Table of Contents

Installing and Pairing sidekick

Warning

Early preview: time cockpit sidekick is in an early preview. Features, labels and setup steps can change without notice. sidekick runs on Windows 10/11; the macOS version is still being tested. Feedback: support@timecockpit.com

Setting up time cockpit sidekick takes three steps: install sidekick, create a token in sidekick, and enter the address and the token in the settings of the Time Sheet Calendar.

Install sidekick

sidekick runs on Windows 10 and 11 (x64) and on macOS (Apple silicon and Intel). The macOS version is still being tested; see Install on macOS for its limitations.

Download for WindowsmacOS (Apple silicon)macOS (Intel)

Install on Windows

  1. Download the installer TimeCockpit.Sidekick-win-Setup.exe. The calendar settings link to the same file (Download sidekick).
  2. Run the installer. It installs sidekick for your Windows user only, needs no administrator rights and asks no questions. The program goes to %LOCALAPPDATA%\TimeCockpit.Sidekick, and a Start menu entry is added.
  3. Windows SmartScreen may warn about the installer, because sidekick is a new program. The installer is signed. To continue, click More info and then Run anyway.
  4. After the installation sidekick starts, switches on its autostart and opens its window. Its icon, the time cockpit logo, appears in the notification area of the taskbar (possibly hidden under the arrow).

Closing the window does not stop sidekick; it keeps recording in the background. To open the window again, double-click the icon or choose Open sidekick… in its menu.

Install on macOS

Note

The macOS version is still being tested. Unlike the Windows version, it is not signed and does not update itself.

  1. Download the disk image for your Mac: Apple silicon (M1 and later) or Intel. About This Mac in the Apple menu shows which chip your Mac has.
  2. Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag time cockpit sidekick into the Applications folder.
  3. Start sidekick from the Applications folder. Because the app is not signed, macOS blocks the first start. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security, click Open Anyway next to the message about time cockpit sidekick, and confirm with Open. On older macOS versions you can instead Control-click the app and choose Open.
  4. sidekick runs in the menu bar, not in the Dock. Click its icon in the menu bar to open its menu.
  5. To record window titles, allow screen recording for sidekick in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording, then quit sidekick and start it again. Without this permission sidekick records which application was in front, but no window titles. sidekick does not take screenshots.

Limitations of the macOS version:

  • No automatic updates. To update, download the disk image again and replace the app in the Applications folder.
  • The autostart may not work reliably for the unsigned app. If sidekick is not running after you sign in, start it from the Applications folder.
  • macOS does not say which application uses the microphone. sidekick records that the microphone was in use and names the meeting application whose window was in front at the time, if there was one.
  • Since macOS 14.4, Wi-Fi names are only available to apps with location access. Without it, sidekick records no Wi-Fi names.
  • The data is stored in ~/Library/Application Support/timecockpit-sidekick.

Autostart and Updates

  • The autostart is the setting Start with the operating system in sidekick under Settings in the area Retention and start.
  • On Windows, sidekick updates itself. It checks for a new version one minute after the start and then every four hours, and downloads a new version in the background. The menu of the tray icon then offers Install update … and restart; otherwise the update is installed at the next start. The area Version and updates in the settings shows the current state.

Pair sidekick With the Calendar

The calendar may read the signals only with a token that sidekick created for the address of your time cockpit, for example https://web.timecockpit.com.

In sidekick: Create a Token

  1. Open sidekick and go to the tab Pairing.
  2. Under Paired calendars, click + Pair a calendar. As long as no calendar is paired, the form Pair a new calendar is already open.
  3. Under Where does it run?, choose the address at which you open time cockpit in the browser, usually https://web.timecockpit.com. You can enter a name under Label (optional).
  4. Click Create token. A token is valid only for this address and is shown only once, for ten minutes at most.
  5. Copy Address of sidekick (usually http://127.0.0.1:41337) and Token with the Copy buttons. The token disappears after ten minutes at the latest, so enter it in the calendar right away.

sidekick stores only a hash of the token, never the token itself. If you lose the token, create a new one.

In the Calendar: Enter Address and Token

  1. Open the Time Sheet Calendar in the time cockpit web client, in a browser on the same computer.
  2. Open the gear Settings.
  3. Under Signals, choose Show signals of time cockpit sidekick.
  4. Paste the address into Address of sidekick and the token into Token.
  5. Click Test connection. If the calendar reaches sidekick, it shows Connected to followed by the name of the device.
  6. Click Save.

Your browser may ask whether the time cockpit page may access devices in your local network. Allow it; otherwise the browser blocks the connection to sidekick.

The calendar shows signals from only one source at a time. If you choose sidekick, the signals of the classic signal tracker are no longer shown.

Connection Status in the Calendar

At the top right of the right pane of the calendar, a status shows whether the calendar reaches sidekick. If it does not, the right pane explains why.

Status What the calendar says What to do
sidekick connected — Nothing. The calendar reads the signals.
Connecting to sidekick … — Wait a moment.
sidekick not running Start time cockpit sidekick on this computer. The calendar connects on its own once it runs. Start sidekick, for example from the Start menu.
Token does not match sidekick The token in the calendar settings is missing or does not match sidekick. Enter the token from sidekick and test the connection. Create a new token in sidekick, enter it in the calendar settings and click Test connection.
Token belongs to another address The token was paired for another address. Pair this address in sidekick and enter the new token in the calendar settings. In sidekick, choose the address at which you opened time cockpit, create a token and enter it in the calendar.
Browser blocks sidekick sidekick runs, but the browser does not let this page reach it. Allow the page to access the local network, or pair this address in sidekick. Allow the browser's local network access for the time cockpit page, or pair the address of this page in sidekick.

If sidekick cannot use its default port 41337 because another program uses it, it takes the next free port. The menu of the tray icon shows the port (Connection to the calendar: on (port …)), and the tab Pairing shows the current Address of sidekick. Enter the new address in the calendar settings.

The Tray Icon Menu

Right-click the sidekick icon in the notification area to open its menu. On macOS, click the sidekick icon in the menu bar.

  • The first line shows the state: Recording, Paused until … or Error: ….
  • Connection to the calendar: on (port …) shows whether the calendar can read the signals and on which port.
  • Open sidekick… opens the window.
  • Pause pauses the recording for 15 min, 1 h or until resumed. While sidekick is paused, Resume ends the pause.
  • Install update … and restart appears when an update is ready.
  • Open data folder opens the folder in which sidekick stores its data.
  • Quit ends sidekick. Nothing is recorded until it runs again.

While recording is paused, sidekick still records whether the computer was on and whether it was locked. That is why a pause shows up as a gap in your activity instead of a gap in the day.

Revoke a Paired Calendar

In sidekick, open the tab Pairing. Under Paired calendars, click Revoke next to the calendar. The calendar can then no longer read anything.

To stop every calendar from reading, open Settings in sidekick and clear Paired calendars may read in the area Connection to the calendar.

Uninstall sidekick

Uninstall time cockpit sidekick in the Windows settings under Apps. The uninstaller stops a running sidekick and removes the program and the autostart entry. On macOS, quit sidekick and move the app from the Applications folder to the Trash.

Your recorded data stays in %APPDATA%\timecockpit-sidekick (on macOS in ~/Library/Application Support/timecockpit-sidekick). To remove it as well, delete it in the tab Data before uninstalling (see sidekick Privacy and Data), or delete the folder afterwards.