NoProcrast von Prateek Ganguli

A browser extension that limits time spent on distracting websites, modelled on Hacker News's noprocrast feature.

Each tracked site gets a configurable visit window (maxvisit minutes of wall-clock time from first visit). Once that window closes, the tab redirects to a block page and stays blocked for a cooldown period (minaway minutes). A manual override is available — it grants one fresh maxvisit window but does not disable the system; once that window closes, the site blocks again normally.

How it works

Time is measured using a wall-clock session window, not accumulated active-tab time:

• The first navigation to a tracked domain starts a session window and immediately checks whether access is allowed (same rules as any other navigation).
• Every navigation to that domain checks how much wall-clock time has elapsed since the window started.
• If less than maxvisit minutes have elapsed, access is allowed with no state change.
• If maxvisit minutes have elapsed but the minaway cooldown has not yet passed, the tab is redirected to the block page.
• Once the full maxvisit + minaway period has elapsed since the session started, the next visit automatically starts a fresh window.

Setting maxvisit to 0 with any positive minaway effectively blocks the site indefinitely: the session window expires immediately on the first visit, and access is never granted until the cooldown elapses — which itself starts a new zero-length window, blocking again right away.

The block page shows how many minutes remain in the cooldown. If you return to an open blocked tab after the cooldown has expired, the page detects this and redirects you back to the site automatically.

Override flow — a manual override requires two deliberate steps:

1. Justify — click "Override" to reveal a text field: "Why do you need this right now?" You must type something before proceeding. The text is discarded immediately; its only purpose is to engage conscious thought before the countdown begins.
2. Wait — a 30-second countdown starts. It only advances while the block page is the active, focused tab. Switching away or alt-tabbing pauses it. Once 30 continuous seconds elapse, the override is granted, and you are redirected automatically.

Settings lock — the settings page requires entering a randomly generated 4-digit PIN before any limits or site list can be edited. The PIN changes each time the settings page is opened, preventing muscle-memory bypass. Adding new sites does not require the PIN.

All timing is checked at navigation boundaries — no background polling, no content scripts.

Configuration

Global defaults (configurable in Settings):

maxvisit = 20 minutes
minaway = 180 minutes

Per-site overrides for maxvisit and/or minaway can be set from the Settings page.

Subdomain matching is hierarchical: adding youtube.com covers www.youtube.com,
music.youtube.com, and any other subdomain, with a shared time budget. Adding
www.youtube.com specifically tracks only that subdomain and leaves others unaffected.