Check-in & Check-out System

Learn how Clocky tracks your work time through the check-in and check-out system.

How it works

Clocky uses a simple session-based time tracking system:

  1. Check in when you start working - creates a session with a start timestamp
  2. Work on your tasks - the session remains active
  3. Check out when finished - closes the session and calculates total time
  4. View statistics - all session data is aggregated into your stats

Key concepts

  • Name
    Sessions
    Description

    A session is a single period of tracked time from check-in to check-out. Each session has a start time, end time, and duration.

  • Name
    Active session
    Description

    You can only have one active (checked-in) session at a time, in one server. This prevents double-counting time.

  • Name
    Server isolation
    Description

    Sessions are tracked per Discord server. Your work time in Server A is separate from Server B.

  • Name
    Automatic tracking
    Description

    Once checked in, time is tracked automatically. You don't need to do anything until you check out.

Checking in

Basic check-in

Start tracking your work time:

/checkin

Response:

✅ Checked in at 9:00 AM
Your work session has started!

What happens when you check in

  1. Session creation: A new work session is created in the database
  2. Timestamp recorded: Your check-in time is saved (accurate to the second)
  3. Server association: The session is linked to the current Discord server
  4. Status update: Your status changes to "checked in"

Restrictions

One session at a time: If you're already checked in to another server, you'll need to check out there first.

If you try to check in while already checked in elsewhere:

❌ Already checked in
You're currently checked in to: Work Server
Started: 8:00 AM (1 hour ago)

Please check out there first with /checkout

User limits by tier

Servers have user limits based on subscription tier:

TierActive Users
Free5 users
Premium100 users
ProUnlimited
LifetimeUnlimited

If your server reaches the limit, new users cannot check in until:

  • Inactive users are pruned (after data retention period)
  • The server upgrades to a higher tier
  • An admin manually cleans up old users

Checking out

Basic check-out

Stop tracking your work time:

/checkout

Response:

✅ Checked out at 5:00 PM

📊 Session Summary
Check-in: 9:00 AM
Check-out: 5:00 PM
Break time: 1 hour 0 minutes
Net worked: 7 hours 0 minutes

Great work today! 🎉

What happens when you check out

  1. Session closed: Your active session is marked as complete
  2. Duration calculated: Total time = check-out time - check-in time - break time
  3. Stats updated: Your statistics are automatically updated
  4. Status cleared: You're now available to check in again

Checkout requirements

  • Name
    Must be checked in
    Description

    You can only check out if you have an active session. If not checked in, you'll get an error.

  • Name
    Same server
    Description

    You must check out in the same server where you checked in.

  • Name
    Manual or automatic
    Description

    Sessions can be closed manually with /checkout or automatically via auto-close.

Auto-close system

What is auto-close?

Auto-close automatically ends sessions that have been active for too long. This prevents inflated time tracking when users forget to check out.

Default behavior

By default, sessions auto-close after 12 hours.

Example:

  • Check in: Monday 9:00 AM
  • Forget to check out
  • Auto-close: Monday 9:00 PM (12 hours later)
  • Recorded time: 12 hours (minus any breaks)

Configuring auto-close

Server administrators can adjust the auto-close duration:

/admin-set-autoclose hours:8

Valid range: 1-24 hours

When changes take effect: The auto-close setting only affects new sessions. Existing sessions use the duration that was set when they started.

How auto-close works

  1. Background job: Clocky runs a periodic job that checks for old sessions
  2. Time comparison: Sessions older than the configured duration are identified
  3. Automatic closure: These sessions are closed automatically
  4. Notification: Users are NOT notified when sessions are auto-closed

Viewing auto-close status

Check your current session to see when it will auto-close:

/status

⏱️ Currently checked in
Server: Work Server
Started: 9:00 AM (3 hours ago)
Auto-close in: 9 hours

Session status

Checking your status

See if you're currently checked in:

/status

If checked in:

⏱️ Currently checked in
Server: Work Server
Started: 9:00 AM (3 hours ago)
Duration: 3 hours 0 minutes
Break: 30 minutes (active)
Auto-close in: 9 hours

If not checked in:

ℹ️ Not checked in
You don't have an active work session.

Use /checkin to start tracking time.

Status information

The status command shows:

  • Whether you're checked in
  • Which server you're checked in to
  • Check-in time
  • Current duration
  • Break status (if applicable)
  • Time until auto-close

Best practices

For accurate time tracking

Follow these tips for the most accurate time tracking:

  1. Check in immediately when you start working - don't wait
  2. Use breaks for lunch, meetings, etc. instead of checking out
  3. Check out promptly when done for the day
  4. Check your status periodically to ensure you're still checked in
  5. Set reminders if you frequently forget to check out

Common workflows

Full workday:

# Morning
/checkin

# Lunch break
/break start
# ... eat lunch ...
/break end

# End of day
/checkout

Short focused session:

# Start task
/checkin

# Finish task (2 hours later)
/checkout

Multiple servers:

# Server A
/checkin
# ... work ...
/checkout

# Switch to Server B
/checkin
# ... work ...
/checkout

Troubleshooting

Forgot to check out

Problem: You forgot to check out yesterday and now your session is inflated.

Solutions:

  1. Auto-close handled it: Check your stats - the session was probably auto-closed at the configured duration
  2. Ask an admin: An admin can manually close your session with /admin-close-session
  3. Prevention: Set a calendar reminder to check out at end of day

Can't check in (already checked in)

Problem: Error says you're already checked in elsewhere.

Solution:

  1. Run /status to see which server
  2. Go to that server
  3. Run /checkout
  4. Return to desired server and run /checkin

Session closed unexpectedly

Problem: Your session was closed but you didn't check out.

Possible causes:

  1. Auto-close: Session exceeded the configured duration (default: 12 hours)
  2. Admin action: An admin manually closed your session
  3. Bot restart: In rare cases, bot maintenance might affect sessions

Check your history:

/history limit:5

Review recent sessions to see what happened.

Admin controls

Server administrators have additional tools for managing sessions:

Manually close a session

If a user forgets to check out or their session is stuck:

/admin-close-session user:@username

This calculates the worked time from check-in until now and closes the session.

View session statistics

Admins can view any user's stats:

/stats user:@username range:today

Next steps

Learn About Breaks

View Statistics

Quick Start Guide

All Commands

Was this page helpful?