Stalker - Real-time Coding Activity Tracker
Stalker is a powerful VS Code extension that automatically tracks your coding activity in real-time. Monitor your daily and weekly coding time, track languages and projects you work on, and get insights into your development habits.
✨ Features
- 🕒 Real-time Time Tracking: Accurately measures active coding time (excludes idle periods)
- 📊 Smart Activity Detection: Only counts time when you're actively editing files
- 📁 Project-aware: Tracks files relative to your workspace for better organization
- 💻 Multi-language Support: Automatically detects and tracks programming languages
- 🔄 Idle Detection: Stops tracking after 30 seconds of inactivity
- 📈 Statistics Dashboard: Beautiful in-editor stats panel
- 🔗 API Integration: Connect to your personal analytics backend
- 🔥 Streak Tracking: Track your daily coding streaks and personal records
- ⚡ Real-time Updates: Live dashboard updates via WebSocket connection
🚀 Quick Start
1. Installation
Install from the VS Code Marketplace or search for "Stalker" in the Extensions panel.
2. Setup
Create Account:
- Visit stalker
- Sign up using your email
- Your API key will be generated automatically
Configure Extension:
- Open Command Palette (
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P)
- Run
Stalker: Configure
- Enter your API Key from the dashboard
View Your Dashboard:
3. Start Coding!
Once configured, Stalker automatically tracks your coding activity. Check your status bar for connection status and current stats.
🎯 How It Works
Smart Activity Detection
- Active Session: Starts when you edit or switch between files
- Idle Detection: Automatically pauses after 30 seconds of inactivity
- Time Precision: Tracks actual coding time in seconds (not just file saves)
Real-time Sync
- 10-Second Updates: Sends incremental activity data every 10 seconds
- Incremental Tracking: Only sends new activity (not cumulative totals)
- Immediate Persistence: Data is saved to your backend immediately
Data Collected
- Time Metrics: Daily and weekly active coding time
- File Information: Project-relative file paths (e.g.,
myproject/src/app.js)
- Languages: Automatically detected programming languages
- Projects: Workspace names and project directories
- Current Activity: Real-time file and language being worked on
- Streak Data: Daily coding streaks and personal records
- Session Info: Active coding sessions with idle detection
- Connection Status: Real-time WebSocket connection state
- System Info: Operating system and VS Code version
📊 Viewing Your Stats
Status Bar
The Stalker status bar item shows:
- Connection status (Connected/Disconnected)
- Quick stats overview
- Click to open detailed stats panel
Stats Panel
Access detailed statistics by:
- Clicking the Stalker status bar item
- Running
Stalker: Show Stats from Command Palette
The stats panel displays:
- Daily/Weekly time totals
- Current active session status
- Languages used in your session
- Projects worked on
- Real-time activity indicator
⚙️ Configuration
Settings
Access via File > Preferences > Settings and search for "Stalker":
| Setting |
Description |
Default |
stalker.apiKey |
Your personal API key |
"" |
Commands
| Command |
Description |
Stalker: Configure |
Set up API key and server URL |
Stalker: Show Stats |
Open statistics dashboard |
🔧 API Server Setup
Stalker requires a backend API server. Set up your own:
Prerequisites
Installation
📈 Data Privacy & Security
- Local Control: Your data stays on your own API server
- API Key Authentication: Secure authentication using personal API keys
- No Third-party Tracking: No data sent to external services
- Open Source: Full transparency - review the code yourself
📖 FAQ
Q: Does this track my code content?
A: No! Stalker only tracks metadata like file names, languages, and time spent. Your actual code content is never transmitted or stored.
Q: What happens if I go offline?
A: The extension will gracefully handle offline periods and attempt to reconnect automatically. However, activity during offline periods may not be recorded.
Q: Can I use this with multiple projects?
A: Yes! Stalker automatically detects different projects based on your VS Code workspaces.
Q: How accurate is the time tracking?
A: Very accurate! Stalker only counts time when you're actively editing files and excludes idle time automatically.
📄 License
MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.
🙏 Support
Happy Coding! 🚀
Track your progress, improve your habits, and celebrate your coding achievements with Stalker.
