Cursor Aura: 780 Users and Growing
I vibecoded a Chrome extension that adds a glowing cursor effect, now at 780 users.
Key Metrics
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Users | 780 |
| Color Options | 5 (any color in V2) |
| Cursor Shapes | 4 (V2) |
The Problem
I find when I’m doing screen recordings it can be difficult for the viewer to follow the cursor.
The Solution
I built this so that they can always, very clearly, see it. And I thought it’d be cool to go for neon colors!
It’s a simple extension - you toggle it on from the popup, pick one of 5 neon colors, and a glowing ring follows your cursor around.
Key Features
- 5 neon color options - pick a glow color that pops against whatever you’re screen recording
- One-click toggle - turn it on from the extension popup when you’re recording, turn it off when you’re done
- Lightweight overlay - doesn’t interfere with clicking, scrolling, or anything on the page
What’s Coming in V2
V2 is releasing soon and it’s a big step up. Someone commented on Threads asking if they could pick any color, so I thought I’d go all out and make the whole thing customisable.
Here’s what’s new:
- Full color picker - instead of 5 preset neon colors, the first circle is now a color picker where you can choose any color you want
- Aura circle toggle - same as V1, toggles the glowing aura circle on your cursor on and off
- Cursor style toggle - brand new, lets you swap out the cursor shape entirely
- 4 cursor shapes - choose between a filled dot, ring, crosshair, or diamond shape for the cursor itself
So it goes from a simple “pick a color, toggle it on” to a fully customisable cursor experience with a new cursor shape changer and any color you want.
The Build Process
I vibe coded the whole thing with Claude in about an hour. The idea was simple and the execution matched. Figured out the overlay approach, got the color switching working, packaged it up and submitted to the Chrome Web Store.
The Results
I shared it on Threads after launch, then moved on. Didn’t think much of it. Then the dashboard started doing things I couldn’t explain.
Growth Timeline
- Day 2: 91 users - out of nowhere
- Day 3: 182 users - doubled overnight, but the Chrome Web Store only showed 2 installs and 6 impressions
- Day 30: 398 users
- Now: 780 users and still growing
The numbers made no sense. 91 users with only 6 total installs? Then double that with 2 more installs the next day? I took it to r/chrome_extensions because I genuinely couldn’t work it out. Before I even shared the demographics, the community correctly guessed most users were from Sweden (97% to be exact), while 67% of actual installs were US-based. Their best guess was VPN traffic, but nobody had a definitive answer. For reference, Convert Time took five months to reach that kind of number.
Still no idea what happened. Maybe I actually went viral.
What I Learned
- You can build and ship a real product in an hour. Not everything needs to be a massive undertaking. Simple idea, quick execution, real users.
- Sometimes stuff just goes viral and you can’t explain it. I still don’t fully understand the Sweden spike. You put things out there and sometimes the internet does its own thing.
- Simple wins. One feature, done well, with zero marketing spend - and it’s outperforming projects I spent way more time on.
Try It Yourself
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