skyshift/README.md

skyshift

Track your work shifts from the terminal: start, pause, end the day (even when the day runs past midnight), copy totals into your timesheet, export reports, and see your work patterns.

Runs on Windows, Linux and macOS. Keyboard first, with vim-style keys, and the mouse works too.

Build and run

You need Rust 1.89 or newer (rustup.rs, or your distribution's rust and cargo packages).

cargo build --release

The program is target/release/skyshift (skyshift.exe on Windows): copy it to a folder on your PATH.

• Windows: nothing else to install. The .exe carries its own C runtime and runs on any Windows 10 or 11.
• Void Linux: sudo xbps-install -S rust cargo, then build as above.
• Fedora: sudo dnf install rust cargo, then build as above.

On Linux no system library is needed: the clipboard works on both X11 and Wayland. If copying doesn't work in your setup, set clipboard = "command" and clipboard_command = "wl-copy" (or "xclip -selection clipboard") in the settings.

Everyday keys

Keys	What they do
s p e	start, pause, end the work day
<Space><Space>	start / pause
<Space>p	"I actually paused at 17:30" (also <Space>s, <Space>e)
Ctrl-x Ctrl-a	the running session started 5 minutes earlier / later
yy yw	copy the day / the week for your timesheet
<Space>c	copy in another format, with a preview
gh gd gi gs	Tracker, Days, Insights, Settings (also gt, Tab)
u Ctrl-r	undo, redo: mistakes cost nothing
b (zb)	take a pomodoro break, and come back from it
zz	snooze the break suggestion
:	command line: :pause 17:30, :export csv lastmonth, :set time_format=12h
?	every key, for the screen you're on
q	quit (a running shift keeps running)

After the first key of a sequence (g, y, <Space>...), a popup lists what can follow (like which-key in Neovim). It can be turned off in the settings, or with <Space>w.

How work days work

• Start opens a work day if none is open. The day keeps its date until you press End day, so a shift from 22:00 to 04:00 counts for the day it started.
• Forgot End day? If a break lasts longer than 8 hours (a setting), the next Start opens a new work day by itself.
• Times you type (22:30, 2230, 22h30, 10:30pm, 10p) are read in both 12h and 24h styles. An end time before the start time means the next day.
• Pomodoro breaks (b on the Tracker, zb anywhere) are paid by default: the shift keeps running, so the break stays in your worked time. Turn off paid_breaks in the settings to make b pause the shift instead. p and e always stop the clock (lunch, end of day).
• To add work to a day you didn't track, press o and change the Work day field: 2026-09-14, 09-14, yesterday, -3 (3 days ago) or a weekday like mon all work.
• Times are recorded to the minute, so what you see always adds up.

Your files

Run skyshift --paths to see where they are.

• config.toml: every setting, each with a comment explaining it. Change settings in the app (Settings tab, za shows the expert ones) or in the file.
• shifts.toml: your work, in plain text. You can edit it by hand; skyshift reloads it when it changes, and won't overwrite it while it has a mistake in it. A copy is saved once a day in backups/.
• Exports (CSV, JSON, Markdown) go to your Documents folder, or the folder set in the settings.

To keep everything together, for example on a USB stick or in a synced folder: skyshift --config D:\skyshift\config.toml with data_file = "shifts.toml" in that config.

How the code is organized

Every file starts with a comment explaining what it's for.

Folder / file	What's in it
domain/	the rules: segments, work days, the journal (no files, no UI)
time/	the clock, 12h/24h text, typed times, date ranges
analysis/	the numbers behind the Insights screen
export/	timesheet text, the clipboard, CSV/JSON/Markdown reports
storage/	config.toml, shifts.toml, backups, the lock
ui/	keys (keymap.rs), screens, popups, widgets, colors
settings.rs	every setting, described once in one table
reminders.rs	the pomodoro rhythm
action.rs	everything the screens can ask the app to do
app.rs	the core: the loop, and the one place where data changes

The flow is always the same: a key becomes a Command (ui/keymap.rs), the screen turns the command into an Action, and App::apply changes the data, saves it, and shows a message.

Common changes:

• Change a key: edit the tables in src/ui/keymap.rs. The help screen and the which-key popup follow automatically.
• Add a setting: add a field to Settings, its default, and one entry in FIELDS (all in src/settings.rs). The Settings screen and config.toml follow automatically.

Development

cargo test                  # run the tests
cargo lint                  # clippy, treating warnings as errors
cargo fmt                   # format the code
cargo test show_screens -- --ignored --nocapture   # print every screen as text