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Browser Setup

Verifying the extension is actually blocking

Last verified: May 2026

Why bother verifying

Blocking failures are almost always silent. The extension is enabled, the site access dropdown looks right, the FocusDragon daemon is running — and then mid-session you discover you can still load reddit.com. Catching the failure in a controlled 60-second test before you rely on a block in a real focus session is cheap insurance.

Setting up a test block

  • 1. Open FocusDragon. Create a new block. Name it "Extension test".
  • 2. In the URL list, add a single, easy-to-test domain: example.com. (We use example.com because it exists, loads instantly, and has no real content you'd ever actually want — so blocking it is harmless.)
  • 3. Leave the lock type on the easiest possible setting (Soft / Off / no AI). You want to test the blocker only, not the lock mechanic.
  • 4. Set duration to 5 minutes.
  • 5. Click Start.

Positive tests — these should all show the block page

Open each browser you've set up and try to visit https://example.com . In each case, you should see the FocusDragon block page (indigo-to-purple gradient, FocusDragon app icon, "Site Blocked" heading, "This site is blocked by FocusDragon" subhead, and a lock badge if your block has a lock active) instead of the example.com placeholder page.

  • Safari (normal window) — expected: FocusDragon block page.
  • Safari Private Browsing window — expected: FocusDragon block page (only if you granted Private Browsing permission).
  • Chrome (normal window) — expected: FocusDragon block page.
  • Chrome Incognito — expected: FocusDragon block page (only if you granted Allow in Incognito).
  • Edge / Brave / Arc / Vivaldi — expected: FocusDragon block page in each one you've installed the extension into.
  • Firefox (normal window) — expected: FocusDragon block page.
  • Firefox Private Window — expected: FocusDragon block page (only if you set "Run in Private Windows" to "Allow" in about:addons).

Negative test — confirm you're not over-blocking

In the same browsers, visit a site that is NOT on your block list — something safe like https://www.wikipedia.org or https://news.ycombinator.com . It should load normally. If it gets blocked too, you have a misconfigured rule (most likely a wildcard match that's too broad, like a bare ".com" entry).

What it means if blocking works in some browsers but not others

  • Works in Chrome, fails in Safari → the Safari extension's site access isn't set to Allow on All Websites. Go back to the Safari extension setup page.
  • Works in Safari, fails in Chrome → site access in chrome://extensions is set to "On click" instead of "On all sites". Or the extension is disabled. Check chrome://extensions.
  • Works in normal windows, fails in Incognito/Private → the per-browser private-mode permission is off. Re-grant it.
  • Works on freshly-opened tabs, fails on tabs you had open before starting the block → reload the old tabs. The extension only injects into pages loaded after it became active for that tab.
  • Works for some entries on the list but not others → check the URL pattern. example.com matches example.com and its subpaths; it does NOT match www.example.com unless you've added that explicitly or used a wildcard.
  • Works in Chrome/Safari, fails in Firefox → check that the extension is enabled in about:addons and, if you're testing in a private window, that "Run in Private Windows" is set to "Allow". See the Firefox page.

What it means if blocking fails everywhere

If example.com loads normally in every browser even with the test block active, the problem isn't the extensions — it's the FocusDragon daemon itself.

  • 1. Open FocusDragon → Settings → Blocking. The "Background Service" status should say "Running". If it says "Stopped" or "Not authorized", click the fix link next to it.
  • 2. Check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access. FocusDragon's helper must be checked — without Full Disk Access the daemon cannot modify /etc/hosts, which is how whole-domain blocking works.
  • 3. Confirm you're signed in (sidebar pill in the FocusDragon app shows your name, not "Sign in"). Unsigned-in users cannot start blocks.
  • 4. Toggle the test block Off and back On to force a rule re-application.
  • 5. If it still doesn't work, see the Troubleshooting → Blocks not enforcing page.
Once you've verified the test block works, delete it. You don't want "Extension test" cluttering your real block list — and you definitely don't want to accidentally start it instead of your actual deep-work block.
Still stuck? Contact support