Reaction
Time Doctor
Time Doctor idle detection: how it decides you stopped working
Time Doctor stops crediting time when input goes quiet. The threshold, the popup and what happens next are all employer settings.
This week
76% On track
How the tracker decides you left
The agent watches mouse and keyboard input. When nothing arrives for longer than the threshold your company set, the stretch counts as idle — usually a few minutes, but the number is theirs. Screen captures are covered in the screenshots and webcam article.
The "are you still working" popup
When the timer trips, Time Doctor asks whether to keep the time. Answer while the prompt is up and the minutes stay; late or ignored, they are usually discarded or flagged idle. Repetitive input is a different flag, handled in the Unusual Activity Report guide.
- Answered in time: the minutes stay.
- Ignored: the stretch usually drops out.
- Threshold and prompt are admin settings.
Idle is not low activity
Low activity means the tracker saw input, just sparse — a smaller percentage on a full timesheet. Idle means it saw nothing, and that leaves a hole. Idling as a general problem has its own article.
What your manager sees
Gaps read faster than averages: a steady 70% draws nothing, a daily blank stretch is a shape. Reaction keeps varied input alive inside a band you set, only while the machine is idle.
In short
Idle is silence, and the only part you control is whether the silence happens at all.
Let Reaction hold the number for you
Set your activity band, turn on hidden mode, and Reaction keeps a natural, human-like level while you are away — and hands control back the moment you return.
FAQ
How long before Time Doctor marks you idle?
There is no fixed value — the threshold is set in your company account.
What if I miss the idle popup?
Unanswered prompts usually mean the stretch is discarded or flagged instead of billed.
Does idle time lower my activity percentage?
Usually the time is removed rather than scored as zero, so the hours go, not the percentage.