⏱ Codespace Tracker
Monitor your GitHub Codespaces usage in real time and never get surprised by an unexpected bill again.
The problem
GitHub Codespaces includes free hours per month — 120 core hours on the Free plan and 180 core hours on Pro. When you exceed the limit, billing kicks in automatically and silently. Most people only find out at the end of the month.
The solution
Codespace Tracker runs in the background counting your usage in real time and warns you before you hit the limit — with a popup, a banner in the dashboard, and the panel opening automatically.
Features
- Automatic timer — detects when you're in a Codespace and starts counting with zero configuration
- Status bar — today's time + monthly percentage always visible at the bottom of VS Code
- Full dashboard — session, daily and monthly metrics with progress bars
- Automatic alerts — popup + banner + auto-open dashboard when the threshold is reached
- Estimated cost — compute and storage cost projection based on real usage
- Configuration warning — detects in real time if your planned hours will exceed the plan and calculates the extra cost
- Multiple plan support — Free (120 core hours) and Pro (180 core hours)
- Developer tools — simulate alerts and usage scenarios without waiting
- Multi-language — English and Portuguese (BR), auto-detected from your VS Code language
How to use
- Install from the Visual Studio Marketplace
- Open any GitHub Codespace — the timer starts automatically
- Follow your usage through the
⏱ CS: icon in the bottom status bar
- Click it to open the full dashboard
In a local environment (outside a Codespace), the extension stays inactive and shows ⊘ CS: local in the status bar.
Status bar
| Icon |
Meaning |
⏱ CS: today Xh Ym \| month Z/180h (N%) |
Timer active, within limit |
⚠️ CS: ... |
Warning — above 80% of monthly limit |
🔴 CS: ... |
Limit exceeded — any usage incurs extra charges |
⊘ CS: local |
Local environment — timer inactive |
Alerts
When the configured threshold is reached (default: 80%), and again at 90% and 100%:
- The dashboard opens automatically
- A colored banner appears at the top with the alert message
- A notification popup is shown in the bottom-right corner
Dashboard
Open with Ctrl+Shift+P → Codespace Tracker: Open Dashboard or by clicking the status bar.
The dashboard shows:
- Current session / Today / Daily limit — with progress bar
- Core hours used / Plan limit / Remaining margin — with progress bar
- Estimated monthly cost — extra compute + storage + plan
- Settings — with real-time cost projection as you adjust the sliders
- Developer tools — to test alerts and simulate usage scenarios
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
codespaceTracker.plan |
pro |
GitHub plan (free = 120h / pro = 180h core) |
codespaceTracker.machineType |
2-core |
Codespace machine type |
codespaceTracker.hoursPerDay |
4 |
Planned usage hours per day |
codespaceTracker.daysPerWeek |
5 |
Work days per week |
codespaceTracker.storageGB |
5 |
Estimated storage in GB |
codespaceTracker.alertThresholdPercent |
80 |
Percentage to trigger the first alert |
Plan limits (GitHub, 2025)
| Plan |
Core hours/month |
Free storage |
| Free |
120 core hours |
15 GB |
| Pro |
180 core hours |
20 GB |
Limits reset every month. The extension resets automatically at the start of each month.
Commands
| Command |
Description |
Codespace Tracker: Open Dashboard |
Opens the control panel |
Codespace Tracker: Reset today's time |
Resets the daily counter |
Report an issue
Found a bug or have a suggestion? Open an issue on GitHub.
Developed with ❤️ by Lucas Galvão Nunes
If this extension saved you some money, consider buying me a coffee ☕
