What is cs2-external-overlay?

cs2-external-overlay is a Windows tool that draws a custom on-screen overlay while playing Counter-Strike 2. It works externally, meaning it does not inject code into the game or require a kernel driver. Instead it reads information from the running game and draws a transparent, click-through window on top of it using a graphics library called ImGui. The overlay is meant to show extra information during gameplay and can be adjusted through a simple config file that supports hotkeys, colors and window position, with changes applying without restarting the program. According to the README, it has a small effect on performance, keeping GPU impact under about one percent on modern Nvidia and AMD cards, based on tests across a handful of different hardware setups. Setup is straightforward: download an installer archive from the project's releases page, extract it, run it as Administrator, then launch the target game so the overlay attaches automatically. The README notes that some antivirus programs may flag the tool as suspicious because of how it reads memory and draws over other windows, and it suggests adding a folder exception if that happens. The project depends on DirectX 11, ImGui, MinHook and a JSON library, all bundled into the release build, and it only supports 64 bit Windows 10 and 11. It is written in Python and is aimed at gamers and developers who want an example of an overlay tool. The README describes the project as being for educational purposes only and asks users to use it at their own risk. It is released under the MIT license.