OwnTracks Real-Time Location

Problem Background

When users ask "where am I?" or "this is my usual X", an agent needs a persistent and queryable location source. Browser geolocation is context-limited, and phone system access is not always stable. OwnTracks can emit location updates, but those updates need a small server-side store if they are to be queried later.

How It Works

This skill turns OwnTracks HTTP pushes into a local SQLite-backed location service. The receiver listens on /owntracks, expects _type: "location", and stores coordinates in SQLite. It then exposes /latest for the most recent point, /history?limit=50 for recent movement, and /health for service checks. Beyond raw coordinates, it supports named places such as "office" or "home", saving them and computing distance with the haversine formula.

On the phone, OwnTracks should be set to HTTP mode and pointed at the receiver. The phone and receiver need network reachability, typically on the same LAN or through Tailscale. When a user says a location is a named place, the agent can read /latest, reverse-geocode or identify the business name, and store the place. The pipeline is OwnTracks -> HTTP webhook -> SQLite -> agent queries.

Boundaries

It fits self-hosted location logging, home networks, or private Tailscale setups, not high-accuracy map service replacement. It requires Node.js 22+ and better-sqlite3. The data represents the last known location rather than guaranteed live tracking. Named-place quality depends on reverse geocoding and how clearly the place is identified.