Pomodoro for Dev
A Visual Studio Code extension to boost your productivity using the Pomodoro Technique. It features a highly configurable timer in the status bar, helping you work in focused intervals with regular breaks.
Description
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that uses a timer to break down work into focused intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. This extension integrates this technique seamlessly into your VS Code workflow to improve focus, prevent burnout, and boost productivity.
The timer runs directly in your status bar, giving you an at-a-glance view of your current session without leaving your editor.
Features
- Customizable Timers: Set custom durations for your work sessions (Pomodoros), short breaks, and long breaks.
- Dynamic Status Bar: An elegant status bar item that shows the current session type (Work/Break), remaining time, and status icons.
- Configurable Status Bar Display: Independently toggle the status dot (🟢/🔴/⏸️), the text label (Work/Break/Paused), and the countdown clock (mm:ss) to make the item as detailed or as minimal as you like.
- Interactive Controls:
- Single-click the status bar item to manually pause or resume the timer.
- Double-click the status bar item to restart the current session.
- Confirmation on Restart: An optional confirmation dialog to prevent accidental session restarts.
- Auto-Pause on Idle: The timer can automatically pause itself if you're inactive in VS Code for a configured amount of time.
- Auto-Resume on Focus: After being auto-paused, the timer will automatically resume as soon as you return to VS Code.
- Configurable Audio Cues: Distinct sounds mark the start of a short break, a long break, and your return to work. Pick a bundled sound per event from a dropdown, silence any event, or point a setting at your own sound file.
- Command Palette Integration: Control the timer using VS Code commands.
User Guide
Installation
- Open Visual Studio Code.
- Go to the Extensions view (
Ctrl+Shift+X).
- Search for
Pomodoro for Dev.
- Click the Install button.
- Restart VS Code to activate the extension.
Usage
- Starting the Timer: The Pomodoro timer starts automatically when you open VS Code. The remaining time will be displayed on the status bar.
- Pausing/Resuming: Single-click the Pomodoro status bar item to toggle between pause and resume.
- Restarting a Session: Double-click the status bar item to restart the current work or break timer from the beginning.
Configuration
You can customize all features of the extension to fit your workflow.
- Open Settings in VS Code (
Ctrl+,).
- Search for
Pomodoro.
- Adjust the settings in the UI, or add them to your
settings.json file.
Example settings.json
{
// The duration of a Pomodoro work interval in minutes.
"pomodoro.pomodoroDuration": 25,
// The duration of a short break in minutes.
"pomodoro.shortBreakDuration": 5,
// The duration of a long break in minutes (after 4 Pomodoros).
"pomodoro.longBreakDuration": 20,
// --- Status Bar Display Settings ---
// Show the status icon (🟢 work / 🔴 break / ⏸️ paused) in the status bar.
"pomodoro.showStatusDot": true,
// Show the text label (Work / Break / Paused) in the status bar.
"pomodoro.showStatusLabel": true,
// Show the countdown clock (mm:ss) in the status bar.
"pomodoro.pomodoroClock": true,
// Show a confirmation dialog before restarting a session with a double-click.
"pomodoro.confirmOnRestart": true,
// --- Auto-Pause on Idle Settings ---
// Enable to automatically pause the timer after a period of inactivity.
// The timer resumes automatically when you become active again.
"pomodoro.autoPauseOnIdle.enabled": false,
// The time in minutes of inactivity before the timer is auto-paused.
"pomodoro.autoPauseOnIdle.timeout": 3,
// --- Sound Settings ---
// Sound played when a short break begins.
"pomodoro.sounds.shortBreakStart": "sound1.wav",
// Sound played when a long break begins.
"pomodoro.sounds.longBreakStart": "sound2.wav",
// Sound played when returning to work after a break (silent at launch).
"pomodoro.sounds.workStart": "sound4.mp3"
}
Status Bar Display
The status bar item is made of three independent pieces, each with its own toggle:
pomodoro.showStatusDot — the status icon (🟢 work, 🔴 break, ⏸️ paused).pomodoro.showStatusLabel — the text label (Work, Break, Paused).pomodoro.pomodoroClock — the countdown clock (mm:ss).
Mix and match to taste — for example, keep just the dot for a minimal indicator, or the dot and clock without the label. If you turn all three off, the icon is kept so the item stays visible and clickable.
Sounds
Each sound event has its own setting with a dropdown of the bundled sounds. You can:
- Pick a bundled sound — choose any of
sound1.wav, sound2.wav, sound3.wav, or sound4.mp3 from the dropdown.
- Silence an event — choose
none.
- Use your own sound — type an absolute path to a sound file on your machine (e.g.
"C:\\Sounds\\chime.wav" or "/home/me/chime.mp3").
The extension stays silent for the very first work session when VS Code launches.
Available Commands
You can access these commands via the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):
Pomodoro: Pause/Resume Timer: Toggles the timer between paused and running states.Pomodoro: Restart Current Session: Restarts the current work or break session.
Contributing
If you would like to contribute to Pomodoro, please follow these steps:
- Fork the repository.
- Create a new branch for your feature or bug fix.
- Make your changes.
- Commit your changes with a clear message.
- Push to the branch.
- Create a pull request.
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.
Support
Show your support for the project:
Enjoy!
