Project / 05
Independent work · Personal / open source
Raycast Time Tracking Extension
A lightweight Raycast extension for starting, switching and reviewing time tracking without interrupting the current workflow.
- Role
- Creator & Maintainer
- Context
- Personal / open source
- Stack
- TypeScript, Raycast API
- Year
- 2024-present
- Status
- Active
- Scale
- 4.3K+ installs · 3 contributors
Case study
Context
Time tracking at the agency often felt more disruptive than it should.
Working across multiple customer projects meant frequent context switches, each requiring manual timer handling in a separate tool.
The goal was to make time tracking happen almost in the background instead of becoming another task to manage.
Problem
The core issue was not missing features; it was friction. Traditional time-tracking tools often require leaving the current workflow and actively managing timers.
For frequent project changes, those interruptions accumulate and make consistent tracking less convenient.
The target was to make starting and switching timers fast enough that it no longer feels like a context switch.
Approach
Built a Raycast extension that keeps the full workflow keyboard-first.
Starting a timer for another project automatically pauses the currently running timer, so switching is one action.
Tracked time can be reviewed grouped by project at the end of a day or week, without adding reporting complexity to core usage.
Key Decisions
-
Stay minimal
The extension deliberately focuses on a small set of core workflows instead of growing into a full project-management or reporting app. The guiding principle is: get out of the way.
-
Optimise for switching, not administration
The primary interaction is starting or switching a timer, so fast keyboard interactions and automatic timer handling take priority over dashboards or large configuration screens.
Metrics
- Installs
- 4.3K+
- Contributors
- 3
Installed more than 4,300 times via the public Raycast extension store.
Open-source contributors who helped improve and extend the project.
Highlighted Outcome
The extension reached 4.3K+ installs without dedicated promotion or marketing and attracted external contributors.
Outcome
The original problem was solved: switching time tracking between projects became fast enough to fit naturally into the development workflow.
Publishing it turned a personal utility into a tool used by thousands of Raycast users.
External contributions were an unexpected and valuable result, evolving the project into a small collaborative open-source effort.