Block what you don't need
Each type of focus session lists the apps and websites you can use. Ribbon hides everything else until the session ends.
Know where your day actually goes
Ribbon tracks the apps and websites you use, shows how you spent your day, and blocks distractions while you work. Tracking happens entirely on your Mac, and your data is stored only there.
Free and open source. macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
Then it keeps you on task
Focus sessions block what you don't need, a score tells you how each one went, and you can ask about your time.
Focus on a schedule
A session can start by itself, like 9:00 to 12:00 on weekdays. Its rules stay on until it ends, and one emergency pass a week ends it early.
Get a score for every session
When a session ends, Ribbon checks what you did against what you said you'd do, and shows what cost you points.
Ask about your time
Ask things like “Where did my time go today?” and get an answer from your own activity.
Works with the apps you use
Ribbon tracks every app on your Mac. In Safari, Chrome, Arc, Brave, Edge and other Chromium browsers, it also sees which website you're on, so it can block sites too.
A focus orb that talks back
During a focus session, a small orb sits in the corner of your screen. Drift for more than a minute and it tells you, out loud. You choose how nice it is.
“That video looks fun, but your onboarding flow misses you. Back to it?”
“YouTube again. Fourteen minutes. You said you'd ship the onboarding flow today, not watch other people ship things.”
Coming soon
Ribbon for iPhone
The same focus sessions on your phone. Ribbon blocks the apps and websites you choose until a session ends, and shows how you spent your day on your phone.
- Blocks apps and websites while you focus
- Starts scheduled sessions by itself
- One emergency pass a week, as on your Mac
- Your day from Screen Time, in your own categories
- The time left on your Lock Screen
- Screen Time data stays on your phone
Free and open source
No account and no subscription. The code is on GitHub under the MIT license.
Download for MacView the source on GitHub
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- Every feature included
- Your activity is stored on your Mac
- For the AI, use your ChatGPT plan or your own OpenAI key
- New versions download by themselves
Frequently asked questions
Is Ribbon free?
Yes. Ribbon is free and open source under the MIT license. The AI features run on your ChatGPT plan (Plus or Pro) or your own OpenAI API key, so any AI costs are between you and OpenAI.
Is there an iPhone app?
It's coming. Ribbon for iPhone blocks apps and websites during focus sessions, runs your schedules, and shows your day from Screen Time. It's waiting on Apple's approval for the Screen Time features it uses; then it goes on TestFlight. On iPhone, the AI only gets each session's task, times and how it ended. Nothing from Screen Time leaves your phone.
What does the AI see?
Ribbon stores your activity on your Mac. When the AI is on, Ribbon sends app names, website names, page titles and totals to OpenAI, plus screenshots during focus sessions that watch your screen. Screenshots are never saved. If you add a Gemini API key for the orb's voice, what the orb says aloud is sent to Google to be turned into speech.
Does it work without the AI?
Yes. Tracking, the timeline, focus sessions, blocking and session scores all work without it. The AI adds smarter sorting into categories, written summaries, answers to your questions, and the orb's screen checks.
Which browsers does it work with?
Ribbon sees which website you're on in Safari, Chrome, Arc, Brave, Edge and other Chromium browsers, so it can track and block sites there. In Firefox, it sees page titles only.
Can I quit Ribbon during a scheduled session?
No. A scheduled session can't be paused or quit, and its rules stay on through breaks. Your emergency pass, one a week, ends it early. If Ribbon is force-quit during a scheduled session, it reopens within a minute.
Can I install it with Homebrew?
Yes: brew install --cask lenajeremy/tap/ribbon. Ribbon needs macOS 14 or later, and works on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.