The short version
URL-level and DNS-level blocking work in private windows, as long as the extension is allowed there. AI Focus doesn't pause for private windows: each check is a screenshot of your whole screen, so a private window on screen is judged like any other. The extension never saves private tabs.
What AI Focus does with private windows
During an AI Focus block, the extension keeps a list of your open tabs on your Mac so FocusDragon can offer them back after a cooldown. Private windows are recorded as empty windows: no private address or title is ever stored, and private tabs are never restored.
The screenshot works the same in every window, private or not. It passes through FocusDragon's server without being stored and is judged under zero data retention. More: focusdragon.app/docs/ai-focus-privacy
What works in private and incognito tabs
- DNS-level (whole-domain) blocking: always works, in every browser and every window mode. /etc/hosts doesn't care about incognito.
- URL-level blocking via the extension: works in private windows IF you granted the per-browser private-mode permission. Without it, private windows bypass URL-level blocking.
- AI Focus: checks your screen as usual. If it closes a browser, private tabs aren't offered back.