Project Hamster

Project Hamster is a personal time tracker built for the Linux desktop, enabling individuals to record their daily tasks without relying on cloud services. Running as a panel applet, it pairs instant activity switching with retroactive logging while storing all data locally in an SQLite database.

Why Project Hamster instead of Timely

Timely relies on cloud integrations and automatic background monitoring, capturing every active application and browser tab to generate timesheets. That architecture connects directly with hosted project management platforms and accounting services, but it requires continuous data transmission to remote servers alongside recurring subscription fees. Project Hamster approaches timekeeping through direct integration with the Linux desktop. Instead of monitoring active windows or uploading telemetry, it nests into desktop panels to let users switch activities directly from their workstation.

This difference shapes how each tool interacts with daily workflows. Timely offers multi-user team dashboards and prebuilt integrations for services like QuickBooks and Asana, suiting agencies that bill clients through cloud tools. Project Hamster exposes a local D-Bus interface and command-line hooks, allowing users to integrate time tracking with shell scripts and panel extensions. Data remains in a local SQLite file that exports to HTML and TSV, offering local desktop control rather than commercial ecosystem lock-in.

What it does well

• Desktop panel access: Sits directly in the desktop top bar or system tray, making it easy to start, switch, or pause tasks with a single click.
• Retrospective time adjustment: Allows quick edits to start and end times, so forgetting to start a timer does not ruin daily records.
• Task categorization: Groups activities using category names and descriptive tags, separating client projects from administrative routines.
• Visual summary charts: Displays daily, weekly, and monthly totals through clean bar graphs to show where time went at a glance.
• Flexible report export: Exports recorded hours into HTML summaries, tab-separated files, and plain text ready for spreadsheets or client invoices.
• Offline data privacy: Stores task descriptions and duration records in a local database file, running without internet access or account registration.