Setup, features, troubleshooting, and reference for FocusDragon.
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Download the DMG, drag to Applications, and clear the first-launch Gatekeeper prompt.
Open the app, click New Block, add sites or apps, pick enforcement, and hit Start.
Which macOS permissions FocusDragon asks for, what each unlocks, and what breaks if you deny.
Why the extensions exist, how to install them, and how to confirm they're working.
Why FocusDragon needs an account, what's stored, and what doesn't sync across devices.
How sign-in works, why you need it before starting a block, and how multi-account on a shared Mac behaves.
The most-skipped permission and the one that breaks DNS-level blocking. Grant it to both binaries and verify with a real test.
The LaunchDaemon that enforces blocks when the app is quit. macOS prompts once — here's how to recover if you said no.
An opinionated day-by-day onboarding plan that avoids the over-configuration trap.
Enable the bundled Safari extension and grant All Websites access — the single most common Safari setup miss.
Install from the Chrome Web Store, pin the icon, and turn on the two access toggles Chrome hides by default.
Both are Chromium under the hood. Install the Chrome extension via each browser's "allow extensions from other stores" flow.
How to install the Chrome extension in Arc (sidebar-based), Vivaldi, Opera, and any other Chromium variant.
The Firefox extension is live on addons.mozilla.org — install it and remember to allow it in Private Windows.
Why the AI classifier pauses while private windows are open, and what still works in those tabs.
Browsers occasionally turn off third-party extensions after updates or long idle periods. Recovery steps per browser.
The native-messaging bridge that pipes page text from the browser extension to the FocusDragon daemon — and how to recover when it breaks.
A short test-block recipe to prove blocking works in each browser, plus negative tests to confirm you're not over-blocking.
How FocusDragon enforces blocks at the system level and which of the 10 lock types to reach for.
Built-in work/break cycle timer that ties into Statistics and ships with the free tier.
Per-block focus time, drift events, and weekly/monthly trends — a Pro feature.
Locks the block for a fixed duration you choose. Once started, it can't be ended early.
Disabling the block requires typing a password you set at creation. There is no recovery path.
Type a freshly-generated random string character-by-character to unlock. No copy-paste allowed.
No escape until the configured duration expires. The nuclear option (called "Frozen Turkey" in the app).
Block can only be disabled outside of its scheduled active window.
Disabling the block requires restarting the Mac one or more times.
Disabling triggers a cooldown countdown — the block only actually stops when the countdown ends.
Escape is allowed, but each escape costs an escalating delay before it takes effect.
Enforces work/break cycles built directly into the block's lock — a finite-session variant of Pomodoro.
Daemon-level enforcement that survives reboot, force-quit, and dragging FocusDragon to the Trash.
Type what you want blocked in plain English and FocusDragon parses it into a complete block config.
Auto-generated summary every Monday: hours focused, drift count, biggest distractions.
Full Disk Access lets the daemon edit /etc/hosts for DNS-level blocking. Without it, domain blocking silently fails on most browsers.
Diagnostic walkthrough when distraction sites load despite an active block.
Force an update check and recover from a silent auto-update failure.
Fix the macOS bug where Screen Recording permission appears granted but the app keeps asking.
Fix the macOS permission bug where Accessibility looks granted but FocusDragon can't read window titles.
Fully remove FocusDragon (daemon, config, preferences) before a clean reinstall.
Diagnose and recover when the FocusDragon LaunchDaemon shows Stopped or Failed.
OAuth loopback, captive Wi-Fi, and third-party cookie causes for a broken sign-in flow.
Payment webhook delays and email mismatches that hide a paid subscription from the app.
Sync delays, sqlite write failures, and the difference between local-only and rolled-up stats.
Permission, Focus/DND, and banner-style fixes for missing FocusDragon notifications.
Why AI classification is the dominant cost and how to dial it back per-block.
Why the AI classifier goes silent on hotel Wi-Fi and corporate VPNs, and how to fix it.
Locked blocks refuse early-exit by design. What you can and cannot do.
What account deletion removes, what it leaves behind, and how to fully wipe local data.
Common failure modes for the in-app data export, and how to recover.
3DS, CVV, and entitlement-not-landed fixes for a failed checkout.
Where to cancel, change tier, swap card, and download invoices.
When your Mac's clock drifts >5 min from real time, JWTs and schedules break.
Schedule rules silently re-enable blocks during their configured windows.
How to switch accounts cleanly without leaking data between users.
Some apps resist termination. How to escalate to the stronger manual-block path.
Free, Pro, AI Focus, AI Focus Max, BYOK — what's included at each tier.
Stub — FocusDragon is sidebar-first; bindings will land here as they ship.
What FocusDragon stores, what it doesn't, and exactly where AI screenshots go.
macOS 26.2 Tahoe+, universal binary. Internet needed for AI only.
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