A free, open-source macOS menu bar app that blocks distracting applications and browser tabs to help you stay focused. Focus timer, scheduled blocking, website categories, and more — no browser extensions required.
AppJail sits in your menu bar and enforces focus by terminating blocked applications and closing browser tabs that match URL keywords — all powered by native macOS APIs.
- Block Apps — Select any installed application to block. When activated, the app is immediately terminated.
- Block Browser Tabs — Add URL keywords (e.g.
youtube,reddit,twitter). Matching tabs are closed automatically — no browser extension needed. - Website Categories — Block entire categories of sites (Social Media, Shopping, News, Entertainment, Gaming) with one tap instead of adding keywords one by one.
- Focus Timer — Start timed focus sessions (25, 45, 60, or 90 minutes) that automatically enable blocking. Strict mode prevents you from stopping early.
- Scheduled Blocking — Set up recurring block schedules by day of week and time range. Blocking activates and deactivates automatically.
- Redesigned Dashboard — A unified card-based interface replaces the old tab layout. Quick-access cards show blocked app, website, and category counts at a glance.
- Menu Bar Only — Runs entirely from the menu bar with no dock icon. Minimal, distraction-free interface.
- Event-Driven — Monitors app switches via
NSWorkspacenotifications. No polling, no CPU waste. - Privacy-First — No network requests, no telemetry, no tracking. Everything runs locally on your Mac.
- Violation Alerts — A floating panel appears briefly when a blocked app or URL is caught.
- Persistent Configuration — All block lists, schedules, and settings survive app restarts.
| Browser | App Block | Tab Block |
|---|---|---|
| Safari | Yes | Yes |
| Google Chrome | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Edge | Yes | Yes |
| Brave | Yes | Yes |
| Arc | Yes | Yes |
| Dia | Yes | Yes |
| Vivaldi | Yes | Yes |
| Opera | Yes | Yes |
| Firefox | Yes | No (no AppleScript support) |
Download the latest AppJail.dmg from Releases, open it, and drag AppJail to your Applications folder.
The app is signed and notarized by Apple — just download, install, and run.
git clone https://github.com/devsemih/appjail.git
cd appjail
xcodebuild -project appjail.xcodeproj -scheme appjail -configuration ReleaseRequires Xcode 16+ and macOS 15.0+.
AppJail needs two permissions on first launch:
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
| Accessibility | To monitor which app is frontmost and terminate blocked apps |
| Automation | To read browser URLs and close tabs via AppleScript |
The onboarding screen guides you through granting both. You can manage them later in System Settings > Privacy & Security.
- AppJail observes
NSWorkspace.didActivateApplicationNotificationto detect app switches. - When a blocked app comes to the foreground, it calls
terminate()on the process. - When a browser activates and URL keywords exist, it reads the active tab URL via AppleScript and closes the tab if a keyword matches.
No background polling. No network requests. Everything runs locally.
Unlike browser extensions or network-level blockers, AppJail blocks both apps and browser tabs from a single native menu bar interface. Compared to tools like SelfControl, Cold Turkey, or Freedom — AppJail is lightweight, open source, and works across 8+ browsers without modifying network settings or requiring a subscription.
Models/ Data models and persistence (BlockList, BlockSchedule, FocusTimerState, WebsiteCategory)
Services/ Core logic (MonitoringEngine, FocusTimerManager, ScheduleManager, AppScanner, BrowserRegistry)
Views/
Components/ Reusable UI components (StatusCard, QuickConfigCard, TimerRingView, etc.)
Sheets/ Modal sheets (SelectApps, SelectWebsites, WebsiteCategories, FocusTimer, Schedule)
- Focus Timer with strict mode and preset durations
- Scheduled blocking with weekday and time range support
- Website category blocking (Social Media, Shopping, News, Entertainment, Gaming)
- Redesigned dashboard with card-based layout and glass effect styling
- Three monitoring triggers: manual, timer-based, and schedule-based
- New reusable components (TimerRingView, StatusCard, QuickConfigCard, LetterAvatar)
MIT