Tempus Ring: Tempus Ring: Cross-Platform Lightweight Pomodoro Timer

Tempus Ring preview

Project Overview: Tempus Ring is a beautiful, cross-platform Pomodoro timer built with Tauri 2.0. Features multiple themes, internationalization, system tray integration, and AI assistant support.

Objectives

Tempus Ring aims to enhance productivity and focus through:

  • Focus Enhancement: Provide users with a scientifically-backed Pomodoro technique implementation to improve concentration and time management
  • Aesthetic Personalization: Offer multiple visual themes to create a pleasant, personalized workspace that matches individual preferences
  • Cross-platform Accessibility: Deliver consistent experience across desktop platforms (macOS, Windows, Linux) with future mobile support
  • Language Inclusivity: Support multiple languages (English, Chinese Simplified/Traditional, Japanese) to serve diverse user communities
  • Developer Integration: Enable AI assistants and development tools to interact with the timer through MCP (Model Context Protocol)
  • Seamless Workflow Integration: Provide system-level integration (tray, notifications) for minimal workflow disruption

🎯 Objectives

Tempus Ring aims to enhance productivity and focus through:

  • Focus Enhancement: Provide users with a scientifically-backed Pomodoro technique implementation to improve concentration and time management
  • Aesthetic Personalization: Offer multiple visual themes to create a pleasant, personalized workspace that matches individual preferences
  • Cross-platform Accessibility: Deliver consistent experience across desktop platforms (macOS, Windows, Linux) with future mobile support
  • Language Inclusivity: Support multiple languages (English, Chinese Simplified/Traditional, Japanese) to serve diverse user communities
  • Developer Integration: Enable AI assistants and development tools to interact with the timer through MCP (Model Context Protocol)
  • Seamless Workflow Integration: Provide system-level integration (tray, notifications) for minimal workflow disruption

✨ Features

Core Timer Functionality

  • Pomodoro Cycles: 25-minute work sessions with automatic break transitions (5-minute short breaks, 15-30 minute long breaks)
  • Session Tracking: Complete session history and productivity statistics
  • Flexible Configuration: Customizable work/break durations and automation settings

Visual & User Experience

  • 6 Beautiful Themes: Each with unique rendering approaches
    • WabiSabi: Hand-drawn, imperfect beauty (Canvas/Rough.js)
    • Cloudlight: Clean, modern, cloud-inspired (DOM)
    • Dawn-Dusk: Gradient transitions, time-aware colors (DOM)
    • Nightfall: Dark theme with constellation effects (DOM)
    • Artistic Sketch: Artistic, sketch-like appearance (Canvas)
    • Hand-drawn: Hand-drawn aesthetic with smooth SVG (SVG)
  • Runtime Theme Switching: Change themes without restarting the application
  • Responsive Design: Optimized for desktop with mobile-ready foundation

System Integration

  • System Tray: Background operation with quick controls
  • Native Notifications: Desktop notifications at session completion
  • Cross-platform: Native performance on macOS, Windows, Linux
  • Keyboard Shortcuts: Quick timer control without mouse interaction

Internationalization & AI

  • Multi-language: English, 中文（简体）, 中文（繁體）, 日本語 with runtime switching
  • MCP Server: AI assistant integration for voice control and automation
  • External Tool Integration: API for productivity apps and development tools

🛠️ Technology Stack

Frontend

  • TypeScript (Strict Mode): Type-safe development with comprehensive error checking
  • Vite: Fast build tooling and hot module replacement
  • Tailwind CSS v4: Modern utility-first CSS framework with CSS-first configuration
  • Lucide Icons: Consistent, scalable icon system

Backend & Desktop

  • Rust: Memory-safe systems programming language
  • Tauri 2.0: Secure, fast desktop application framework
  • System APIs: Native system tray, notifications, and file system access

Rendering Engines

  • DOM Renderer: CSS transforms and transitions for clean themes
  • SVG Renderer: Vector-based rendering with precise control
  • Canvas Renderer: Pixel-perfect rendering with Rough.js for artistic themes
  • Rough.js: Hand-drawn, sketchy graphics library

Testing & Quality

  • Vitest: Fast unit testing framework with ES modules support
  • Playwright: Reliable end-to-end testing across browsers
  • Biome: Unified formatter, linter, and code quality tool
  • TypeScript Compiler: Static type checking and validation

Internationalization & Integration

  • Custom i18n System: JSON-based translations with runtime switching
  • Model Context Protocol (MCP): AI assistant integration protocol
  • @modelcontextprotocol/sdk: Official TypeScript SDK for MCP servers

Architecture Patterns

  • Layered Architecture: Strict dependency flow (types → services → factories → components)
  • Event-Driven Design: Loose coupling through typed event emission
  • Factory Pattern: Theme-to-renderer mapping and object creation
  • Dependency Injection: Service composition without global state

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