# How to Vibe Code Your Own EARLY (and Stop Paying for It) > Time tracking that doesn't make you want to cry - Site: https://timeular.com - Category: Productivity & Time Tracking - Verdict: **Serious undertaking** (45/100 vibecodeable) - Estimated effort: 2-3 months of part-time development ## Verdict Build a web-based timesheet dashboard in a weekend, but expect months of systems engineering to replicate the native cross-platform background window logger. Replicating EARLY's core value as a personal tool means building two distinct pieces: a web dashboard for budgets and timesheets, and a native desktop daemon (using Tauri or Electron) that hooks into OS window APIs to record what app or URL is active every minute. The web side is straightforward CRUD, but the native background tracking engine involves fighting OS accessibility permissions, sleep/wake states, privacy filters, and offline-first SQLite synchronization. If you just want a manual timer and calendar logger, build a web app in a weekend; if you want automatic background app logging across macOS and Windows, it's a multi-month native systems project. ### What you can't replicate - The physical 8-sided hardware Tracker device - Enterprise trust and GDPR compliance frameworks - Pre-built integrations ecosystem across 3,000+ apps ## What it does A time-tracking, productivity management, and team operations SaaS that captures work hours automatically via desktop background activity, calendar integrations, and a Quicktrack global shortcut. ### Core features - Cross-platform desktop activity tracking (active window title, app name, URL logging) - Global Quicktrack shortcut for instant manual logging - Bi-directional Google and Microsoft Calendar sync - Billable hours tracking with customizable rounding rules and rates - PTO, leave, and automated overtime calculations - Local-first privacy architecture with optional cloud sync and anti-surveillance delays - Project budget limits with automated alerts and CSV/PDF export ## The business ### Pricing - Personal: $9.00/mo — For individual productivity - Personal Pro: $14.00/mo — For professionals who bill time - Team: $20.00/user/mo — For small teams up to 20 members - Enterprise: Custom — For teams above 20 members Founded 2016. Team size: 11-50. ## The hard parts - Capturing active window titles, document names, and browser URLs safely across macOS and Windows via native system accessibility permissions - Architecting a local-first SQLite offline engine that synchronizes cleanly with a cloud database without duplicating records - Handling OAuth token refresh loops and recurring event expansions for Google and Microsoft calendar integrations - Managing OS-level power saving, background daemon resilience, and sleep/wake event state tracking ## How to vibe code EARLY ### Prerequisites - Node.js (free): Required for running the Next.js frontend and TypeScript build tooling. - GitHub (free): Source control and CI/CD deployment pipeline. - Rust Toolchain (free): Required by Tauri to compile the native desktop window-tracking daemon for macOS and Windows. ### Recommended AI tools - Claude Code: Best-in-class terminal coding agent for scaffolding multi-package monorepos combining Next.js and Tauri native Rust plugins. - Cursor: Essential for iterative UI work, styling Tailwind CSS dashboards, and reviewing complex React component hierarchies. ### Stack - Frontend: Next.js with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui - Backend: Tauri (Rust native core bridging to web frontend) + Next.js API routes - Database: Turso (SQLite at the edge for local-first sync) - Auth: better-auth - Payments: none - Other: Vercel AI SDK for parsing natural language time logs, Resend for email reminders ### Hosting - Vercel (Hosting the web dashboard and time analytics reporting interface): $0/mo - Cloudflare (Edge caching and API routing for calendar webhook endpoints): $0/mo ### Build guide 1. **Scaffold Monorepo & Tauri Desktop Wrapper** — Initialize a TypeScript monorepo containing a Next.js web application and a Tauri v2 desktop shell configured for macOS and Windows tray/menu bar integration. ``` Scaffold a new Tauri v2 project with a Next.js frontend and a Rust backend. Configure the Tauri window properties to support a lightweight menubar/tray dropdown app alongside a full dashboard window. Set up Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui components in the Next.js app. Add local SQLite persistence via Turso/libSQL for offline-first caching of time logs. Ensure the Rust backend includes boilerplate for capturing system idle state and active window metadata under user permission prompts. ``` 2. **Build Native OS Activity Tracking Daemon** — Implement native OS hooks in Rust to poll active window titles, application executable names, and active browser tab URLs while respecting local privacy settings. ``` Implement Rust native functions in the Tauri app to poll the active foreground window title, process name, and active URL (via AppleScript on macOS and UIAutomation on Windows) every 10 seconds. Write a local privacy filter rule engine that redacts sensitive strings (e.g., passwords, banking apps) based on user-defined regex blacklists. Store these raw activity chunks into the local SQLite database with timestamps, duration, and app category tags. ``` 3. **Timesheet & Global Shortcut (Quicktrack) Engine** — Create a global keyboard shortcut listener and timesheet grouping UI that converts raw background activity logs into billable time entries. ``` Build a global keyboard shortcut listener in Tauri (e.g., Cmd+Shift+T or Ctrl+Shift+T) that summons a quick-track overlay dialog. In the Next.js dashboard, create a drag-and-drop timesheet grid view that groups raw background activity chunks into consolidated 15-minute or custom-rounded time blocks. Implement CRUD operations for time entries with project tagging, billable toggles, and hourly rate calculations. ``` 4. **Calendar Integration & AI Suggestions** — Integrate Google Calendar and Microsoft Graph APIs to fetch scheduled meetings and auto-suggest time entries. ``` Implement OAuth authentication flows for Google Calendar and Microsoft Graph API. Build a background cron service that fetches daily calendar events, expands recurring meetings, and matches them against user activity logs. Use the Vercel AI SDK with a structured output prompt to suggest automatic time entry categorizations and project assignments based on calendar meeting titles and active window history. ``` 5. **Billable Budgets, Overtime & Exports** — Add project budget limits with automated alerts, overtime calculations, and CSV/PDF report exports. ``` Build a project budget tracking module that calculates consumed budget vs. total cap, triggering visual warning alerts when a project reaches 80% and 100% utilization. Implement work schedule rules (e.g., 40 hours/week) to automatically calculate overtime and deficit hours, factoring in PTO and leave days. Add client-side CSV and PDF export generation using jsPDF and papaparse for professional client billing reports. ``` ### Cost vs paying **Starting costs (one-time):** - Domain name registration: $12.00 one-time - Total: ~$12.00 one-time **Ongoing costs (monthly):** - Cloud hosting & DB: $0.00/mo - Total: $0.00/mo - Paying for the SaaS instead: $14.00/mo (Personal Pro) - Build time: 40-60 hours - AI tool credits: $20.00 (Claude Pro / Cursor Pro) - Break-even: 1 month ## Sources - [EARLY Official Website & Documentation](https://timeular.com) - [PitchBook Profile on TimeTac & Timeular Acquisition](https://pitchbook.com)