Coding-interview practice for macOS and Windows

Practise the part where someone is watching.

Thrive is a desktop app for the coding round. Solve a problem, think out loud, and get feedback tied to the exact moment it happened.

Join the waitlist Coding round first. Free to join.

Two Pointers · Practice Recording

Interviewer Walk me through your approach before you start. Speaking…

1def pair_sum(nums, target):
2    left, right = 0, len(nums) - 1
3    while left < right:
4        total = nums[left] + nums[right]
5        if total == target:
6            return [left, right]
7        if total < target:
8            left += 1
9        else:
10            right -= 1

Talk through what this block does

2 / 3 tests passing

14 I'll start with a hash map so lookups are constant time. 
41 Actually, sorted input means two pointers is cleaner. 
26 [silence] 
31 OK, this loop moves the left pointer when the sum is too small. 

Mock-up of a practice session. Real recordings replace this when the app ships.

A loop that behaves like a loop.

In a real coding round you type, talk, get interrupted and get asked why. Practising silently trains none of that. Thrive makes you do it out loud, every time.

Think aloud

Your voice and your code are recorded on one timeline. Transcription runs on your machine.

Light nudges

If you type for 45 seconds without saying anything, a quiet prompt appears. A pause under 30 seconds never triggers one.

A quiet interviewer

After a failed run or when you finish, it asks one short follow-up in text. You answer out loud.

Talk through what this block does

Typing in silence · 45 s

Mock-up. The rules that can trigger a nudge:

Typing in silence for 45 s or more
Typing before you have said anything about your approach
Deleting 5 lines or 30% of your code
Running tests without saying what you expect

Practice Untimed, hints allowed, nudges coach you.

Mock Timed (45 min by default), no hints, nudges stay minimal and act as an examiner.

Nudges are rules, not a model. They fire in under a second, and they are the same every time.

Feedback that points at the moment.

Real loops end with “we’ll be in touch”. Thrive’s review lists at least five moments from your session. Each one shows the code at that point, what you said, and what to do next.

Review · Two Pointers · Mock, 31 min Used 31k tokens on your Claude plan

04:12 09:40 14:32 21:05 28:50

Code at 14:32

-    for i in range(len(nums)):
-        for j in range(i + 1, len(nums)):
+    left, right = 0, len(nums) - 1
+    while left < right:
+        total = nums[left] + nums[right]

You said

13:40 [silence for 52 s while rewriting the loop]

14:41 Okay, trying a different approach.

Next time

Say why you’re abandoning an approach before you delete it. One sentence is enough.

04:12Started coding before stating a plan
09:40Ran tests without saying what to expect
21:05Good: named the time complexity unprompted
28:50Edge case found only after the last run

CommunicationNarrated well, with one long silence
Problem solvingReached a clean approach, late
TestingRan early, predicted little
ComplexityStated correctly once asked

Mock-up of a review. Real recordings replace this when the app ships.

Evidence first

No judgement without a timestamp, a code state and a transcript line behind it.

A next step for every critique

Not “communicate more”. Something you can do in the next session.

Replay

Scrub the timeline and see the code, cursor and transcript at any second.

It will tell you when you coded before you had a plan. It will not tell you that was a great attempt.

Runs on the Claude Code or Codex plan you already pay for.

Thrive drives the claude or codex command-line tool already installed on your machine. No new AI subscription and no API key required.

Your login stays yours. Thrive never reads or stores your credentials. The official tool signs in for itself.
You see the cost. Each mock shows the tokens it used. A full mock is designed to stay around 40k input tokens.
If it is unavailable, the mock still finishes and saves. The review can be generated later.
No plan? Thrive Cloud is an optional sign-in mode with a monthly budget per user. It only receives the condensed timeline after you opt in, does not store it, and never receives audio.

Providers

Mock-up of the provider check.

Recordings never leave your machine.

Your voice, your transcript and your code are stored in a folder on your computer. Accounts exist only if you choose the optional Thrive Cloud mode.

Stays on your machine Goes to your AI provider

Audio recording. Audio never leaves your machine in any mode. A condensed timeline: code at checkpoints and short transcript excerpts, under a token budget.

Full transcript, transcribed on your device. Nothing else.

Event log, code snapshots, review. Sent through your own Claude or Codex login, under that provider’s terms. In Thrive Cloud mode, sent to Thrive’s server after you opt in, passed on and not stored.

Thrive adds no analytics or telemetry to the app. Anything optional later will be opt-in. Read the privacy page.

Coding round only, for now

System design, behavioural and AI-assisted rounds come later.

Practice only

No overlay, no stealth mode, nothing that helps during a real interview. Not now, not later.

Python first

Other languages later.

What engineers say about interviews.

We read about 600 posts and comments from Reddit, Hacker News, Blind and X before writing any code. These are three of them. They are the problem, not a review of Thrive.

“feedback said “seemed uncertain.” i wasn’t uncertain i was just terrified”

r/cscareerquestions, Mar 2026

“The part I feel least prepared for is the actual interview simulation — thinking out loud, handling hints from the interviewer, recovering when you’re stuck. Those are things you can’t really practice alone.”

r/leetcode, May 2026

“I’m going 4, 5, 6+ rounds with all these companies... Most I feel like go solidly, but then of course no one gives you feedback.”

r/ExperiencedDevs, May 2026

Sources are skewed toward US big-tech and distressed posters.

Nudges are rule-based. A thinking pause under 30 seconds never triggers one.

FAQ

Who is it for?

Engineers interviewing for software roles, mostly with a few years of experience, though new grads can use it too. v1 covers the coding round only.

How is this different from asking Claude to quiz me?

A chat can generate problems and critique an answer. It cannot watch you type, notice that you were silent for a minute, or point at the second it happened. Thrive records voice and code together and ties feedback to that timeline. If a text-only coach is enough for you, use one.

Does it cost anything?

Joining the waitlist is free. Pricing is not decided. The AI runs on your own Claude Code or Codex plan, so Thrive adds no AI bill of its own in that mode. We won’t surprise-bill you.

Which plan do I need?

A Claude Code or Codex login on your machine. If you have neither, you can use Thrive Cloud (sign in, monthly budget) or an API key.

Is my audio uploaded?

No, in every mode. Audio, transcript and code stay in a folder on your computer. The condensed timeline goes to your AI provider through your own login so it can ask questions and write the review. See the privacy page.

Does it work on Windows?

Planned for v1, being verified.

Will it help me during a real interview?

No, by design. No overlay, no stealth mode. It is practice only.

Will it tell me I did well?

Only when the timeline shows it. The review cites evidence for every judgement, good or bad.

What happens when I join the waitlist?

We store your email, and optionally your OS and which AI plan you use. We email you when there is a build, and for nothing else. The privacy page covers the details.

Is it open source?

Not decided yet.

What about system design and behavioural rounds?

Planned, not built. v1 is coding only.

Join the waitlist.

We’ll email when the first build is ready. Nothing else.