1-2 full cycles
[Pause] Show the affirmation text at the bottom
[Click] "Stop" after 2 cycles (don't wait for all 4 in the demo)
Narration idea: "When your nervous system is on fire, you don't need another productivity tool. You need to breathe. NeuroShell has that too."
What to show: Quick fly-through of settings.
[Action] Click "Settings" in sidebar
[Show] Scroll through — point out:
• Font size slider
• Hyperfocus limit (45 min default)
• Reminder toggles
• Reduce motion / high contrast accessibility
• "Your brain isn't broken" message at the bottom
Narration idea: "Everything is customizable. Your brain, your rules."
What to show: Switch back to terminal tab.
[Action] Click "Terminal" in sidebar
breathe
Shows: "🫁 Take a deep breath..."
End on the terminal with the message visible.
Narration idea: "NeuroShell. A kinder terminal for differently wired minds."
| Tip | Why |
|---|---|
| Type slowly (2-3 chars/sec) | Viewers need to read what you're typing |
| Pause 2 seconds after each result | Let the output breathe on screen |
| Use ⌘+ to zoom the app to 125-150% | Better readability in video |
| Record audio separately | Cleaner narration, easier to edit |
| Show your face in a corner (optional) | Builds connection for hackathon judges |
| Keep it under 5 minutes | Attention spans — you know this one 😉 |
Something lo-fi, calm, and unobtrusive. Try:
- Lofi Girl (royalty-free streams)
- Chillhop (free with attribution)
- Or just silence — the app speaks for itself
If you just want the raw commands in order:
help
ls -la
pwd
mkdir neuroshell-demo
cd neuroshell-demo
touch hello.txt
echo "NeuroShell is awesome" > hello.txt
cat hello.txt
cd nonexistent-folder
fakecmd123
encourage me
cd ~
ls -la
breathe
Total demo flow: 15 scenes, ~4 minutes, covers every major feature.