Implementing Time Tracking in Claude AI Projects

For developers working with Claude AI, maintaining a sense of time during intense coding sessions can be challenging. A custom solution has been developed to automate time tracking within Claude projects. This approach sets up a protocol where Claude time-stamps each chat response and calculates the duration of your work sessions. The process includes setting alerts for specific intervals, such as informing you to take breaks after 60 minutes of work.

Setup Instructions

Begin by initializing a time tracking directory and script:

mkdir -p /home/claude/.time_tracker
cat > /home/claude/.time_tracker/check_session.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
export TZ='Australia/Brisbane'
SESSION_FILE="/home/claude/.time_tracker/current_session.txt"
CURRENT_TIME=$(date +%s)
CURRENT_TIME_DISPLAY=$(date '+%H:%M:%S')
if [ -f "$SESSION_FILE" ]; then
  SESSION_START=$(cat "$SESSION_FILE")
  TIME_DIFF=$((CURRENT_TIME - SESSION_START))
  HOURS=$((TIME_DIFF / 3600))
  if [ $HOURS -ge 3 ]; then
    echo "$CURRENT_TIME" > "$SESSION_FILE"
    echo "NEW_SESSION|$CURRENT_TIME_DISPLAY|0h 0m"
  else
    MINUTES=$(((TIME_DIFF % 3600) / 60))
    echo "EXISTING|$CURRENT_TIME_DISPLAY|${HOURS}h ${MINUTES}m"
  fi
else
  echo "$CURRENT_TIME" > "$SESSION_FILE"
  echo "NEW_SESSION|$CURRENT_TIME_DISPLAY|0h 0m"
fi
EOF
chmod +x /home/claude/.time_tracker/check_session.sh

For each response, the script checks the session status. If it finds no interaction within three hours, it starts a new session. Additionally, alerts are programmed to notify developers when they exceed specific work durations:

• NEW_SESSION: Denotes a new session start.
• EXISTING: Displays current session time, with specific markers for 50+ and 60+ minutes of work to prompt a break.

These alerts are personalized based on the time of day and nature of the task accomplished, helping maintain a healthier work routine.