Plugin settings

WakaTime-compatible editor plugins normally share the configuration file at ~/.wakatime.cfg (%USERPROFILE%\\.wakatime.cfg on Windows). Hackatime’s setup flow creates the essential values:

[settings]
api_url = https://hackatime.hackclub.com/api/hackatime/v1
api_key = YOUR_API_KEY
heartbeat_rate_limit_seconds = 30

Keep the API key private. It identifies your account when plugins submit coding activity.

Track only selected projects

To disable tracking everywhere except folders containing a .wakatime-project file, add:

[settings]
include_only_with_project_file = true

Then create .wakatime-project in each project you want to track. The file can be empty, or its first line can set the project name.

Add project-specific settings

Create a .wakatime file in a project root to override global plugin settings for that project:

[settings]
exclude =
    /build/
    /generated/

Project settings replace the corresponding global setting. Repeat any global exclusions you still need in that project.

Diagnose plugin problems

Set debug = true temporarily under [settings], reproduce the problem and inspect your editor’s WakaTime output or the CLI log under ~/.wakatime/. Remove debug mode afterwards to avoid noisy logs.

If configuration changes are not picked up, restart the editor. For a guided connectivity check, rerun the Hackatime setup flow.