Time Tracker nt
Automatic, offline-first coding-time tracking for VS Code — per project and git branch — delivered to SolidTime and/or TimeTagger (cloud or self-hosted).
Tracks quietly in the background from editor focus — no start/stop buttons. Everything is buffered locally, so nothing is lost when you're offline or the server is down; it syncs when it can. Lightweight: minimal work on the editor thread, no heavy dependencies.
How it works
- Focus starts tracking — no typing needed. A focused window with an open project counts as work, so reading code or watching a terminal counts just like editing.
- Smart idle handling — a focused-but-inactive window keeps counting up to a safety cap (default 5 min) then stops; the status bar flags it and lets you discard that idle time. A brief look-away (default 30s tolerance) won't fragment your time.
- Project = your git repo, task = your git branch — created automatically in the backend the first time they're needed (new SolidTime projects get a random color).
- Clean, minute-accurate entries — nearby intervals on the same project and branch are merged, rounded to whole minutes, and delivered a few minutes after you stop. Any window can flush another window's buffer; delivered copies are then purged locally.
- Named after your work — an entry starts titled with its branch, then is auto-renamed to the message of the commit that covers it. If it banked any idle time, the description notes the split — e.g.
fix: login form (12m focus, 3m idle).
- At-a-glance status bar — the current state (
tracking, idle, unfocused, …), a count of not-yet-delivered entries, and a warning if delivery is failing. Your reports live in each backend's own web UI.
Setup
Enable SolidTime, TimeTagger, or both — each is switched on just by setting its API token. With no token the extension still tracks locally; it delivers once you add one.
- SolidTime — create an API token (SolidTime → Profile Settings → Create API Token), then run
Time Tracker nt: Set SolidTime Token and paste it. Self-hosted? Point ntTimeTracker.solidtime.apiUrl at your instance.
- TimeTagger — get an API token from your account settings, then run
Time Tracker nt: Set TimeTagger Token. Self-hosted? Set ntTimeTracker.timetagger.apiUrl.
Tokens are kept in VS Code's encrypted SecretStorage (your OS keychain), never in plaintext. Then open a git repo and work — a few minutes after each stretch, an entry appears in every enabled backend under your repo and branch. Run the matching Delete … Token command to switch a backend off.
Settings
ntTimeTracker.enabled — turn tracking on or off. Default true.ntTimeTracker.solidtime.apiUrl — SolidTime server URL (cloud or self-hosted). Default https://app.solidtime.io.ntTimeTracker.solidtime.organizationId — SolidTime organization id; blank uses your first organization.ntTimeTracker.timetagger.apiUrl — TimeTagger server URL (public app or self-hosted). Default https://timetagger.app.ntTimeTracker.tracking.idleTimeoutSeconds — how long a focused window keeps counting with no editor activity before stopping (reading counts up to this cap). Default 300.ntTimeTracker.tracking.focusLossToleranceSeconds — how long a brief look-away is tolerated before a segment closes. Default 30.ntTimeTracker.tracking.minimumSegmentSeconds — intervals shorter than this are discarded. Default 20.
Commands
- Set / Delete SolidTime Token, Set / Delete TimeTagger Token — manage each backend.
- Sync Now — deliver settled entries immediately.
- Pause / Resume — stop or restart tracking.
- Discard Current Idle Time — drop the idle tail of the current segment (active work is kept).
- Recolor Gray SolidTime Projects — give your old default-gray projects random colors; projects you've colored yourself are untouched.
- Show Output — open the log.
Privacy
Only project and branch names, timestamps, durations, and the first line of the covering commit (used as the entry title) are sent to the backends you enable — never your source code, file contents, or AI prompts. Each token stays in the OS keychain.
