work_log

Log the active window (title + app name) to CSV on startup, then on window changes or mouse movement since the previous sample. Cursor positions are not stored; the two legacy coordinate columns stay empty. CSV quoting preserves commas, quotes, and embedded newlines.

This can be used to analyze how you spend your time on your computer.

Supported platforms:

• Windows
• Linux (X11 and Wayland)
• MacOS

Prerequisites

Linux

For mouse movement tracking, the user running work_log must be a member of the input group:

sudo usermod -aG input $USER

Log out and back in for the group change to take effect.

Note: On some distributions, the group may be called plugdev instead. If input doesn't work, try adding yourself to plugdev as well.

GNOME Wayland

Active window detection requires the x-win GNOME Shell extension. On startup, work_log installs it if missing and refreshes outdated compatibility metadata or incomplete installations in ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions/x-win@miniben90.org. The bundled extension declares support for GNOME 42–50.

After installation or an update, log out and back in, then enable it:

gnome-extensions enable x-win@miniben90.org

Restart work_log afterwards. Updating the files does not reload the extension in the running GNOME session. At subsequent logins, work_log waits up to 18 seconds for the extension to become available.

Upgrades across GNOME 45 may require reinstalling the extension even when its metadata looks current. Move the extension directory above to a backup location outside gnome-shell/extensions, restart work_log, then log out/in and enable the extension as described above.

macOS

The application needs the following permissions in System Settings > Privacy & Security:

• Accessibility for mouse movement tracking.
• Screen & System Audio Recording (called Screen Recording on older macOS versions) for window titles. Without this permission, app names may be logged while window titles remain empty.

Enable these permissions for the terminal or application running work_log, or for work_log itself if running independently (for example, via autostart). Fully quit and restart the affected application or work_log after granting permissions.

On older macOS versions, these settings are under System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy.

Install

Download the latest release for your platform from the releases page.

On Apple Silicon Macs, open the .dmg and copy work_log to a permanent folder, then run it from Terminal. Starting with 1.2.0-beta.3, Mac releases are Developer ID signed and notarized. Grant the macOS permissions described above before logging.

Usage

Usage: work_log [OPTION]...
Log the active window on window changes or mouse movement to a CSV file.

Options:
  --frequency=SECONDS  set the logging interval (positive; default: 2.0)
  --file=FILE          set the file to write to (default: ~/work_log.csv)
  --stdout             print to stdout instead of a file
  --autostart-install  install the program to run at startup.
    (options are preserved, do not move the executable afterwards)
  --autostart-remove   remove the program from startup
  --help               display this help and exit

To refresh an existing autostart entry after an upgrade, rerun --autostart-install with your desired options.

On macOS, autostart installation rejects paths/options containing &, <, ]]>, carriage returns, or XML-invalid characters. Use another path or run normally.

Example

The resulting csv file will look like this:

2025-02-10T14:11:27+01:00,Editor,my-project,,
2025-02-10T14:11:29+01:00,Editor,my-project,,
2025-02-10T14:11:31+01:00,Browser,"Report, Q4",,

View

The resulting CSV can be analysed by work_log_view - just drop the CSV in your browser window and get your result: