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Resolve Time Tracker

Work in progress: Resolve Time Tracker is working, but it is still evolving. Clone it, fork it, modify it for your own DaVinci Resolve workflow, and open pull requests if you build something useful.

DaVinci Resolve Python FastAPI Electron React shadcn/ui SQLite MIT License

Resolve Time Tracker is an MIT-licensed, open-source time tracker for DaVinci Resolve Studio. It tracks billable editing time per Resolve project while avoiding the classic mistake: counting time after the editor has walked away.

Resolve Time Tracker dashboard showing the current Resolve project, tracked time, page activity chart, and recent sessions

Requirements

  • DaVinci Resolve Studio. The latest Resolve Studio release is the actively tested target; Windows with Resolve Studio 21 is currently verified.
  • Git, used to download and update the project.
  • Node.js with npm, used to build the desktop app.

The installer supplies uv, Python 3.13, Python packages, and frontend packages. macOS and Linux support is available but still needs broader real-machine testing; see Platform Support.

Install

Resolve Time Tracker installs as a DaVinci Resolve Scripts-menu tool. After install, open Resolve and run:

Workspace > Scripts > ResolveTimeTrackerMenu
Platform Download Run
Windows install.ps1 Right-click the file and choose Run with PowerShell.
macOS install.sh sh ~/Downloads/install.sh
Linux install.sh sh ~/Downloads/install.sh

Windows users who prefer a one-command install can run:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Today20092/Davinci-Resolve-TimeTracker/main/install.ps1 | iex

This downloads and immediately runs the installer. Use the download link above instead if you want to inspect the script before running it.

If Windows blocks install.ps1, open PowerShell in your Downloads folder and run:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\install.ps1

The installer downloads the project source, installs Python dependencies, builds the companion app, and adds the DaVinci Resolve menu script. It asks whether tracking should stay manual or start automatically with your computer. Manual start is the default.

If Git or Node.js with npm is missing, the installer stops before changing the installation and explains what to install.

What "Start automatically" means

This choice currently applies to Windows:

  • Yes: the installer adds ResolveTimeTrackerBackground.cmd to your Windows Startup folder. Each time you sign in, Windows starts a hidden Python process that runs the tracker's local API and checks Resolve activity. The process stays in memory while you are signed in, including on days when you do not open Resolve. It should do little work when unused, but it does use some RAM. It does not open the Electron window automatically.
  • No (default): the installer does not add anything to Windows Startup. No Resolve Time Tracker process runs after sign-in. Start it only when needed from Workspace > Scripts > ResolveTimeTrackerMenu in DaVinci Resolve.

Choosing Yes does not give the tracker control of your computer. It only starts the same local tracker automatically and keeps its API on 127.0.0.1 (your computer only). The tracker records project timing and activity state; it does not record keystrokes, mouse coordinates, screen contents, footage, or media contents.

For Linux activity detection, install xprintidle and xdotool with your distro package manager. Without them, the tracker can still run, but it falls back to always-active tracking.

Update

Rerun the same installer you downloaded:

.\install.ps1
sh install.sh

Restart Resolve if it was already open.

Uninstall

Download and run the uninstaller for your platform:

Platform Download
Windows uninstall.ps1
macOS / Linux uninstall.sh 
.\uninstall.ps1
sh uninstall.sh

Quit Resolve Time Tracker from its tray menu first. The uninstaller shows every location it will remove and asks for confirmation. It separately asks whether to permanently delete tracker.sqlite3; choosing No preserves all tracked projects and time.

Use

Open Resolve and run:

Workspace > Scripts > ResolveTimeTrackerMenu

The companion window shows whether time is being recorded, the open Resolve project and page, saved work sessions, settings, and report exports. Use Pause Tracking to stop the timer manually and Resume Tracking to start it again.

If you opted into background startup during install, the tracker starts in the Windows system tray and records Resolve activity even when the companion window is closed. Green means time is actively being recorded, yellow means idle or paused, gray means Resolve is closed, and red means the tracker is disconnected.

CSV export writes closed sessions only. Open active sessions are exported after they close.

Screenshots

These screenshots use sample project data to show the companion app pages.

View app screenshots

Projects

Projects table showing tracked Resolve projects and total time

Page Activity

Page activity table showing saved Resolve page sessions

Export

Export page showing CSV and PDF report options

Settings

Settings page showing idle timeout and theme controls

How Tracking Works

  • Tracks while Resolve is the foreground app and you are not idle.
  • Stops when Resolve is minimized or you switch to another app.
  • Keeps tracking during Resolve render/export.
  • Stores data locally in SQLite.
  • Exports closed sessions to CSV.
  • Never records keystrokes, mouse coordinates, screen contents, footage, or media contents.

Default data file:

Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\ResolveTimeTracker\tracker.sqlite3
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/ResolveTimeTracker/tracker.sqlite3
Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/ResolveTimeTracker/tracker.sqlite3 or ~/.local/share/ResolveTimeTracker/tracker.sqlite3

Platform Support

  • Windows: verified with DaVinci Resolve Studio 21.
  • macOS: supported by installer and activity probes, needs real-machine smoke testing.
  • Linux: supported by installer and Resolve scripting path; proper idle/focus detection requires xprintidle and xdotool.

More detail lives in docs/platform-support.md.

Need Help?

See Troubleshooting when the Resolve menu item is missing, the tracker is disconnected, or time is not increasing.

Architecture

View architecture diagrams and component map

Diagram Key

Both diagrams use the same visual language:

  • Orange: where the user starts an action.
  • Blue: DaVinci Resolve or an operating-system startup path.
  • Green: the desktop app and results visible to the user.
  • Purple: background work performed by the tracker.
  • Pink: data stored privately on the computer.
  • Rectangle: an action or part of the tracker; diamond: a choice; cylinder: stored data; dotted line: an explanatory note rather than a runtime step.

Runtime Flow

How Resolve, the desktop companion, the local Python sidecar, and local storage talk to each other while the tracker is running.

flowchart TD
  Menu["You choose the tracker<br/>from Resolve's Scripts menu"] --> App["Desktop app<br/>dashboard window + system tray"]
  Login["Windows starts it at sign-in<br/>if you enabled automatic startup"] --> App
  App --> Tracker["Background tracker<br/>keeps the timer running"]

  Resolve["DaVinci Resolve<br/>project, page, and render status"] --> Tracker
  Activity["Your computer<br/>active, idle, or Resolve in background"] --> Tracker

  Tracker --> Decision{"Should this time count?"}
  Decision -->|Yes| Database[("Private local database<br/>projects, time, and settings")]
  Decision -->|No| Wait["Wait without adding time"]
  Wait --> Tracker

  Database --> App
  App --> Reports["Dashboard, CSV,<br/>and PDF reports"]

  Note["Closing the dashboard leaves the tracker running in the tray.<br/>Choose Quit from the tray to stop it completely."] -.-> App

  classDef user fill:#fff7ed,stroke:#f97316,color:#7c2d12
  classDef resolve fill:#eff6ff,stroke:#2563eb,color:#1e3a8a
  classDef desktop fill:#f0fdf4,stroke:#16a34a,color:#14532d
  classDef backend fill:#eef2ff,stroke:#4f46e5,color:#312e81
  classDef data fill:#fdf2f8,stroke:#db2777,color:#831843

  class Menu user
  class Login,Resolve resolve
  class App,Reports desktop
  class Tracker,Decision,Activity,Wait backend
  class Database data
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Install Flow

What the one-file installer prepares before the menu item appears inside DaVinci Resolve.

flowchart TD
  Download["Download and run<br/>the installer for your computer"]
  Download --> Prepare["The installer prepares<br/>the tracker and desktop app"]
  Prepare --> Menu["The tracker is added to<br/>Resolve's Scripts menu"]
  Prepare --> Choice{"Start tracking automatically<br/>when you sign in to Windows?"}

  Choice -->|No — default| Manual["Nothing runs in the background<br/>until you start it from Resolve"]
  Choice -->|Yes| Automatic["The tracker starts quietly<br/>in the system tray at sign-in"]

  Manual --> Ready["Installation complete"]
  Automatic --> Done["Installation complete<br/>tracking starts at next sign-in"]
  Menu --> Ready
  Ready --> Use["Open Resolve and choose<br/>Workspace → Scripts → ResolveTimeTrackerMenu"]

  Note["Automatic startup is currently a Windows-only option.<br/>You can always start the tracker manually from Resolve."] -.-> Choice

  classDef bootstrap fill:#fff7ed,stroke:#f97316,color:#7c2d12
  classDef setup fill:#eef2ff,stroke:#4f46e5,color:#312e81
  classDef resolve fill:#eff6ff,stroke:#2563eb,color:#1e3a8a

  class Download bootstrap
  class Prepare setup
  class Menu,Choice,Manual,Automatic,Ready,Done,Use resolve
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Area Files Responsibility
Plugin entry scripts/ResolveTimeTracker.py Launches Electron by default, or runs the FastAPI sidecar when Electron requests --api.
Install path install.py, install.ps1, install.sh, scripts/install_resolve_menu.py Prepares Python and frontend dependencies, then installs the Resolve Scripts-menu launcher.
Interface frontend/ Electron owns the window, tray, sidecar lifecycle, and desktop PDF printing; React, Vite, Tailwind, and shadcn/ui render the dashboard.
Backend API src/resolve_time_tracker/api.py FastAPI exposes localhost commands, exports, server-sent invalidations, and the complete dashboard read model consumed by React.
Tracking rules src/resolve_time_tracker/tracking_engine.py Converts Resolve/runtime snapshots into billable Sessions with heartbeats.
Resolve adapter src/resolve_time_tracker/resolve_bridge.py Reads project, Page, render, timeline, idle, and foreground state.
Storage src/resolve_time_tracker/database.py Stores Projects, active Session, closed Sessions, settings, heartbeat recovery, summaries, and CSV output in SQLite.

Development and Contributing

Local checkouts also install Workspace > Scripts > ResolveTimeTrackerDevMenu. It starts the Vite development server and Electron with hot reload; use the normal ResolveTimeTrackerMenu entry for the built app.

The Development Guide covers prerequisites, repository structure, local startup, API access, tests, linting, and builds. An AI coding agent can use the copyable Agentic Development Prompt to prepare and verify a checkout. See CONTRIBUTING.md before opening a pull request.

Credits

The project is inspired by Jamie Fenn's DaVinci Resolve time tracker concept and launch video:

This is an independent open-source implementation. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a copy of Jamie Fenn's commercial product.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.

About

MIT open-source time tracker for DaVinci Resolve Studio that tracks active editing and render time locally.

Topics

billingcross-platformcsv-exportdavinci-resolveopen-sourceproductivitypythonsqlitetime-trackingvideo-editing

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