launch

name

launch

description

Start the Claude Code Time Tracker dashboard locally and open it in the browser. Boots the Next.js dev server in the background against your ~/.claude logs, waits for it to be ready, prints the URL (http://localhost:3000), and opens it. Run when the user types /time-tracker:launch, or says "open the time tracker", "launch the dashboard", "show me my Claude Code hours", "start the time tracker". If it isn't installed yet, run /time-tracker:setup first.

Launch - open the dashboard

Start the local dashboard and open it in the browser. It serves at http://localhost:3000, reads the transcripts in ~/.claude, and keeps running in the background until the user runs /time-tracker:stop (or closes the terminal/machine).

The app lives in ~/.claude-time-tracker (set up by /time-tracker:setup). If that folder or its node_modules is missing, run /time-tracker:setup first, then come back here.

How to run

1. Locate the install. APP_DIR="${CCTI_APP_DIR:-$HOME/.claude-time-tracker}".

   • If $APP_DIR/node_modules/next is missing, tell the user to run /time-tracker:setup first and stop.

2. Already running? If $APP_DIR/.dev-server.pid exists and that PID is alive, don't start a second server - just re-open the URL (step 5) and report it's already up. Read the port from $APP_DIR/.dev-server.log if present (Next prints Local: http://localhost:PORT).

3. Start the server in the background and log to a file so we can read the port and detect readiness. Use nohup so it survives this tool call:

   cd "$APP_DIR"
   nohup npm run dev > .dev-server.log 2>&1 &
   echo $! > .dev-server.pid
   

   • To read logs from a different location, prefix with CLAUDE_DIR=/path/to/.claude.

4. Wait for ready. Poll .dev-server.log (up to ~30s) for the line containing Local: / Ready and capture the URL (default http://localhost:3000; Next auto-bumps to 3001+ if 3000 is taken, so read the actual port from the log rather than assuming):

   for i in $(seq 1 30); do
     grep -qE "Ready|Local:" "$APP_DIR/.dev-server.log" && break
     sleep 1
   done
   grep -oE "http://localhost:[0-9]+" "$APP_DIR/.dev-server.log" | head -1
   

   • If it never becomes ready, show the tail of .dev-server.log so the user sees the error.

5. Open the browser at the detected URL. Pick the opener for the platform; try in order and don't fail the whole skill if none work - just print the URL clearly:

   • macOS: open "$URL"
   • Linux (native): xdg-open "$URL"
   • WSL: explorer.exe "$URL" (or wslview "$URL" if installed)
   • Windows (Git Bash): start "" "$URL"

6. Report. Tell the user:

   • The dashboard is live at $URL (opened in the browser).
   • It's reading their local ~/.claude logs; data refreshes when they reload the page.
   • It runs in the background - stop it anytime with /time-tracker:stop.

Notes

• First paint may take a few seconds while Next compiles the route - that's normal on the first load after launch.
• No data / demo data? If the dashboard shows the built-in demo, the app didn't find local transcripts. Confirm ~/.claude/projects exists, or relaunch with CLAUDE_DIR pointing at the right folder.
• Port in use. If 3000 is busy, Next uses the next free port - always trust the URL printed in .dev-server.log, not a hard-coded 3000.