Auto-close
Auto-close is a time-tracking feature that automatically closes shifts that have been open longer than a configurable cutoff (e.g., 12 hours), preventing forgotten clock-outs from producing implausibly long recorded shifts.
Auto-close is the backstop for forgotten clock-outs. Workers forget all the time, and without intervention, a worker who clocks in at 9am Friday and leaves at 5pm but forgets to clock out will appear to have worked through the weekend.
Auto-close prevents that by setting a maximum shift length. Any open shift older than the cutoff is automatically closed.
Two implementation choices matter. First: the end time on an auto-closed shift should be start_time + cutoff, not the moment the auto-close runs. Otherwise the cron schedule itself starts driving the recorded hours, which is wrong. Second: auto-closed shifts should be flagged for admin review rather than treated as ground truth. The admin confirms or adjusts the shift after the fact, auto-close is a backstop, not the source of record.
In Kangaroo Clock, the cutoff defaults to 12 hours and is configurable per workspace. Auto-closed shifts appear in a review queue with a flag.
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