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MCP Time Tracker in VS Code

Track billable time without leaving the chat. It keeps a running timer, takes time you forgot to log, applies an hourly rate per project, and turns the log into a report, a CSV or invoice lines. Plain JSON on disk.

In agent mode the timer is one of the tools the agent can reach mid-task, so "start a timer and then fix the failing test" is a single instruction rather than two.

What you get in VS Code

You say	Tool
Start a timer for the Acme website project.	`timer_start`
Log 2.5 hours yesterday for Acme, design review, at 90 euros an hour.	`entry_add`
How many hours did I bill this month, grouped by project?	`report`

In the audit run each of those sentences took one tool call, at 7.7 s and 14.6 s including a turn that also logged an expense.

Install it in VS Code

The file is .vscode/mcp.json, and the key inside it is servers.

Scope	Path
This workspace	`<workspace>/.vscode/mcp.json`
Every workspace	`the user profile mcp.json, opened by the MCP: Open User Configuration command`

// .vscode/mcp.json  (the key is "servers")
{
  "servers": {
    "time-tracker": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@theluckystrike/mcp-time-tracker"]
    }
  }
}

Or from a terminal:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"time-tracker","command":"npx","args":["-y","@theluckystrike/mcp-time-tracker"]}'

VS Code asks you to confirm you trust the server and its capabilities before it starts. Nothing runs until you answer.

The npm publish of @theluckystrike/mcp-time-tracker is pending; until then use the .mcpb bundle or a clone and build from the latest release.

No install: the hosted endpoint

The same server runs at https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/time-tracker over MCP streamable HTTP, no install. Mint a free token with curl https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/token, or use a Pro key. It has no filesystem, so a file comes back as a one-hour download link.

{
  "servers": {
    "time-tracker": {
      "url": "https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/time-tracker",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <token>" }
    }
  }
}

VS Code notes worth knowing first

The top-level key is "servers", not "mcpServers". A config pasted from a Claude Desktop or Cursor README parses cleanly, contributes no servers, and gives you no error to read, which makes it the most expensive one-word mistake here. Alongside it an "inputs" array holds secrets. The newer Agent Host reads a workspace .mcp.json instead.

Free: unlimited timers and entries, 7 days of reports, 2 rated projects. Pro is $19 once, verified offline.

Questions

Why does my mcp.json do nothing?

The key is servers, not mcpServers. A config copied from a Claude Desktop README parses cleanly and contributes nothing. Rename it. On the newer Agent Host, use a workspace .mcp.json instead.

Do I have to edit the file at all?

No. code --add-mcp takes the server object on the command line, and MCP: Add Server in the palette asks whether the target is Workspace or Global.

Where do the MCP Time Tracker tools show up?

In Chat, behind the tools picker, once the server has started. Adding or changing one raises a prompt asking you to confirm you trust it; if the picker is empty, that prompt is usually still waiting.

MCP Time Tracker in detail · The same server in Cursor and Windsurf · Every server in VS Code · Guides · VS Code docs