CLI Pomodoro for Linux

.zshrc

# study stream aliases
# Requires https://github.com/caarlos0/timer to be installed. spd-say should ship with your distro

declare -A pomo_options
pomo_options["work"]="45"
pomo_options["break"]="10"

pomodoro () {
  if [ -n "$1" -a -n "${pomo_options["$1"]}" ]; then
  val=$1
  echo $val | lolcat
  timer ${pomo_options["$val"]}m
  spd-say "'$val' session done"
  fi
}

alias wo="pomodoro 'work'"
alias br="pomodoro 'break'"

How can i add this to my timer, i.e. where should i place this file?

I modified the script a bit just to adjust the duration and added a custom .wav that you could replace with whatever you wanted.

repo is here

Not sure if this was the best way to go about it all so if I have done anything in a long winded way I would love some feedback.

I made an adjusted version, so you do not have to restart the timer manually and after 4 iterations a longer break is set - and you get notifications :)

pomodoro() {
  typeset -A pomo_options

  pomo_options["work"]=${1:-25}
  pomo_options["break"]=${2:-5}
  pomo_options["long_break"]=${3:-15}

  local current_phase="work"
  if [[ "$1" == "break" ]]; then
    current_phase="break"
  fi

  local pomodoro_count=0

  trap - INT

  while true; do
    local duration_key
    local notification_title
    local notification_text
    local notification_speaker

    if [[ "$current_phase" == "work" ]]; then
      pomodoro_count=$((pomodoro_count + 1))
      duration_key="work"
      notification_title="🍅 Session done"
      notification_text="It is now time to take a <b>BREAK</b>!"
      notification_speaker="Break time"
    else
      if (( (pomodoro_count % 4) == 0 && pomodoro_count > 0 )); then
        echo "Taking a LONG BREAK!" | lolcat
        duration_key="long_break"
      else
        duration_key="break"
      fi
      notification_title="🧘 Break over"
      notification_text="Time to get back to <b>WORK</b>"
      notification_speaker="Work time"
    fi

    echo "$current_phase" | lolcat
    timer ${pomo_options["$duration_key"]}m
    local timer_exit_status=$?

    if [[ "$timer_exit_status" -ne 0 ]]; then
      echo "Pomodoro stopped."
      break
    fi

    notify-send -u normal -t 3000 -i alarm "$notification_title" "$notification_text"
    spd-say -t male3 -r -10 -p -100 "$notification_speaker"

    if [[ "$current_phase" == "work" ]]; then
      current_phase="break"
    else
      current_phase="work"
    fi
  done
  exit
}

alias pomo="pomodoro"
alias wo="pomodoro"
alias br="pomodoro break"

To use your .zshrc and the pomodoro function on WSL with Ubuntu 24.04, follow these steps:

---

✅ 1. Install Required Tools

Before using your aliases and functions, install the required tools in your WSL environment:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install zsh lolcat espeak  # spd-say comes from speech-dispatcher or use espeak as fallback

Then install timer from GitHub (by caarlos0):

# Install Go (required for building the timer)
sudo apt install golang-go

# Clone and install the timer tool
git clone https://github.com/caarlos0/timer.git
cd timer
go build -o timer
sudo mv timer /usr/local/bin/

Now timer should be available system-wide.

---

✅ 2. Ensure You're Using zsh in WSL

If you're not already using Zsh as your shell in WSL, switch to it:

sudo apt install zsh
chsh -s $(which zsh)

Then restart WSL or run zsh.

---

✅ 3. Configure .zshrc

Put your function and aliases in the .zshrc file:

nano ~/.zshrc

Paste this:

# study stream aliases
# Requires https://github.com/caarlos0/timer to be installed. spd-say should ship with your distro

declare -A pomo_options
pomo_options["work"]="45"
pomo_options["break"]="10"

pomodoro () {
  if [ -n "$1" -a -n "${pomo_options["$1"]}" ]; then
  val=$1
  echo $val | lolcat
  timer ${pomo_options["$val"]}m
  spd-say "'$val' session done"
  fi
}

alias wo="pomodoro 'work'"
alias br="pomodoro 'break'"

Then reload it:

source ~/.zshrc

---

✅ 4. Run the Commands

Now you can simply run:

wo   # starts a 45-minute "work" timer
br   # starts a 10-minute "break" timer

---

⚠️ Note on spd-say in WSL

spd-say may not produce audio output in WSL directly unless you have audio forwarding set up (via PulseAudio or similar). If it doesn't work, consider replacing spd-say with something like espeak or even just a notify-send (if running a Linux GUI).

Example:

espeak "'$val' session done"

or remove it if sound isn’t essential.

---

✅ How to Send Windows Notifications from WSL

The only way to get native Windows notifications from WSL is to explicitly call Windows tools from WSL, like PowerShell.

✔️ Step-by-Step: Add Windows Toast Notification

🔧 1. Install the BurntToast module (Windows side)

In a Windows PowerShell terminal (not WSL), run:

Install-Module -Name BurntToast -Force -SkipPublisherCheck

You only need to do this once. BurntToast is a PowerShell module for sending toast notifications.

---

✏️ 2. Modify Your pomodoro Function

Update your function to use PowerShell from WSL to send a toast:

pomodoro () {
  if [ -n "$1" ] && [ -n "${pomo_options["$1"]}" ]; then
    val=$1
    echo $val | lolcat
    timer ${pomo_options["$val"]}m
    espeak "'$val' session done"
    powershell.exe -Command "New-BurntToastNotification -Text 'Pomodoro Timer', '$val session done'" > /dev/null 2>&1
  fi
}

This line:

powershell.exe -Command "New-BurntToastNotification -Text 'Pomodoro Timer', '$val session done'"

runs PowerShell on Windows from WSL, and sends the notification natively.

---

🧪 3. Test It

After timer finishes, you should:

• ✅ Hear audio (espeak)
• ✅ See a Windows toast notification pop up