Track exactly how long you spend on each feature, bug, or task — without ever leaving VS Code.
TimeFeat runs quietly in the background. Start a timer when you pick up a task, pause it when you context-switch, stop it when you ship. Every session is stored locally so your history builds up over time and starts answering the question every developer faces: "how long does this actually take me?"
Highlights
- Zero-friction start — annotate any line with
// @timefeat: Feature Nameand click the inline button. No commands, no menus. - Always-on status bar — live clock in the footer so you never lose track of how long you've been on something.
- Analytics dashboard — see your total time, session averages, and personal bests, in a clean theme-aware panel.
- Estimation hints — after a few sessions, TimeFeat tells you "this usually takes you ~2h 15m" the moment you start.
- Everything is local — all data lives in a SQLite database on your own machine. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Quick Start
- Install the extension
- Open the TimeFeat panel in the activity bar (clock icon)
- Click + to create your first feature
- Run TimeFeat: Start Timer from the Command Palette — or use any of the shortcuts below
Ways to Start a Timer
1. CodeLens comment (recommended)
Add a single comment to any file in any language:
// @timefeat: Auth API Integration
# @timefeat: Payment Refactor
# @timefeat: CI Pipeline Fix
A clickable lens appears above the line. The button updates live as the timer state changes:
| Timer state | What you see |
|---|---|
| Idle | ▶ Start — Feature Name |
| Running (this feature) | ⏸ Pause ■ Stop |
| Running (different feature) | ▶ Switch to Feature Name |
| Paused (this feature) | ▶ Resume ■ Stop |
The feature is created for you automatically — no separate create step needed.
2. Right-click any selection
Highlight a method name, file path, ticket number, or any text → right-click → TimeFeat: Start Timer for Selection.
3. Status bar
Click the ⏱ TimeFeat button in the bottom-left of the editor. A menu appears with all available actions for the current state.
4. Sidebar
Click the clock icon in the activity bar to open the Features panel. Click any feature to get a context menu with start, pause, resume, stop, history, edit, and delete.
5. Command Palette
Press Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P and type TimeFeat.
Status Bar
The status bar button is always visible — it never disappears.
| State | Display |
|---|---|
| Idle | ⏱ TimeFeat |
| Running | ⏱ Auth API Integration 04:32 |
| Paused | ⏸ Auth API Integration 04:32 |
Time is shown as MM:SS under an hour, HH:MM:SS for longer sessions.
Features Sidebar
The Features panel (activity bar → clock icon) gives you a live overview of all your work:
- Each feature shows session count and total time tracked
- The active feature is highlighted:
● runningor⏸ paused - Click any feature to open an action menu
- Right-click for the full context menu: Start Timer, Show History, Edit, Delete
- Toolbar icons: Refresh · Show Dashboard · Create Feature
Dashboard
Open the dashboard with TimeFeat: Show Dashboard or via the sidebar toolbar.
The dashboard shows:
- Header — today's date and a "This week" summary pill
- Stat cards — All time tracked · Total sessions · Features · Avg session length
- Feature chart — every feature as a bar, sorted by total time, with sessions, average, personal best, and last-session date per row
The panel is fully theme-aware — it respects your VS Code colour theme, light or dark.
Estimation Hints
Once you've completed at least two sessions for a feature, TimeFeat shows a hint the next time you start it:
"Timer started for 'Auth API Integration' — usually takes you ~2h 15m"
This is calculated from the average of your historical sessions for that feature.
Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| TimeFeat: Create Feature | Create a feature with a name and optional description |
| TimeFeat: Start Timer | Pick from your feature list and begin timing |
| TimeFeat: Pause Timer | Pause the running timer |
| TimeFeat: Resume Timer | Resume a paused timer |
| TimeFeat: Stop Timer | Stop and save the session |
| TimeFeat: List Features | Browse all features in a quick-pick |
| TimeFeat: Start Timer for Selection | Use the selected text as a feature name |
| TimeFeat: Show Dashboard | Open the analytics webview |
| TimeFeat: Show Summary | Text table of all features in the output channel |
| TimeFeat: Show History | Browse past sessions for a feature |
| TimeFeat: Edit Feature | Rename or update a feature's description |
| TimeFeat: Delete Feature | Permanently delete a feature and all its sessions |
Data & Privacy
All data is stored in a SQLite database on your local machine. Nothing is transmitted over the network.
Database location:
| OS | Path |
|---|---|
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/coldtechltd.timefeat/timefeat.db |
| Windows | %APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\coldtechltd.timefeat\timefeat.db |
| Linux | ~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/coldtechltd.timefeat/timefeat.db |
You can open this file with any SQLite browser to inspect, export, or back up your data.
Requirements
- VS Code 1.85 or later
- No internet connection required
- No account, sign-in, or telemetry
What's Next (Post-MVP)
- Git integration — link sessions to branches or commits automatically
- Idle detection — auto-pause after a configurable period of inactivity
- Tags — group features for category-level reporting
- Export — CSV and JSON export for spreadsheets and external tools
- Multi-workspace — separate feature lists per workspace
Local Installation & Development
If you want to run TimeFeat locally from source or contribute to the project, please see the Local Installation Guide.
License
MIT © 2026 ColdTech Ltd