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A simple, offline-first script that auto-documents your coding sessions — per project and per file — so you never lose context or work again.
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# 🚀 Never Lose Coding Progress Again: How I Built a Hybrid Auto-Logger for VS Code

> **"I was debugging for hours… then my Mac froze. All that work — gone."**  
That moment has haunted me more than once.

We’ve all been there:
- You’re deep in the zone, refactoring a complex function.
- Your internet cuts out mid-push.
- Your laptop kernel panics.
- Or worse — you just *forget* what you did yesterday.

And when you come back?  
You’re staring at code like, _“Wait… why did I change this?”_

GitHub Copilot doesn’t remember.  
Your brain is foggy.  
And `git log` only tells part of the story.

So I built a **hybrid auto-logger** that silently documents:
- ✅ **What project** I’m working on
- ✅ **Which file** I’m editing
- ✅ **How long** I’ve been active
- ✅ All **without internet**, and even if my Mac dies

And best of all? It runs in the background — **zero effort required**.

Let me show you how.

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## 💡 The Problem: We Code, But We Don’t Document

We use AI. We commit code. But we rarely capture the *process*.

We jump between files, tweak logic, debug edge cases — but unless we write notes or commit with good messages, that context vanishes.

And if your machine fails? Good luck reconstructing a full day of work.

So I asked:
> **"What if my editor could quietly journal my progress — automatically?"**

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## 🛠 The Solution: A Silent Dev Logger for VS Code (macOS)

I built a lightweight script that:
- Runs every 10 minutes via `cron`
- Logs **project-wide activity**
- Detects your **active file in VS Code** using AppleScript
- Writes clean, readable logs to `.devlogs/`
- Works **100% offline**

No internet? No problem.  
Mac dies? I can recover my workflow.  
Back from vacation? I can pick up right where I left off.

It’s like a **black box for developers**.

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## 📁 How It Works

The system uses:
- A **Bash script** (runs quietly)
- **Cron** (scheduling)
- **AppleScript** (to read VS Code’s active file)
- Simple **Markdown-style logs**

### Folder Structure

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## 📝 Sample Logs

### `project.log` — Your Daily Pulse

### `auth.js.devlog` — Deep Work on One File

These logs act like a **time machine** for your development process.

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## 🚀 Step-by-Step: Set It Up in 5 Minutes

### 1. Create the Script

### 2. Paste This Script

if [ ! -z "$FILENAME" ] && [ "$FILENAME" != "untitled" ]; then
    FILE_LOG="$LOGS_DIR/${FILENAME//\//_}.devlog"

    if [ ! -f "$FILE_LOG" ]; then
        echo "# Dev Log: $FILENAME" > "$FILE_LOG"
        echo "" >> "$FILE_LOG"
        echo "## $DATE" >> "$FILE_LOG"
    fi

    if ! grep -q "## $DATE" "$FILE_LOG"; then
        echo "" >> "$FILE_LOG"
        echo "## $DATE" >> "$FILE_LOG"
    fi

    echo "- $TIME: Active edit session" >> "$FILE_LOG"
fi

> 🔁 Don’t forget to update `PROJECT_DIR`!

### 3. Grant Permissions
Go to:
> **System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation**  
Allow your terminal (e.g. `Terminal`, `iTerm`) to control **Visual Studio Code**.

### 4. Schedule with Cron

Add:

That’s it! It now runs every 10 minutes.

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## 🎯 Why This Matters

This isn’t just about logging — it’s about **preserving context**.

- ✅ **Recover** from crashes with confidence
- ✅ **Document** your process without effort
- ✅ **Reflect** on where you spend time
- ✅ **Show progress** in standups or portfolios
- ✅ **Never** lose a day’s work again

It’s the closest thing to a **developer memory extender**.

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## 🔄 What’s Next?

I’m extending this to:
- Auto-commit with smart messages
- Generate weekly reports
- Sync logs to Obsidian or Notion
- Detect idle time and pause logging

And yes — I’ll open-source it soon.

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## 💬 Your Turn

Have you lost hours of work to a crash or bad connection?

Try this system. Tweak it. Make it yours.

And if you do — **let me know in the comments**. I’d love to hear how you’re using it.

Because coding isn’t just about the code.  
It’s about the journey.

And now, I finally have a map.

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## 🔗 Resources
- [GitHub Gist: hybrid-devlog.sh](https://gist.github.com/your-username/...) *(replace with your link)*
- [AppleScript Docs](https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/AppleScript/Conceptual/AppleScriptLangGuide/introduction/ASLR_intro.html)

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