This block has been a long time coming.
I first built the Scroll Indicator back in September, when I was exploring what Telex AI could do. The idea was simple: a small animated mouse icon that sits at the bottom of the screen and nudges readers to keep scrolling. Telex built it in minutes. It even added a click-to-scroll behavior I never asked for, which was a genuinely delightful surprise.
But it was a prototype. Fun to share, not something I’d put on a real site.
After writing about leveling up from Telex to Claude Code, I had a new toolchain and an obvious candidate for a first real release. The Scroll Indicator was the block I’d always wanted to finish.
So I finished it.
What it does
The Scroll Indicator block adds a subtle, animated prompt at the bottom of your page. It draws readers’ attention downward before they’ve decided to leave. That moment of hesitation — the one where someone almost bounces — is where this block earns its keep.
Settings you can customize:
- Icon color
- Icon size (small, medium, large)
- Hide after scrolling past a certain point
- Show or hide optional text
- Custom text content
The animation is CSS-based, lightweight, and doesn’t interfere with page performance. No JavaScript payload on load; the scroll detection for the hide behavior is a minimal event listener.
From Telex proof-of-concept to actual plugin
The original Telex version worked, but it was hand-rolled CSS and JavaScript with no WordPress block conventions. No block.json. No editor controls that behaved like native WordPress settings. It was a playground export, not a plugin.
Rebuilding it with Claude Code and the official WordPress Agent Skills meant starting from how WordPress blocks are actually supposed to work. Standard attributes. Native InspectorControls. Proper block.json registration. The editor experience matches what you’d expect from any core block.
The hide-after-scrolling feature was worth rebuilding correctly. In the Telex version, it was a rough toggle. The rebuilt version uses an Intersection Observer with a configurable threshold, so the icon fades cleanly once the reader has committed to scrolling. No jank.
The Scroll Indicator isn’t the only block I’ve shipped this way. The Cover Block Parallax and Parallax Video both followed a similar path. Telex sparked the idea, Claude finished the job. They’re on GitHub if you want to explore them.
Where to get it
The plugin is available on GitHub. Download the zip, install it like any other WordPress plugin, and the Scroll Indicator block shows up in your inserter ready to use.
What’s next
The pattern so far has been Telex for the idea, Claude Code for the real thing. That’s working well for blocks.
But the next project is something different. I’m building a WordPress block theme that’s typography-first, built for bloggers and academics, and the toolchain is shifting again. Cursor this time, with actual design mockups driving the build rather than prompts alone. A more deliberate process for a more deliberate kind of project.
The tools keep changing. That’s kind of the point. You can choose what works best for each of your projects.
If you install the Scroll Indicator and hit something unexpected, open an issue. And if you build something with it, I’d genuinely like to see it.