TypeHero

Terminal typing trainer focused on accuracy first, with data-driven practice targeting your specific problem areas.

Philosophy

• Accuracy > Speed: Raw WPM is meaningless without accuracy
• No escape hatches: Can't skip hard exercises or hide mistakes
• Data-driven: Every keystroke tracked, analyzed, and used to generate targeted practice
• Immediate feedback: Real-time visual indicators for every character
• Adjusted WPM: Primary metric = raw WPM × accuracy²

Features

• Real-time feedback: See mistakes instantly as you type
• Bigram tracking: Identifies your slowest character pairs
• Error analysis: Tracks most error-prone keys
• Targeted practice: Auto-generates exercises from your problem areas
• Persistent stats: All sessions saved to SQLite database ~/.typehero.db
• Multiple modes:
  • Random words (common English)
  • Code patterns (programming constructs)
  • Targeted drills (your problem bigrams)
  • Quick practice (20 words)

Installation

npm (recommended)

npm install -g @sethwebster/typehero

Or run without installing:

npx @sethwebster/typehero

Shell Installer (macOS/Linux)

curl -sSL https://github.com/sethwebster/typehero/releases/latest/download/typehero-installer.sh | sh

Cargo

cargo install typehero

From Source

cargo install --path .

Uninstallation

curl -sSL https://github.com/sethwebster/typehero/releases/latest/download/uninstall.sh | sh

Or manually:

• npm: npm uninstall -g @sethwebster/typehero
• cargo: cargo uninstall typehero
• shell installer: Remove binary from ~/.local/bin/typehero or ~/.cargo/bin/typehero

Usage

Launch the app and select a mode:

1. Guided Practice - Constraint-based finger placement training
   • Teaches through constraints, not detection: Only keys from active fingers are accepted
   • Progressive finger unlocking: Index → Middle → Ring → Pinky → Thumbs
   • ASCII keyboard map shows active fingers in color (inactive keys greyed out)
   • Illegal keys rejected (cursor doesn't advance) - shapes motor memory through negative capability
   • 3-2-1 countdown before each attempt (no Enter key friction)
   • Tracks illegal key violations + accuracy per attempt
   • Mastery = 3 consecutive attempts at 95%+ accuracy with 0 illegal keys
   • Auto-advances when lesson mastered
   • Navigate: Ctrl-N (next lesson), Ctrl-P (previous lesson)
2. Random Words - Practice common English words
3. Code Patterns - Programming-specific patterns
4. Targeted Practice - Auto-generated from your slowest bigrams
5. Quick Drill - Short 20-word session
6. View Statistics - See lifetime stats and problem areas
7. Quit

During Practice

• Type exactly what you see
• No backspace - mistakes stay visible
• ESC to quit (you'll get a reminder to push through if quitting early)
• Session ends when you complete the text

Metrics

• Raw WPM: (characters / 5) / minutes
• Accuracy: (correct_chars / total_chars) × 100
• Adjusted WPM: Raw WPM × (accuracy/100)²

Example: 60 WPM at 90% accuracy = 60 × 0.81 = 48.6 adjusted WPM

Rules

1. No backspace - Forces correct typing first time
2. 95% accuracy target - Anything less = needs improvement
3. Stats never reset - Own your progress

Tips for Improvement

1. Slow down - Speed comes from accuracy, not rushing
2. Focus on problem bigrams - Use targeted practice mode
3. Watch the current character - It's highlighted in blue
4. Don't look at your hands - Force muscle memory
5. Consistent practice - 15 minutes daily > 2 hours weekly

Stats Location

All statistics are saved to ~/.typehero.db (SQLite database)

Tables:

• sessions: Session summaries (timestamp, WPM, accuracy)
• metadata: Total keystrokes and errors
• key_errors: Per-key error counts
• bigrams: Aggregated bigram timing data with rolling averages

Migration: Legacy JSON stats (~/.typehero_stats.json) are automatically imported on first run

Architecture

See AGENTS.md for detailed architecture and design principles.