Jambo Work for VS Code
Automatic coding activity tracking for Jambo Work.
What it does
- Tracks coding activity from VS Code without manual timers
- Shows today's tracked time in the VS Code status bar
- Detects project, git branch, language, file size, line count, and cursor position
- Classifies terminal shell execution as build, test, or debug activity
- Tags activity as AI-assisted when you start a Jambo Work AI agent session
- Queues activity locally when offline and syncs when the connection returns
- Sends metadata only; it does not send source code or full terminal command lines
Before you start
You need:
- A Jambo Work workspace
- A Jambo Work activity API key
- VS Code 1.93.0 or newer
Create your API key in Jambo Work from Settings -> API Keys.
Setup
- Install the extension from the Visual Studio Marketplace.
- Create a file named
.jambowork.cfg in your home folder.
- Paste this configuration and replace the API key:
[settings]
api_url = https://jambowork.com/api/jb/v1
api_key = jb_your_api_key_here
- Restart VS Code.
When the extension connects, the status bar shows Jambo Work. If the config file or API key is missing, the status bar shows a disconnected state and activity stays local until configuration is fixed.
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
jambowork.statusBar |
true |
Show tracked time in the status bar |
jambowork.debug |
false |
Write debug logs to the Jambo Work output panel |
jambowork.exclude |
["node_modules/**", ".git/**", "*.lock", "*.log"] |
File patterns to ignore |
jambowork.trackTerminal |
true |
Track terminal shell execution as build, test, or debug activity without sending full command lines |
jambowork.agentMarkerPath |
empty |
Optional path to the shared AI agent marker file. Empty uses ~/.jambowork-agent-session.json |
jambowork.promptForAiAgentEdits |
true |
Prompt to start an AI agent session when a large patch-like edit is detected and no session is active |
Commands
- Jambo Work: Open Dashboard opens your Jambo Work activity dashboard.
- Jambo Work: Show Today's Stats shows today's tracked time.
- Jambo Work: Start AI Agent Session marks upcoming workspace activity as AI-assisted by the selected agent.
- Jambo Work: End AI Agent Session ends the current AI attribution marker.
AI-assisted work
VS Code does not expose which extension created a text edit. To avoid guessing, Jambo Work uses an explicit marker file for agentic coding sessions. Before using Codex, Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, or another agent to write code inside VS Code, run Jambo Work: Start AI Agent Session and choose the agent. File heartbeats during that session include assisted_by and agent_session_id, so Jambo Work can split AI-assisted time from human-only focus time. Run Jambo Work: End AI Agent Session when the agent is done.
If no AI session is active, the extension can also prompt when it sees a large multi-line edit that looks like an agent-applied patch. Choose Start AI session and select the agent to tag the current work correctly. This prompt is a recovery path, not proof of exact line authorship; small AI edits may still require the manual command before the agent starts writing.
The same marker is read by the desktop collector file watcher when watch_enabled=true, so VS Code and desktop collector attribution stay aligned.
Data collected
| Data |
Example |
| File path |
/src/app.tsx |
| Language |
TypeScript |
| Project |
my-project |
| Branch |
feature/auth |
| Editor |
vscode |
| OS |
darwin |
| Machine |
MacBook-Pro.local |
| Line count |
342 |
| Cursor position |
Line 127, column 15 |
| Save event |
true or false |
| Terminal executable |
npm, go, cargo, or another executable name |
| AI assist marker |
codex, claude_code, copilot, or another supported tool when an AI agent session is active |
The extension does not collect file contents, prompts, screenshots, keystrokes, or full terminal command lines.
Troubleshooting
If activity does not appear in Jambo Work:
- Check that
~/.jambowork.cfg exists.
- Confirm
api_url points to your Jambo Work workspace API endpoint.
- Confirm
api_key contains an active Jambo Work API key.
- Restart VS Code.
- Open Output -> Jambo Work and enable
jambowork.debug if you need diagnostic logs.
Support
For help, contact your Jambo Work workspace administrator or email contact@jambo.team.
