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Features

AI Focus Strict mode — deep dive

Last verified: May 2026

What Strict mode does

Strict mode (internally: enforcementLevel = .hard) is the harshest AI Focus intervention level. The moment the classifier returns a high-confidence distracted verdict, FocusDragon force-quits the offending app or closes the offending tab. It then registers a 5-minute cooldown on that bundle ID — reopening the app within the cooldown re-kills it and extends the cooldown further.

How it differs from Nudge

  • Nudge: first drift shows a brief overlay or a 5-second blocked-page takeover. A second drift in the same window force-quits. An "I was on-task" override is available.
  • Strict: every drift force-quits immediately. There is no override button. There is no first-warning grace.

When to use it

  • You've tested Nudge and learned to dismiss the "I was on-task" override habitually.
  • Exam crunch, deadline week — short windows where you want zero negotiation with the system.
  • Persistent failure surfaces (a specific YouTube channel, Twitter) where Nudge isn't enough.
Strict has no override. Setting it on a block that gates a tool you legitimately need mid-session will repeatedly kill that tool. Test on Nudge first to confirm the classifier doesn't false-positive your real work.

Privacy unchanged

Strict mode uses the same classifier pipeline as Nudge — a screenshot and supplementary text are sent to FocusDragon AI via our server proxy, classified in a single call, and immediately discarded. They are never stored by FocusDragon, and the third-party model providers FocusDragon AI routes through do not train on these inputs.

How to enable

  • Open the block editor for an AI-powered block.
  • Find Enforcement Level and change from Nudge to Strict.
  • Save. The change applies immediately on the next classifier poll.
Still stuck? Contact support