How to track time from Claude, Codex, OpenCode, or any agent session

If you run any kind of service business, you probably care where your time is going. Time is usually one of the biggest costs in the business, but tracking it is also one of those annoying habits that is easy to skip when the work is moving.

Since more of my work now happens inside agent sessions, I started doing time tracking there too. Planning, client updates, follow-ups, writing, research, and the little business ops tasks already happen in Claude, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor, or Pipa. The timer can live there as well.

Prefer the walkthrough? Watch the YouTube tutorial here.

What the time-tracking skill does

The time-tracking skill teaches your agent how to manage simple work timers. It can start a new timer, check whether one is already running, switch tasks, stop the active timer, backfill old entries, and review what has been logged.

It is intentionally not fancy. The goal is to capture enough clean data to understand where time went, group entries by label, and make billing or project-cost review less manual later.

Why track time from an agent session?

The lazy version is: track the time where the work starts. If you are already asking an agent to help with client delivery, project planning, research, or operations, asking that same agent to start a timer removes one more tool switch.

That matters for service businesses because small chunks of work add up. Even if you do not bill every minute directly, tracked time helps you see what experiments, retainers, client requests, and internal bets actually cost.

Set it up once

Start on the Pipa tools page and copy the time-tracking setup prompt.

1. Go to usepipa.com/tools.
2. Find Time tracking.
3. Copy the setup prompt.
4. Paste it into Claude, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor, or your agent.
5. Let the agent install and read the skill.
6. Start tracking in plain English.

Install the Pipa time tracking skill for me.

Run this global install command:

npx skills add lunchpaillola/pipa-skills --skill pipa-time-tracking -g -y

If one unsupported runtime reports an install warning, ignore it as long as this agent can use the skill.

If you cannot install skills directly, read this skill file instead:
https://github.com/lunchpaillola/pipa-skills/blob/main/skills/pipa-time-tracking/SKILL.md

Then read the skill instructions and help me set up time tracking so I can start, stop, switch, backfill, and review timers when I ask.

Step 1. Copy the time-tracking prompt

Open usepipa.com/tools and copy the prompt for Time tracking.

If you want to inspect the skill directly, the source lives in the Pipa skills repo and the readable instructions are in the time-tracking skill docs.

Step 2. Paste it into your agent

Paste the setup prompt into the agent session where you work. In the video, I use OpenCode, but the same idea applies to Claude, Codex, Cursor, Pipa, or another agent that can install and use skills.

Once installed, the skill gives the agent the workflow for managing timers instead of making you remember commands.

Step 3. Start a timer in plain English

Ask for a timer the way you would describe the work to a teammate.

Let's start tracking time for recording this video.

The agent checks whether you already have a timer running. If you do, it can switch tasks so the old entry is closed and the new one starts cleanly.

Step 4. Stop the active timer

When the task is done, say so in normal language.

I'm done with this task. Stop the timer.

The agent stops the active timer and logs the entry with the label and timing information it needs for review later.

Step 5. Review your logged time

After you have a few entries, ask the agent to review or aggregate them.

Show me today's time entries grouped by label.

Grouping by label keeps the data useful. You can see how much time went into a client, project, experiment, admin task, or recording session without manually cleaning up a spreadsheet first.

The full workflow

1. Copy the Time tracking prompt from Pipa tools.
2. Paste it into your agent session.
3. Let the agent install and read the skill.
4. Start a timer in plain English.
5. Stop or switch timers as the work changes.
6. Review entries grouped by label.

FAQ

Does this only work in OpenCode?

No. OpenCode is shown in the video, but the skill is meant for agent sessions in general. Use it anywhere your agent can install and follow the skill instructions.

Can it switch timers?

Yes. If a timer is already running, the agent can stop or switch it before starting the next task.

Can it backfill old time entries?

Yes. The skill supports backfilling entries when you forgot to start the timer at the beginning of the work.

What should I track first?

Start with one obvious task. Record a video, write a client update, do a research pass, or work on one project. Stop the timer, then ask for the summary so you trust the loop before relying on it for billing.