Keito for Linux is the third Keito desktop app. It puts the timer in your system tray, so you can start and stop client work without opening a browser tab. Every entry lands in the same Keito workspace your team already uses for projects, approvals, reports and invoices.
The short version: the same desktop timer that shipped for Mac in July and Windows in September, now as a
.debfor Ubuntu, Debian, Mint and Pop!_OS. Install it, sign in once, and your day shows up in Keito.
Why a Linux App?
Developers bill hours too, and a good number of them have never had a desktop timer that fits their machine. Most time trackers stop at Mac and Windows, which leaves the Linux half of an engineering team pasting hours into a web form at the end of the week, from memory.
That is the worst way to track time. Entries logged hours later are guesses, and guesses are what clients query. A timer you can start in two clicks, from the tray you already have open, produces a record you can actually stand behind.
Keito for Linux is the same product as the Mac and Windows apps, built from the same code. Mixed teams now get one set of numbers regardless of what anyone runs.
What It Does
Keito for Linux lives in your system tray. From there you can:
- start a timer against a client project and task in two clicks;
- pick up recent work again without hunting for the right project;
- see the running timer and your day’s total without opening the window;
- add notes to an entry, including team-only internal notes that stay off client reports;
- review and edit today’s entries, or log time after the fact;
- keep tracking when the connection drops, and sync when it returns.
The tray icon turns green while a timer runs and stays green when you close the window, so a forgotten timer is visible rather than a surprise at the end of the month.
If you step away, idle detection asks what to do with the time when you get back. That check stays on your machine: Keito does not record keystrokes, mouse movement, screen contents or the names of other applications.
Install It in One Command
The download link has no version in it, so this command is still correct after every release:
curl -fL -o keito-desktop.deb \
https://github.com/osodevops/keito-desktop-releases/releases/latest/download/keito-desktop_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./keito-desktop.debapt pulls in the tray and keyring libraries for you. If you prefer a graphical installer, download the package and open it with GNOME Software, Discover or GDebi.
Which Distributions
Keito for Linux is a 64-bit .deb, which covers the Debian family: Ubuntu 22.04 and newer, Debian 12, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, Zorin and elementary OS.
There is no RPM, AppImage or Flatpak yet, so Fedora, RHEL, openSUSE and Arch are not covered. On those distributions, app.keito.ai has everything the desktop app has apart from the tray timer.
KDE Plasma, Cinnamon, Xfce, MATE and Budgie show the tray icon as they are. GNOME removed tray-icon support from its shell, so it needs one extension, which the installation guide covers in two commands.
Built and Tested on Real Desktops
Getting an Electron app to behave on Linux takes more than producing a package. Two things in particular took real work.
The sandbox. Ubuntu 24.04 restricts unprivileged user namespaces by default, which breaks Chromium’s sandbox unless the package installs its helper and an AppArmor profile correctly. Keito ships both, and the package is verified against the artifact that customers actually download rather than against the build configuration.
The tray. Linux tray icons go through StatusNotifierItem, which every desktop environment implements slightly differently, and GNOME does not implement in the shell at all. The first external tester ran Kubuntu with KDE Plasma on Wayland and confirmed the parts that are easy to get wrong: the icon appears and changes colour, the tooltip shows the elapsed time and project, browser sign-in completes on Wayland, launch at login starts quietly in the tray, and a running timer survives a full reboot.
Linux, Mac and Windows Together
| Keito for Mac | Keito for Windows | Keito for Linux | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the timer lives | Menu bar | Notification area | System tray |
| Sign in | Keito account, including single sign-on | Keito account, including single sign-on | Keito account, including single sign-on |
| Offline tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Idle detection | Yes | Yes | Yes, on X11 and XWayland |
| Updates | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic, asks for your password |
| Requirements | macOS, Apple silicon or Intel | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit | Ubuntu 22.04+ or another Debian-based 64-bit distribution |
All three are companions to the web app. Budgets, approvals, reporting, invoicing and workspace settings stay in Keito on the web.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Linux distributions does Keito support?
Debian-based 64-bit distributions with glibc 2.35 or newer: Ubuntu 22.04 and later, Debian 12, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS and similar derivatives. There is no RPM, AppImage or Flatpak yet.
Does Keito for Linux need root?
Only to install, update or remove the package, because it is a system package. Running and using Keito never asks for elevation.
Why is there no tray icon on GNOME?
GNOME removed tray-icon support from its shell. Install the AppIndicator extension with sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-appindicator, then log out and back in. Other desktop environments need nothing.
Does it work on Wayland?
Yes. Sign-in, the tray icon and timers all work on Wayland. The exception is idle detection, which needs a system call Wayland does not expose; Keito runs under XWayland by default, where it works.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Timers keep running and entries are stored locally until the connection returns, then they sync.
Does Keito for Linux monitor what I do?
No. Idle detection only checks whether the machine has been used recently, and that check stays on your device. Keito does not capture screenshots, keystrokes, mouse activity or the names of other applications.
Is Keito for Linux free?
The app is free to download. It requires a Keito workspace account, which is included in every Keito plan.
Start Tracking from Your Tray
Install Keito for Linux, sign in with your Keito account, and the timer is a click away for the rest of the day.