A mouse jiggler is a software or hardware device that moves the pointer by tiny amounts to keep a computer from appearing idle. Because the operating system treats that movement as real activity, its idle timer is fooled. Clockgauge looks at the pattern instead: a small area and a repetitive, regular rhythm is flagged as a jiggler, and mouse-only movement stops counting after five minutes.
Why simple idle detection fails
"Idle" usually means no input for N minutes, reported by the operating system. A jiggler sends input every few seconds, so the timer never expires.
What the check looks at
- How large an area the pointer moves in.
- How regular the timing is. Humans are irregular; devices tick like a metronome.
- Whether anything other than the mouse happened: typing, clicking, scrolling.
What happens when it is flagged
The minutes are marked as mouse-only and not counted as active. Reports show how many such minutes there were, so a manager can have a conversation.
Fair use
Not every person with steady mouse movement is cheating; people read, think and hold the mouse. That is why mouse-only counts for up to five minutes before being flagged.
What to do when minutes are flagged
Treat it as a prompt for a conversation, not as proof. Ask about the work done in that period and look at outputs. If a pattern continues, discuss expectations and the purpose of tracking.
Questions people ask
Can a jiggler beat it?
No detection is perfect. Pattern checks plus counting only real input make it much harder.
Try Clockgauge
Clockgauge is an employee and freelancer time tracker that runs on your own computer: timers, consented random screenshots, activity levels, clients, projects and tasks, budgets, payroll balances and reports, paid once instead of per user per month..