Sanctuary

A mindful site blocker that replaces distractions with reflection prompts and a calm pause screen. Reclaim your focus.

Most site blockers act like a padlock. You set it, it locks, and that's it. When you inevitably try to visit a blocked site, you're met with an aggressive red screen that triggers frustration rather than focus. Sanctuary works differently. When you navigate to a distracting site, you don't get an error page. You get a pause. The screen clears. A soft, rhythmic breathing orb appears alongside a simple question: *"What are you seeking in this moment?"* For 15 seconds, you just breathe. After the pause, the choice is yours: close the tab, or consciously choose to continue. If you continue, the site stays open for a window you control (15 minutes by default) before gently pausing you again. That 15-second window is the entire philosophy of the product. It’s long enough to interrupt your brain's autopilot, but short enough that you never feel imprisoned. Most of the time, you'll find yourself simply closing the tab. ### Features Built for Real Life * **Schedules That Fit Your Routine:** Every site on your blocklist gets its own independent schedule. Block Twitter during workday hours but leave it open on weekends. Restrict YouTube during deep work, but keep it available in the evening. * **Your Focus Dashboard:** See how much time you've won back. Your dashboard tracks your weekly pauses and builds a visual "cairn"—a stack of stones that grows as your focus improves. No inflated claims, just your actual reclaimed time. * **Quick-Add Presets:** Add the usual suspects—Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit—with a single click. New sites automatically inherit your default schedule. * **Import & Export:** Your setup belongs to you. Export your entire blocklist as a clean, readable JSON file to back it up, move to a new machine, or share your routine with a friend. ### Strictly Private & Open Source * **Zero Tracking:** Sanctuary respects your digital space. Your blocklist syncs via your own Google account using Chrome's native storage. Your focus statistics stay strictly on your local device. No analytics, no trackers, and absolutely no third-party scripts. We never see your data. * **100% Free:** No locked features, no premium subscriptions, and no ads. Sanctuary is open-source and supported entirely by optional user donations. Install Sanctuary today and replace jarring distractions with a moment of reflection.