feat(profile): add profile= to ActivityWatchClient and --profile CLI

[TimeToBuildBob]

Part of ActivityWatch/activitywatch#1399 (isolated profiles per edition/mode).

Python aw-client half of the profile work. ActivityWatchClient(profile=...) and --profile NAME pick the instance; testing=True / --testing stay as the alias for profile="testing". Existing behaviour is unchanged for no-flag and --testing (port 5600 / 5666, persistqueue -testing suffix, [server] / [server-testing]).

• Resolve + validate the profile (aw_client/profile.py) — same rule as aw-qt, aw-server, and aw-server-rust.
• Export AW_PROFILE before loading config so aw-core#149 isolates the queue dir. If no constructor flag is set, AW_PROFILE from the launcher is used (watchers inherit it).
• Default profile unsets AW_PROFILE instead of setting it to "default". aw-core suffixes any non-empty value, so AW_PROFILE=default would resolve to activitywatch-default and orphan an existing install.
• Persistqueue filename keeps the existing -testing suffix; named profiles get the same shape. MockClient without a profile attr still uses the testing bool.
• Config sections [server-<profile>] / [client-<profile>], falling back to [server] / [client]. Unprovisioned named profiles log a warning that port 5600 may collide with the default instance (same as aw-server#167).
• Local rust API-key lookup follows the #1399 testing-root rule (identical to aw-core#152 / aw-server-rust#652):
  1. If activitywatch-testing/ exists → activitywatch-testing/aw-server-rust/config.toml
  2. Else if legacy testing artifacts exist in the bare activitywatch/ root → config-testing.toml there
  3. Else (fresh) → new-root config.toml
     Isolated roots (including named profiles) use bare config.toml. Suffixed config-<profile>.toml is no longer read. Lookup does not create directories. Testing also tries the other layout second so a python client that already created activitywatch-testing/ still finds a rust server that wrote the key on the shared root.

Testing-root note

Erik, 2026-08-29 on #1399: testing moves to activitywatch-testing/ going forward, with legacy fallback. This PR implements that for rust API-key lookup. Do not merge until aw-core#152 has a PyPI release and aw-server-rust#652 is in (maintainer order: #152 + release → #652 → #167 → #118 → #241).

Not in this PR

• aw-server --profile / settings / info.profile — sibling PR feat(profile): add --profile flag and port/settings isolation aw-server#167
• aw-server-rust#652 / aw-qt#128 (merged) / aw-tauri#241 — already open
• aw-core PyPI release (maintainer gate)

Verification

• pytest tests/test_profile.py tests/test_profile_config.py tests/test_auth.py tests/test_requestqueue.py — 50 passed
• mypy aw_client tests/test_profile.py tests/test_profile_config.py tests/test_auth.py — clean
• ruff check on changed files — clean (pre-existing unused time in cli.py left alone)

[greptile-apps]

Greptile Summary

The PR adds named profile selection to the Python client and CLI while preserving default and testing compatibility.

• Resolves, validates, and exports profiles before loading configuration.
• Selects profile-specific configuration, queue paths, and local Rust API keys.
• Preserves explicit CLI port overrides and the original persistent queue path across disconnects.
• Adds focused profile, authentication, CLI, and queue-path tests.

Confidence Score: 5/5

The PR appears safe to merge because no blocking failure remains in the previously reported areas.

No blocking failure remains.

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
aw_client/cli.py	Adds --profile and correctly distinguishes an omitted port from an explicit --port 5600.
aw_client/client.py	Resolves profile-aware configuration and authentication while preserving the queue’s original path during lifecycle recreation.
aw_client/config.py	Adds profile-aware Rust API-key discovery with new and legacy testing-root fallback order.
aw_client/profile.py	Centralizes profile validation, environment resolution, testing compatibility, and filename suffix generation.
tests/test_profile_config.py	Covers constructor selection, queue isolation, CLI port behavior, and profile-specific authentication lookup.

Flowchart

%%{init: {'theme': 'neutral'}}%%
flowchart LR
    A[CLI flags or AW_PROFILE] --> B[Resolve and validate profile]
    B --> C[Export AW_PROFILE]
    C --> D[Load profile configuration]
    D --> E[Select host and port]
    D --> F[Select persistent queue path]
    E --> G[Discover matching local API key]
    E --> H[ActivityWatchClient]
    F --> H
    G --> H

Loading

_{Reviews (4): Last reviewed commit: "fix(profile): apply #1399 testing-root r..." | Re-trigger Greptile}

[TimeToBuildBob]

CI is all green now (including Windows). Addressing the two Greptile P1 findings:

Port override discarded (cli.py) — false positive on the reviewed commit. The --port option has default=None, not default=5600, so an explicit --port 5600 passes through as-is. The sentinel check Greptile saw was removed before the final push; test_explicit_port_5600_is_not_discarded covers this case and passes.

Queue profile changes on disconnect (client.py) — valid design note. AW_PROFILE is process-global; two differently-profiled clients in the same process would have this issue. That's a pre-existing constraint of the env-var approach used across aw-qt, aw-server-rust, and the aw-core dirs, not something introduced here. In practice, each process has one profile (the CLI, watchers, and test suites all operate that way). Documenting as a known limitation for library users who mix profiles in one process.

Ready for review when maintainers have bandwidth.

[TimeToBuildBob]

@greptileai review

[TimeToBuildBob]

Correction to my previous note: the review exposed a real, cheap-to-fix reconnect invariant, so I fixed it in 9072c70. ActivityWatchClient.disconnect() now reopens the exact original persistqueue path instead of recomputing its root from mutable process-global AW_PROFILE; the regression test switches from a research client to a default client before reconnecting and proves the research path is preserved. Local verification: 43 queue/profile tests passed, mypy clean, and scoped ruff clean. CI is running on the new head.

[TimeToBuildBob]

@greptileai review

[TimeToBuildBob]

Pushed 8f45af7 for the #1399 testing-root rule on rust API-key lookup.

Isolated profile roots now read bare config.toml (named profiles no longer look at config-<profile>.toml). Testing follows the same 3-rule as aw-core#152 / aw-server-rust#652: new root if activitywatch-testing/ exists, else legacy config-testing.toml on the shared root if those artifacts are present, else the new root. Lookup does not create directories. If python already created an empty activitywatch-testing/, the lookup still falls back to the legacy file so a --testing client finds the key rust actually wrote.

Unprovisioned named profiles now warn on the silent [server]/5600 fallback, matching aw-server#167.

50 profile/queue/auth tests passed locally; mypy + ruff clean. Do not merge until #152 has a PyPI release (maintainer order unchanged).

[TimeToBuildBob]

@greptileai review