WakaTime Integration

Connect your WakaTime account to compare coding time with typing metrics

TypeSteps integrates with WakaTime to help you compare your typing activity with your actual coding time, giving you insights into your typing density (strokes per minute while coding).

Overview

The WakaTime integration fetches your daily coding statistics and displays them alongside your typing metrics in the TypeSteps dashboard. This allows you to:

• Compare typing activity vs. actual coding time
• Calculate typing density (keystrokes per minute of coding)
• Identify productive coding sessions
• Understand your typing patterns during development work

Setting Up WakaTime Integration

1. Get Your WakaTime API Key

   1. Log in to your WakaTime account
   2. Navigate to Settings > Account
   3. Scroll down to the API Key section
   4. Copy your secret API key

   Keep your API key private. Never share it or commit it to version control.

2. Add API Key to TypeSteps

   1. Open TypeSteps dashboard
   2. Navigate to Settings or Integrations
   3. Paste your WakaTime API key in the WakaTime API Key field
   4. The app will automatically save your key to secure storage

   // Stored securely in UserDefaults
   @AppStorage("wakatime_api_key") var wakaTimeApiKey: String = ""
   
3. View Your Stats

   Once configured, TypeSteps will automatically fetch your WakaTime data daily. The dashboard will display:

   • Total coding minutes for today
   • Comparison with your typing activity
   • Typing density metrics

How It Works

TypeSteps uses the WakaTime API to fetch your daily coding statistics:

// API endpoint called daily
GET https://wakatime.com/api/v1/users/current/summaries
  ?start=2026-03-03
  &end=2026-03-03

The integration:

1. Encodes your API key in Base64 format
2. Sends an authenticated request to WakaTime’s API
3. Fetches today’s cumulative coding time
4. Converts seconds to minutes for display
5. Updates the dashboard in real-time

The API key is sent using HTTP Basic Authentication with the format: Authorization: Basic <base64-encoded-api-key>

Understanding Density Metrics

Typing Density is calculated as:

Density = Total Keystrokes / WakaTime Minutes

This metric helps you understand:

• High density: Lots of typing during coding sessions (writing new code, documentation)
• Low density: Reading code, debugging, or thinking time
• Baseline density: Your typical keystrokes per minute when actively coding

Example Density Calculation

If you have:

• 10,000 keystrokes today
• 120 minutes of coding time (from WakaTime)

Your typing density = 10,000 / 120 = 83 strokes per minute

This is your actual typing rate while coding, different from raw typing speed tests.

Troubleshooting

Data Not Showing

If WakaTime data isn’t appearing:

1. Verify API Key: Ensure your API key is correct and hasn’t expired
2. Check WakaTime Setup: Make sure WakaTime plugins are installed in your code editors
3. Wait for Sync: Data syncs when you open the dashboard or periodically
4. Check Network: Ensure your Mac has internet connectivity

Error Messages

Authentication Failed

Cause: Invalid or expired API key

Solution:

1. Go to WakaTime settings and regenerate your API key
2. Update the key in TypeSteps
3. Restart the app if needed

No Data for Today

Cause: You haven’t coded yet today, or WakaTime hasn’t synced

Solution:

1. Code in any editor with WakaTime installed
2. Wait a few minutes for WakaTime to process
3. Refresh TypeSteps dashboard

Privacy & Security

TypeSteps handles your WakaTime data with care:

• API keys are stored locally on your Mac using UserDefaults
• No data is sent to TypeSteps servers (app is local-only)
• WakaTime data is fetched directly from WakaTime’s API
• Data is only stored in memory during your session

TypeSteps is a privacy-focused app. All data stays on your device.

API Reference

The WakaTimeManager implementation (from WakaTimeManager.swift:13-49):

func fetchTodayStats(apiKey: String) {
    guard !apiKey.isEmpty else { return }
    
    let credentialData = apiKey.data(using: .utf8)!
    let base64Credentials = credentialData.base64EncodedString()
    
    let today = Date()
    let formatter = DateFormatter()
    formatter.dateFormat = "yyyy-MM-dd"
    let dateString = formatter.string(from: today)
    
    let url = URL(string: "https://wakatime.com/api/v1/users/current/summaries?start=\(dateString)&end=\(dateString)")!
    
    var request = URLRequest(url: url)
    request.setValue("Basic \(base64Credentials)", forHTTPHeaderField: "Authorization")
    
    // Fetches and decodes response
}

Next Steps

Daily Goals

Set typing goals and track your progress

Data Management

Export and backup your typing data