Symptoms
FocusDragon keeps prompting you to grant Screen Recording permission, or the AI classifier says it can't capture the screen, even though the toggle in System Settings looks On.
Likely cause
This is a long-standing macOS bug, especially common after a point-release update. The TCC database holds a stale entry that points at an older version of the bundle. Toggling the switch doesn't fix it — you have to fully remove and re-add the entry.
Step-by-step fix
- 1. Quit FocusDragon (FocusDragon → Quit, or Cmd-Q).
- 2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording.
- 3. Find FocusDragon in the list. Click the minus (−) button to remove it entirely. macOS may prompt for your password.
- 4. Relaunch FocusDragon. Start an AI-assisted block.
- 5. When the permission prompt appears, click Open System Settings, then toggle FocusDragon On.
- 6. Quit FocusDragon one more time and relaunch. The permission should now stick.
Without Screen Recording permission, the AI classifier can't capture screenshots. Rule-based blocking still works fine without it.
Still stuck? Contact support at hi@focusdragon.app and mention your macOS version.