Work Time Tracker

Track active macOS laptop usage with break reminders, a configurable daily limit, and a SwiftBar menu bar widget.

Install

npm install -g workbar

That's it. SwiftBar and the tracker are installed automatically. Your active work time appears in the menu bar, updated every minute.

Requires Homebrew. If not installed: /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Features

• Menu bar widget: Live time display via SwiftBar, updated every minute
• Idle-aware tracking: Only counts time when laptop is in use (idle < 90s)
• Configurable daily limit: Display sleeps when you hit your limit (default 8h)
• 1h warning: Notification when 1 hour remains before your limit
• Break reminders: Configurable interval (default 60 min)
• Pause/resume: Pause tracking from the menu bar
• Away mode: Keeps Mac awake (via caffeinate) without counting work time — useful during meetings or calls. Icon turns 🟠 orange.
• Settings menu: Configure everything directly from the menu bar

Usage

worktime              # today's active time
worktime --verbose    # detailed status
worktime stats        # this week's stats
worktime stats --month
worktime stats --all
worktime stats --json

Settings

Configure from the menu bar (Settings at the bottom of the dropdown) or via CLI:

worktime config show                 # show current settings
worktime config break on|off         # enable/disable break notifications
worktime config sound on|off         # enable/disable notification sound
worktime config break-time <minutes> # set break interval (default: 60)
worktime config limit <minutes>      # set daily limit (default: 480 = 8h)

Examples:

worktime config break-time 75   # break reminder every 75 min
worktime config limit 360       # stop at 6h

Settings are stored in ~/.worktime/config.json.

Requirements

• macOS only
• Node.js ≥ 14

Uninstall

npm uninstall -g workbar

This stops the tracker, removes the SwiftBar plugin, and cleans up all files. Your daily stats logs in ~/.worktime/ are preserved.