Flexible sessions
Custom durations from 1–720 minutes, with a saved default.
A Particular Systems product
You chose the work.
Ward protects the choice.
Start a timed session and Ward keeps distracting websites outside it—across Safari and Chrome, with rules precise enough for the way you actually work.
- macOS 14+
- Local-only state
- No account
01One quiet menu bar utility
02Two protected browsers
∞Your rules, your machine
The commitment loop
Four quiet steps between intention and done.
Ward stays out of the creative process. It only guards the boundary around it.
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01
Set the boundary
Choose a session from one minute to twelve hours. Keep it flexible, or lock it before you begin.
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02
Choose what stays outside
Block a domain, one host, every subdomain, or a precise URL. Target Safari, Chrome, or both.
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03
Do the work
Ward intercepts matching navigations locally and replaces the distraction with a clear stop.
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04
Keep the evidence
Review completed sessions, emergency unlocks, browser health, and useful diagnostics.
Precise, not blunt
Block the distraction.
Keep the useful parts.
A social network can be off-limits while a specific work page remains available. Ward’s matching model understands domains, hosts, wildcard subdomains, exact URLs, blocks, and allows.
- Browser-specific targeting
- Allow rules override blocks
- Allowlist-only focus mode
Rule logic, simplified
Runs locally
Blocked in Safari + ChromeEvery subdomain matches this boundary.
Locked when it matters
Make the promise before motivation negotiates.
A locked session cannot be ended early through the normal controls. Rules can become stricter, never softer. When life genuinely intervenes, emergency unlock adds a deliberate cooldown and records the outcome honestly.
Additive onlyNew blocks are welcome mid-session. Relaxing the boundary is not.
Friction with a reasonEmergency unlock remains possible without making the easy exit invisible.
The boundary is visible
No vague “maybe protected” state.
Ward reports the current session, time remaining, and browser health from the menu bar—then makes a blocked navigation unmistakable.
Quietly complete
Everything the boundary needs. Nothing it doesn’t.
Locked mode
Commit before starting, with a deliberate emergency path.
Deep rule control
Block or allow at domain, host, wildcard, and exact-URL level.
Safari + Chrome
Target either browser independently, or protect both together.
Protection health
Know when a browser is healthy, unknown, or degraded.
History + diagnostics
Review outcomes and export useful local troubleshooting detail.
LOCAL / 001
Privacy is architecture
Your attention isn’t a dataset.
Sessions, rules, history, and diagnostics live on your Mac. Browser integrations read policy from Ward’s local service. There is no cloud account waiting behind the menu bar.
- Cloud sync
- None
- Required account
- None
- Policy source
- Local app
Good questions
Before you draw the line.
What happens when Ward blocks a site?
The browser shows a local Ward page in place of the requested site. Your active policy remains owned by the macOS app.
Can I still end a locked session?
Not through the normal stop control. An emergency unlock remains available after intentional cooldown and confirmation, and the outcome is recorded in history.
Does Ward send my browsing data anywhere?
No. Ward’s persistent state is local-only, with no cloud account or analytics service required for enforcement.
Which browsers and Macs are supported?
Ward targets Safari and Google Chrome on macOS 14 or newer.
How can I try it today?
Ward is currently built from source. Chrome has an automated QA path; Safari can be tested as a temporary extension without an Apple account, while signed packaging remains a release gate.