Pipa Time Tracking

Pipa Time Tracking

User time-tracking req -> Pipa creds -> generic time_tracking/time_entry utility records.

CRITICAL: Use only Toggl-style time entries via generic Pipa agent utility records API. Do not use Clockify, Toggl, screenshots, payroll, invoicing, productivity scoring, passive activity reconstruction, or /v1/time-tracking/* wrapper endpoints.

Keep short todo list: mode, creds, missing question, payload validation, API call, final response.

Workflow

1. Pick mode. Choose exactly one.

• Start timer: "start tracking this", "start timer for Acme", "track time on frontend fixes" -> start.
• Switch work: "switch to Acme QA" -> switch.
• Stop current timer -> stop.
• Ask what is running -> current.
• Log past time: "log 45 minutes from 9 to 9:45" -> backfill.
• Show entries / summarize time -> review.
• Update/delete/cancel/archive entry -> update/archive.
• Buy credits/top up, check credit balance, or mutating req fails with insufficient_credits -> top-up.
• Payroll, invoicing, screenshots, passive reconstruction, external tracker sync, recurring timers, auto idle detection -> explain V1 unsupported, stop.

If conversation already has successful API response and user asks about that result, answer from known response. Do not call unsupported reporting endpoints.

1. Load creds. Required before API calls:

• PIPA_API_BASE_URL
• PIPA_API_KEY
• PIPA_EMAIL
• PIPA_USER_TIMEZONE

Aliases:

• PIPA_FOLLOW_UP_API_KEY -> PIPA_API_KEY
• PIPA_FOLLOW_UP_EMAIL -> PIPA_EMAIL
• If canonical and alias values both exist in the same source, canonical wins.

Lookup order:

1. Gateway-injected values.
2. Env vars.
3. Repo-local .pipa/credentials.
4. User-global ~/.pipa/credentials.

Hidden-path rule:

• Do not trust glob/file-search for .pipa/credentials; hidden dirs can be skipped/mishandled.
• Check explicit paths directly: /.pipa/credentials, then ~/.pipa/credentials.
• Shell helper: resolve root from cwd or git rev-parse --show-toplevel; read Path(root) / ".pipa" / "credentials".
• No files found from glob for .pipa/credentials is inconclusive. Direct-read before asking user for creds.

Creds file = dotenv, not JSON:

``text PIPA_API_BASE_URL=https://pailflow-chat-gateway.fly.dev PIPA_API_KEY= PIPA_EMAIL= PIPA_USER_TIMEZONE= ``

Legacy shape:

``text PIPA_API_BASE_URL=https://pailflow-chat-gateway.fly.dev PIPA_FOLLOW_UP_API_KEY= PIPA_FOLLOW_UP_EMAIL= PIPA_USER_TIMEZONE= ``

Keep API keys out of chat/logs/markdown/shell history/process args when possible. Shell helper reads creds inside script; prints only non-secret results.

If PIPA_API_BASE_URL and API key exist, continue to selected mode. If mode needs local-day interpretation and timezone missing, step 3.

1. Set up missing creds only when needed. Fill smallest missing piece.

• Missing PIPA_USER_TIMEZONE + local dates/vague times -> ask exactly: What timezone should I use? Stop.
• Missing PIPA_API_BASE_URL -> default https://pailflow-chat-gateway.fly.dev unless user named another gateway.
• Missing PIPA_API_KEY and PIPA_FOLLOW_UP_API_KEY -> ask for user's email.

Email-code setup:

1. Explain email-code verification creates/replaces Pipa agent utilities key. Mention key replacement revokes prior keys only if user may already have one.
2. POST /v1/key/email-code/start with product agent-utilities.
3. Ask for one-time email code.
4. POST /v1/key/email-code/verify with challenge id, code, product agent-utilities.
5. Store returned key unless env ephemeral, user opted out, or write fails.
6. Prefer repo-local .pipa/credentials for repo-local skills; ~/.pipa/credentials for global skills.
7. Before repo-local write, ensure .pipa/ gitignored. Use file mode 600.
8. Tell user storage path. Never print key unless explicitly asked.
9. Reload creds, continue selected mode.

1. API contract. Use only:

• GET /v1/agent-utility-records
• POST /v1/agent-utility-records
• GET /v1/agent-utility-records/:id
• PATCH /v1/agent-utility-records/:id
• DELETE /v1/agent-utility-records/:id
• POST /v1/key/email-code/start
• POST /v1/key/email-code/verify
• POST /v1/topups/checkout-sessions

Credit balance:

• Do not invent a balance endpoint. Current credit balance is only known when an allowed API response includes credits_remaining.
• If the user asks for balance and the latest allowed response lacks credits_remaining, say the skill cannot query current balance directly.
• If insufficient_credits includes topup_limits, use those limits in the next action.
• Treat checkout URLs as user-action payment links. Do not persist them or raw-print long checkout URLs unless explicitly asked.

List query params used by this skill:

• utility_type
• record_type
• status
• started_at_gte
• started_at_lt

Do not use other list filters unless the API response or docs expose them. If archived filtering is unavailable, exclude archived records after fetch.

Auth header:

``text Authorization: Bearer ${PIPA_API_KEY} ``

Time entry record:

``json { "utility_type": "time_tracking", "record_type": "time_entry", "status": "running", "title": "Work description", "started_at": "2026-06-30T13:00:00.000Z", "project_label": "optional project", "client_label": "optional client", "flex_label": "optional tag/task/phase", "rate_amount": 150, "rate_currency": "USD", "metadata": { "notes": "optional extras" } } ``

Rules:

• running requires started_at, omits ended_at.
• completed requires started_at and ended_at.
• ended_at must be >= started_at.
• Only one unarchived running time_tracking/time_entry per user.
• Deletes archive. Do not claim hard-delete.
• Store exact timestamps. Round duration only in user-facing response.

1. Start mode.

1. Title from req. If only "start timer", use Untitled work.
2. Parse obvious labels only: project, client, task/tag/phase. Do not invent labels.
3. GET /v1/agent-utility-records?utility_type=time_tracking&record_type=time_entry&status=running.
4. If running timer exists, report id/title/start. Ask exactly: Do you want me to switch from that timer to [new title]? Stop.
5. If none running, create running record with current UTC ISO started_at.
6. Fresh Idempotency-Key for create.
7. Success -> step 14 start template.

Create payload:

``json { "utility_type": "time_tracking", "record_type": "time_entry", "status": "running", "title": "Acme frontend fixes", "started_at": "2026-06-30T13:00:00.000Z", "project_label": "Acme", "client_label": "Acme Co", "flex_label": "frontend" } ``

1. Switch mode.

1. Fetch running timer per step 5.
2. If none, create new running timer via start mode. Mention no prior timer stopped.
3. If running, patch to status=completed, ended_at=now.
4. After stop succeeds, create new running timer with a fresh Idempotency-Key.
5. If stop succeeds but create fails, say exactly that and report no new timer running.
6. Return stopped duration + new running record id.

1. Stop mode.

1. Fetch running timer per step 5.
2. If none, say no timer currently running, stop.
3. Patch running record: status=completed, ended_at=now.
4. Confirm id, title, start, end, duration, labels.

Patch payload:

``json { "status": "completed", "ended_at": "2026-06-30T14:15:00.000Z" } ``

1. Current mode.

1. Fetch running timer per step 5.
2. If none, say no timer currently running.
3. If one, report id, title, start, elapsed duration, labels.
4. Do not create/stop/mutate.

1. Backfill mode.

1. Resolve date/time range with PIPA_USER_TIMEZONE.
2. Ambiguous date/time/duration/timezone -> ask one direct clarification, stop.
3. Convert started_at/ended_at to UTC ISO.
4. Create completed record.
5. Return created entry confirmation.

If user says "log 45 minutes from 9:00" and timezone/date known, compute end immediately. No extra confirmation.

1. Review mode.

1. Resolve range to concrete started_at_gte and started_at_lt UTC ISO. For "today", use PIPA_USER_TIMEZONE.
2. GET /v1/agent-utility-records with utility_type=time_tracking, record_type=time_entry, range filters.
3. Exclude archived unless user asks archived/cancelled.
4. Group/total records in response. Do not call/invent reporting endpoint.
5. Include running entries separately; duration changes.

1. Update/archive mode.

1. Resolve record id from req, context, or short candidate list.
2. Ambiguous ref -> ask one direct question, stop.
3. PATCH /v1/agent-utility-records/:id for title, timestamps, labels, rate, metadata.
4. DELETE /v1/agent-utility-records/:id only for explicit delete/cancel/remove/archive.
5. Archiving running timer -> say cancelled/archived, not completed.

1. Top-up mode.

Time Tracking costs 10 Pipa credits for 30 days. No auto-renewal; next mutating use after expiry charges another access pass.

Balance visibility:

• The skill cannot query current credit balance unless an allowed response includes credits_remaining.
• If the user asks how many credits they have and no current response includes credits_remaining, say so and include the gateway URL being used.

1. Use on insufficient_credits or buy/top-up ask.
2. Choose requested integer credit amount.
3. No amount -> ask exactly: How many Pipa credits do you want to buy? Stop.
4. POST /v1/topups/checkout-sessions with { "credits": amount }.
5. Share checkout_url as Markdown link, e.g. [Open checkout](...), plus amount.
6. If checkout unavailable and API only includes billing_url, share billing fallback.
7. After payment confirmation, retry original mutating req.

If insufficient_credits or invalid_topup_credits returns limits, use them. Example: 10 credits is below the minimum. Smallest top-up is 100 credits for $10. Want me to create that checkout session?

1. API failures. Do smallest next action.

• running_timer_exists: Fetch running timer, explain, ask whether to switch.
• insufficient_credits: Step 12.
• invalid_api_key: Explain replacement key rotates account key, step 3.
• started_at_required, completed_entry_requires_ended_at, running_entry_cannot_have_ended_at, ended_at_before_started_at: Fix payload; ask only if requested time ambiguous.
• agent_utility_record_not_found: Ask for record id, or list recent candidates if user asked about "that entry".
• invalid_topup_credits: Give smallest valid next action from API response. Example: 10 credits is below the minimum. Smallest top-up is 100 credits for $10. Want me to create that checkout session? Do not share billing_url unless checkout unavailable.
• failed_to_create_agent_utility_record, failed_to_patch_agent_utility_record, failed_to_archive_agent_utility_record: State whether anything changed before failure. Do not pretend timer changed.
• Missing API key: Step 3.

Do not restart full workflow unless error requires it.

1. Report. Crisp, operational, auditable.

Start template:

```markdown Started the timer.

• Record ID: [id]
• Title: [title]
• Started: [started_at]
• Labels: [project/client/flex or none]

```

Stop template:

```markdown Stopped the timer.

• Record ID: [id]
• Title: [title]
• Time: [started_at] to [ended_at]
• Duration: [rounded duration]
• Labels: [project/client/flex or none]

```

Rules:

• Ask only missing/ambiguous required info.
• Ask exactly one direct follow-up question at a time.
• Do not dump API metadata.
• Do not store secrets in skill file.
• Mention credits remaining when API returns it.
• Failures: state whether any record changed before failure.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: lunchpaillola
• Source: lunchpaillola/pipa-skills
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://usepipa.com

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.