What counts as fair play?
Hackatime tracks the time you spend actually writing code. It's that simple. Your heartbeats should reflect real, honest coding activity — nothing more, nothing less.
- Only log time you genuinely spend coding.
- Don't use scripts, bots, or tools to artificially inflate your coding time.
- Don't manipulate heartbeats, extensions, or API calls to game the leaderboards.
- Don't attempt to spoof editor activity or idle with the intent of logging hours.
What happens if you don't?
Accounts found to be engaging in fraud or abuse of Hackatime will be banned. This includes using any methods to gain an unfair advantage on the leaderboards or attempting to manipulate your coding time in any way.
A ban means: You will be restricted from participating in public leaderboards. Hackatime will still track and display your time, but your ability to participate in current and future Hack Club events may also be affected.
We have a zero-tolerance policy for abuse. The fraud department uses detection systems to identify suspicious activity, and bans are non-negotiable unless determined to have been issued incorrectly.
Why does this matter?
Hack Club isn't a faceless corporation with endless pockets — we're a non-profit relying on donations. Every sticker, every piece of hardware, every opportunity we offer is funded by people who believe in our mission to help young makers.
When someone games the system, it takes away valuable resources from another teen who was playing by the rules. It's a crummy thing to do, and we hope you'll keep that in mind.
What if I get banned?
We do not disclose the specific patterns that were detected — releasing that information would only benefit fraudsters. The fraud team regularly investigates claims of false bans to improve our detection systems.
If you believe your ban was a mistake, please DM the Fraud Department on Slack. We do not respond in any other channel, DM, or thread.
For more details on what to do after a ban, see So now you're banned; what's next?
Keep it honest. Keep it fair. Let your real work speak for itself.