fix: optimize git branch monitoring and reduce CPU load (#58)

Author: twentyTwo

README.md

@@ -105,6 +105,12 @@ For technical details about development, release process, and internal architect
 
 ## Changelog
 
+### [0.4.1] - 2025-07-26
+- Fixed issue with excessive git processes being spawned
+- Optimized git branch monitoring to reduce CPU load
+- Reduced frequency of git checks from every 1 second to every 5 seconds
+- Improved cleanup of interval timers to prevent memory leaks
+
 ### [0.4.0] - 2025-06-28
 - Added Git branch tracking to monitor time spent on different branches
 - Enhanced project view with branch-specific time tracking

TECHNICAL.md

@@ -152,6 +152,25 @@ The release process is defined in two GitHub Actions workflow files:
    - Data processing
    - Helper functions
 
+### Git Branch Tracking
+
+The extension uses the `simple-git` library to monitor git branch changes and associate coding time with specific branches:
+
+1. **Initialization**
+   - The git watcher is initialized in `timeTracker.ts` through the `setupGitWatcher()` method
+   - It checks if the current workspace is a git repository
+   - Sets up an interval to periodically check for branch changes
+
+2. **Branch Monitoring**
+   - Checks for branch changes every 5 seconds (optimized from 1 second to reduce CPU load)
+   - Uses `git.branch()` to get the current branch name
+   - When a branch change is detected, the current session is saved and a new one is started
+
+3. **Optimization Considerations**
+   - The interval is cleared and recreated when appropriate to prevent multiple overlapping intervals
+   - A locking mechanism prevents concurrent executions of branch checking
+   - Proper cleanup is implemented when the extension is deactivated
+
 ### Data Flow
 
 1. User activity triggers events in VS Code

TODO.md

@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ Quick capture for ideas and tasks while coding.
 - A variable maybe for tracking the active coding session duration, and it will notify when it exceeds a certain threshold.
 
 ## Bug Fixes
+- [X] Fix excessive git processes being spawned during branch tracking (2025-07-26)
+- [X] Optimize CPU usage when monitoring git branches (2025-07-26)
 
 
 ## Ideas

package.json

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   "name": "simple-coding-time-tracker",
   "displayName": "Simple Coding Time Tracker",
   "description": "Track and visualize your coding time across projects",
-  "version": "0.4.0",
+  "version": "0.4.1",
   "publisher": "noorashuvo",
   "license": "MIT",
   "icon": "icon-sctt.png",

src/timeTracker.ts

@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ export class TimeTracker implements vscode.Disposable {
     private focusTimeoutSeconds: number = 180;
     private gitWatcher: GitWatcher | null = null;
     private branchCheckInterval: NodeJS.Timeout | null = null;
+    private isCheckingBranch: boolean = false;
     private lastUpdateTime: number = Date.now();
     private lastFocusTime: number = Date.now();
     // Track time between updates for validation
@@ -445,7 +446,17 @@ export class TimeTracker implements vscode.Disposable {
     }
 
     dispose() {
-        this.stopTracking();
+        // Make sure all intervals are stopped
+        this.stopTracking('extension disposed');
+        
+        // Ensure git watcher is completely stopped
+        this.stopGitWatcher();
+        
+        // Clear any other potentially running intervals
+        if (this.saveInterval) {
+            clearInterval(this.saveInterval);
+            this.saveInterval = null;
+        }
     }
 
     public registerStatusBarCommand(command: string) {
@@ -481,6 +492,9 @@ export class TimeTracker implements vscode.Disposable {
     }
 
     private async setupGitWatcher() {
+        // Clear any existing interval first to prevent duplicate watchers
+        this.stopGitWatcher();
+        
         try {
             const workspaceFolder = vscode.workspace.workspaceFolders?.[0];
             if (!workspaceFolder) {
@@ -510,10 +524,11 @@ export class TimeTracker implements vscode.Disposable {
                 lastKnownBranch: branchInfo.current || 'unknown'
             };
 
-            // Check for branch changes every second
+            // Check for branch changes less frequently to reduce CPU load
+            // Changed from 1 second to 5 seconds to reduce the number of git processes spawned
             this.branchCheckInterval = setInterval(async () => {
                 await this.checkBranchChanges();
-            }, 1000);
+            }, 5000);
 
         } catch (error) {
             this.logger.logEvent('branch_check_error', {
@@ -529,11 +544,13 @@ export class TimeTracker implements vscode.Disposable {
     }
 
     private async checkBranchChanges() {
-        if (!this.gitWatcher || !this.isTracking) {
+        // Prevent concurrent executions of branch checking
+        if (this.isCheckingBranch || !this.gitWatcher || !this.isTracking) {
             return;
         }
 
         try {
+            this.isCheckingBranch = true;
             const branchInfo = await this.gitWatcher.git.branch();
             const currentBranch = branchInfo.current || 'unknown';
 
@@ -566,6 +583,9 @@ export class TimeTracker implements vscode.Disposable {
                 location: 'checkBranchChanges'
             });
             console.error('Error checking branch changes:', error);
+        } finally {
+            // Always reset the flag to allow future checks
+            this.isCheckingBranch = false;
         }
     }