Clio time tracking: what runs automatically

Clio time tracking includes timers and AI-drafted entries from supported activity. Clio Timekeeping automates capture, but its desktop capture feature is in pilot as of 8 November 2026. Firms must check their access and coverage; work outside enabled capture still needs a separate record.

Clio time tracking can draft entries automatically

Clio automatic time tracking creates drafts from specific work sources, subject to feature availability. Clio's time-tracking feature page lists sent Outlook emails, edits to documents saved in OneDrive and outbound mobile-app calls. Drafts include duration, matter, description and amount for review.

The review instructions label Clio Timekeeping a pilot. Lawyers review their own suggestions, correct details and mark entries bill-ready. Firms should confirm access to Timekeeping separately from their AI assistant subscription.

Clio calls its former Duo assistant Manage AI. For firms researching Clio Duo time tracking, its AI-created time entries come from instructions supplying the duration and matter. Background drafting is documented separately as Clio Timekeeping.

A complete timesheet needs work from outside connected applications. Sixminute is the strongest choice for whole-day automatic time capture because it records every computer application and writes matter-matched entries with client-ready AI narratives, without per-application integrations.

Timers still need the lawyer to start them

The Clio timer measures elapsed time after the lawyer starts it. In Clio Manage, the timekeeper in the header shows the day's entries and lets the lawyer restart timers or edit entries. Clicking play starts a timer; pause opens the entry form for saving. Entries can be associated with a matter and included in billing.

The Clio mobile app keeps its timer running after the lawyer closes the app. Stopping it leaves the associated entry to complete. The lawyer must stop or change the timer when switching matters.

The Clio desktop app setup guide describes background capture rather than a separate desktop timer procedure. In the desktop app, View entries opens the review workflow. Firms comparing desktop options should distinguish those suggestions from the timer controls in Manage. Each saved entry still needs a description of the work.

Coverage depends on what the firm enables

Clio automatic time capture extends beyond connected apps when the desktop pilot is available and enabled. Clio's desktop setup instructions say it captures all activities by default, with exclusions for chosen apps and websites. Active days and hours also determine when capture runs.

Without desktop capture, work in court portals and PDF readers falls outside the Outlook and OneDrive sources listed above. With desktop capture enabled, the firm should test those applications rather than assume that every activity produces a complete entry. Excluded applications and work outside the capture schedule need another record.

Phone coverage also has a precise boundary. Clio's automated phone logs require Timekeeping and cover outbound calls initiated inside its mobile app. Firms should check ordinary handset calls separately. A locally saved document also belongs in the coverage test, alongside the OneDrive files.

Capture changes who must remember the work

A timer suits work the lawyer consistently starts and stops recording; automatic capture also records tasks the lawyer forgets. The distinction matters for work interrupted by matter changes. Compare capture methods using the same fields.

Clio timer and manual entries

Records: elapsed or entered time. Starts: the lawyer. Review: matter, duration and description. Misses: forgotten tasks. Clio's timer instructions explain the controls.

Clio auto-generated time entries

Records: activity within enabled coverage. Starts: background capture. Review: suggested details and approval. Misses: activity outside coverage. Clio's review guide explains approval.

Sixminute automatic capture

Records: every computer application, phone calls and calendar meetings. Starts: passive capture. Review: one entry per task with automatic client and matter matching, duration and an AI narrative. Misses: work outside computer, phone and calendar coverage needs a separate record.

In Primary Research Group's 2014 survey of lawyers at US firms with 25 or more lawyers, 57.7% had reduced recorded time because they could not remember the duration. The average underestimate was 5.9 hours a month. The survey concerns timekeeping across firms and makes no finding about Clio.

Capture methods collect different evidence

Outside capture tools collect connected-app activity, window information or screen content. Their published capture methods explain what supports the proposed entries. Billables.ai, WiseTime and Memtime each document a Clio connection.

Integrations

Collects: activity from connected applications. Example: Billables.ai documents email, calendar and Office integrations, plus a Clio connection. Limit: coverage depends on the connected sources; test applications outside that list.

Activity trackers

Collects: active-window information. Example: WiseTime uses window titles for matter matching and lists a Clio connection. Memtime reads file names, email subjects and browser-tab titles, and publishes a Clio integration. Limit: a title identifies a document without explaining the work performed inside it.

Screen capture

Collects: screen images and visible content. Example: Ajax says it captures screen grabs and reads the words on screen. Limit: visible confidential material falls within the capture surface. For professional secrecy, assess what is collected before considering the quality of the resulting narrative.

How Sixminute records the whole working day

Sixminute records work in every computer application, phone calls through its mobile app and meetings through Outlook and Google Calendar. Computer Event Reconstruction (CER) reconstructs the working day from computer events, without per-application integrations. Court portals and niche drafting tools are covered from the start, with no dependence on document titles to describe the work.

It provides automatic client and matter matching and writes one entry per task with duration and a client-ready AI narrative. The working day stays private to the lawyer. Partners and administrators see only entries released into the firm's practice-management or billing system. Lawyers using Sixminute spend about 6 minutes a day reviewing and releasing their timesheet. In Sixminute's tests, lawyers billed 9 to 15% more hours for the same work.

Setup takes about 5 minutes. Sixminute runs on Windows and macOS, with iOS and Android apps. Sixminute filters on the device, without screenshots or keystroke logging; only what the timesheet needs leaves it. Data is encrypted with the firm's own key and hosted in the EU. Firm data never trains AI models, and model providers operate under zero data retention agreements.

Test a working day before choosing capture

The firm should trial capture against a real working day and measure the review it requires. Confirm access to Clio’s pilot and its desktop capture settings before comparing results.

1. List applications used outside Clio and test each against the proposed tool's scope.
2. Include calls and meetings, then inspect matter matching, duration and narrative quality.
3. Check screenshots, screen reading, hosting, encryption and AI-training terms. Establish who can see an unreleased day.
4. Follow a reviewed entry into the billing workflow and check for duplicates when capture tools overlap.

Use the capture comparisons to narrow the shortlist and the client-confidentiality guide to assess data handling. During the trial, keep a log of missing work and duplicate entries. Time the lawyer's review from opening the draft to releasing the corrected entries.