Features

The z8 Timer desktop app is designed for one thing: making time tracking effortless. Here's everything it can do.

Core Features

Time Tracking

Clock in and out with a single click from your system tray

Organizations

Switch between multiple organizations seamlessly

Idle Detection

Automatically detect when you've been away and record breaks

System Tray

Always-available access from your taskbar with status indicators

Offline Mode

Keep tracking even without internet - syncs when you're back online

Settings

Customize theme, auto-start, always-on-top, and more

Feature Comparison

Feature	Description	Benefit
One-Click Tracking	Single button to clock in/out	No navigation, no browser
Organization Switcher	Switch orgs from the header	Work across multiple organizations
Dark/Light Mode	System, light, or dark theme	Comfortable viewing any time
Idle Detection	Monitors keyboard/mouse activity	Never forget to log a break
System Tray	Lives in your taskbar	Always accessible
Status Indicators	Tray icon color changes	See status at a glance
Offline Queue	SQLite-backed local storage	Never lose time entries
Auto-Start	Launch with your computer	Never forget to start tracking
Always-on-Top	Window stays visible	Quick access while working
Deep Link Auth	Browser-based OAuth	Secure, no passwords stored

How Features Work Together

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        z8 Timer                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                             │
│   ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐ │
│   │ System Tray  │───►│ Time Tracking│───►│   z8 API     │ │
│   │ (Always On)  │    │   (Core)     │    │   (Sync)     │ │
│   └──────────────┘    └──────────────┘    └──────────────┘ │
│          │                   │                    │        │
│          │                   ▼                    │        │
│          │            ┌──────────────┐            │        │
│          │            │Idle Detection│            │        │
│          │            │  (Monitor)   │            │        │
│          │            └──────────────┘            │        │
│          │                   │                    │        │
│          ▼                   ▼                    ▼        │
│   ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│   │              Offline Queue (SQLite)                  │ │
│   │         Stores entries when offline                  │ │
│   └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

System Tray provides always-available access
Time Tracking handles the core clock in/out logic
Idle Detection monitors for breaks in the background
Offline Queue ensures nothing is lost
z8 API syncs everything to the server

Resource Usage

The desktop app is designed to be lightweight:

Metric	Typical Value
Memory	~50-80 MB
CPU (idle)	<1%
CPU (active)	~1-2%
Disk	~50 MB installed
Network	Minimal (API calls only)

The app uses native code (Rust) for system integrations, keeping resource usage low.