macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install watsonlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install watsonMacPorts ports tree · office/watson/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install watson with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, zypper
Command-line tool to track (your) time. Version 2.1.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-15.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#watsonnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/wa/watson/package.nix · source: api.github.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install watsonopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · watson · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Command-line tool to track (your) time
Project links
Commands and aliases
- watson
history
Project history and usage
Watson is a Python command-line time tracker for people who want project and tag based time logs without leaving the terminal. Its unit of work is a frame: start a project with tags, stop it later, and use log/report commands to inspect the resulting sessions.
Project history
Watson's changelog records a first stable public release, 1.0.0, on September 17, 2015. Through 2016 the project added Bash completion, frame IDs, restart and merge commands, daily log summaries, browsable documentation, directory overrides, a logo, Arch Linux documentation, Homebrew documentation, year/month/week/day reporting options, zsh completion, default tags, and safer backup behavior when saving state.
The 2017-2022 changelog shows a steady CLI-maintenance arc: JSON report output, compatibility with a new crick.io sync backend, Python 3.6/3.7/3.8/3.9 support, an `add` command, fish completion, CSV output, typo suggestions, reverse log ordering, time-zone support through TZ, removal of Python 2.7 and 3.5 in the 2.0 release, and Click 8 compatibility in 2.1.0. The GitHub repository now lives under Jazzband; a 2024 Jazzband bot issue tracks implementing Jazzband guidelines after the transfer.
Adoption history
Watson is not a corporate time-tracking platform; its adoption is in the terminal productivity niche. The GitHub page reports about 2.5 thousand stars and hundreds of forks, the documentation points to pip and Homebrew installation, and the command set favors local control: data is stored on the user's computer, with optional sync to a crick server for people who want remote storage or sharing.
How it is used
The canonical flow is `watson start project +tag`, work for a while, then `watson stop`. Users inspect sessions with `watson log`, generate summaries with report-style commands, filter by project, tag, and dates, and use shell completions for known commands, projects, tags, and frame IDs.
In package-nerd terms, Watson appeals to users who prefer plain CLI state over a hosted UI: a local Python tool, simple commands, shell completion, JSON/CSV output history, and enough filtering to build reports for clients, invoices, retrospectives, or personal accounting.
Why package nerds care
Watson is significant as a small example of the Unixy personal-productivity tool: text-command interaction, local data, project/tag taxonomy, and scriptable output. It belongs in the same mental shelf as Timewarrior and other personal time trackers, but with a Python ecosystem flavor and a simple frame model.
Timeline
- 2015-09-17: Watson 1.0.0 is released as the first stable public release.
- 2016-01-22: 1.2.0 adds restart and merge commands plus daily log summaries.
- 2016-11-01: 1.4.0 adds rename, period reporting options, zsh completion, default tags, and Homebrew documentation.
- 2019-08-26: 1.8.0 adds CSV output for report, log, and aggregate commands.
- 2021-03-19: 2.0.0 adds Python 3.8/3.9 support, TZ support, and removes Python 2.7 support.
- 2022-05-16: 2.1.0 adds restart gap options and Click 8 compatibility.
- 2024-08-26: Jazzband opens an issue to implement Jazzband project guidelines for Watson.
Related projects
- Related projects include Timewarrior, ActivityWatch, Hamster-style time trackers, crick for Watson sync, shell completion systems, and personal reporting scripts that consume Watson's logged frames.
Sources
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for watson. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Linux
~/.config/watson/config- macOS
~/Library/Application Support/watson/config- Windows
%appdata%\watson\configC:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\watson\config
Credential files
Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.
- Linux
~/.config/watson/config- macOS
~/Library/Application Support/watson/config- Windows
%appdata%\watson\configC:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\watson\config
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
watson | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version2.1.0
manager updated2026-05-15
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://jazzband.github.io/Watson/
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://jazzband.github.io/Watson/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:watson |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.1.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/watson |
| Homepage | https://jazzband.github.io/Watson/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/jazzband/Watson |
| Upstream docs | https://jazzband.github.io/Watson |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/a9/61/868892a19ad9f7e74f9821c259702c3630138ece45bab271e876b24bb381/td-watson-2.1.0.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-05-15T11:13:55Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | certifi, python@3.14 |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | watson |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 12 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Nix95%
watson
nix profile install nixpkgs#watson- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Watson
zypper95%
watson 2.1.0-1.11
CLI time tracker
https://github.com/TailorDev/Watson
sudo zypper install watson- License: MIT
- Category: Productivity/Office/Organizers
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: watson
- 6 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Watson
zypper95%
watson-bash-completion 2.1.0-1.11
Bash completion for watson
https://github.com/TailorDev/Watson
sudo zypper install watson-bash-completion- License: MIT
- Category: System/Shells
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: watson
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Watson
zypper95%
watson-fish-completion 2.1.0-1.11
Fish completion for watson
https://github.com/TailorDev/Watson
sudo zypper install watson-fish-completion- License: MIT
- Category: System/Shells
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: watson
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Watson
zypper95%
watson-zsh-completion 2.1.0-1.11
Zsh completion for watson
https://github.com/TailorDev/Watson
sudo zypper install watson-zsh-completion- License: MIT
- Category: System/Shells
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: watson
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Watson
MacPorts95%
watson
sudo port install watson- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Watson
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment