1. You choose the goal and start the block.
AI Focus operates during a block you start. Write the task in ordinary language, including any resources that support it. The Mac needs the relevant permissions for screen checking and enforcement. An AI plan or eligible trial provides access; installing the free core blocker alone does not make AI checking free forever.
Choose a goal you can describe concretely. ‘Review chapter three and answer the practice questions’ is clearer than ‘Be productive.’ Your screen does not reveal every intention, and a vague goal cannot supply the context it leaves out.
2. Screenshots are checked in the cloud.
During the active block, screenshots are sent through FocusDragon’s server to the AI model provider for evaluation against your goal. The judgment is about whether the visible activity supports that goal. This is cloud processing, not an on-device AI model.
FocusDragon’s server does not store the screenshots. The AI provider processes them under a zero-data-retention agreement, and they are not used to train models. This screenshot policy does not mean no account, billing or usage records exist. Read the privacy policy for the broader data handling details, and avoid including sensitive material in a screen you choose to submit.
3. Two off-task checks trigger an interruption.
FocusDragon requires two consecutive off-task checks before closing the distracting app or browser. The first two strikes each bring a two-minute cooldown. The next is five minutes, then ten minutes for subsequent strikes. The purpose is to create friction after a repeated distraction, rather than rely on a reminder you can immediately dismiss.
It closes an app or browser, not just one tab. Unsaved work can be lost. AI can misread a screen or fail to identify a distraction, so neither perfect detection nor zero false interruptions is promised. The app’s notification explains what it identified when an interruption occurs.
4. Your plan determines the full-speed allowance.
AI Focus includes approximately 70 full-speed hours per month on one display. AI Focus Max includes approximately 171. These are estimates, not an exact timer: screen setup and usage affect how much checking your monthly allowance supports.
Once the allowance is used, checking slows down rather than stopping. Max expands the allowance; it does not change the basic enforcement rules. Pro is included while an AI subscription is active. Approved student pricing uses the AI Focus allowance, and AI Focus is available only to adults 18 and over.