HeyDockFriction, not walls.
During Focus, open something that belongs to another mode and HeyDock asks first: “x.com belongs to Social. Stay focused, or switch?”
Most blockers are either too easy to switch off or so strict people uninstall them. HeyDock’s gate never traps you. Stay is one click (or Return, or Escape) and takes you back to the last app that fit your mode. Go to Social starts a countdown — 15 seconds for Social by default — and each extra press cuts 3 seconds off.
Allow once lets that app or site through until the mode changes. Add to this mode fixes the mode on the spot, for things HeyDock filed in the wrong place.
In Chrome, Brave, Arc and Edge, the browser extension does the same for sites: an off-mode tab blurs, and after you’ve stayed on it for 1.5 seconds the gate asks. Stay goes back a page and never closes the tab.
See it work.
What you get.
Gentle
No wait. The gate still asks, but switching is instant.
Balanced
Each mode’s own wait, from 0 to 60 seconds. Social starts at 15.
Strict
At least 30 seconds for modes with a wait, and the gate asks why before you switch.
Drift budget
Give a mode a daily allowance, like 15 minutes of Social. Used up, it locks behind the Strict wait until midnight.
Set it up.
Settings › General › Focus › Gate
- Pick Gentle, Balanced or Strict.
- Start Focus from the moon in the dock, the menu bar or ⌥F.
- Set each mode’s wait and daily budget in Edit Modes.
Good to know
- The gate and the waits only run during Focus; outside Focus the dock just follows your mode.
- Website gating needs the HeyDock extension in Chrome, Brave, Arc or Edge. Safari isn’t supported yet.
- HeyDock is a nudge, not a lock: you can always quit it.
Questions.
Can I get past the gate?
Yes, always. Stay, switch after the wait, Allow once, or add the app to your mode. The point is to make drifting a choice.
What counts as off-mode?
Anything listed in another mode, or anything the on-device classifier is sure belongs to another mode. Unsure verdicts ask instead of gating.