You said essay. You're on YouTube. Tolby asks.
A free AI focus app for Mac that asks when you're distracted, instead of blocking websites. You decide.
Get more of your day spent on what you actually meant to do. Tolby is a Mac app that checks in, briefly, when you're off in a rabbit hole.
For your Mac · Apple Silicon · 12GB+ memory
Your screen is read on your Mac. Recordings and images never leave it.
Your screen is read on your Mac. Recordings and images never leave it.
In short
Tolby is an AI focus app for Mac that doesn't block websites: it notices when you stop doing what you said you'd do, and asks if that's still the plan. You tell it what you're about to do. While your screen matches, you hear nothing. When you're distracted, procrastinating, or down a rabbit hole, Tolby asks a short question. You can go back, change the plan, or carry on. You never have to explain yourself. Your screen is read on your Mac; Tolby+ sends text, never images.
How it works
Say it once. It notices the rest.
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Say what you're about to do
In your own words. "Essay draft in Docs." "YouTube until this video ends." Downtime counts if you choose it.
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No check-in. You're on track.
It reads your screen, on your Mac
A model on your Mac compares what's on screen with what you said. While they match, you won't hear from it.
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Down a rabbit hole? Wren, your coach, asks
A short chat. Go back, change the plan, or talk through why it's hard.
Privacy
It watches your screen. So here's exactly what that means.
Nobody else sees your screen. Not me, not anyone.
- Your screen, and every recording of it, stays on your Mac.
- On Tolby+, your intention, the chat, and a filtered note about your screen leave as text. Never images.
- Tolby doesn't store your data. It's only ever stored on your Mac.
How it's different
Blockers decide for you. Tolby asks, and you decide.
A blocker
Takes the choice away. Works until you find the off switch.
A tracker
Tells you later, in a chart, where the day went. If you remember to open it.
Tolby
Asks in the moment, while you can still choose. You don't have to remember it; it remembers you. Nothing blocked, nothing scored.
If you use Cold Turkey, here's how Cold Turkey and Tolby compare, and who each one suits.
Why it exists
I've always struggled to get my work done. In college it started costing me. My friends seemed to get by fine while I could barely stay on track. I started by having Claude check in on me, and it helped enough that I spent a summer building a real app for it. Selling it pays for making it better, for me and for you.
Everett, made TolbyFrom a tester
I've had other productivity apps like Todoist, Google Calendar, and Self Control, but none have been as successful as Tolby at holding me accountable. I've had many times where using Tolby has helped pull me out of rabbit holes.
Pricing
Free, on your Mac. Paid saves your battery.
Tolby
Free
The whole app, with the coach running on your Mac. Your screen, your intention and your chats never leave it.
Download freeTolby+
Founding price$8 / month, or $72 / year
The coach runs online, so your Mac isn't running it, easier on your battery and fans. It's also what pays for Tolby's development. Your price stays locked while you're subscribed.
Tolby+ Extra
$20 / month, or $180 / year
Room to spare, so the online coach is there all month. Same trade as Tolby+: your Mac does less, and it goes toward building Tolby further.
Paid plans have a monthly usage budget, paced across the month so it lasts. If you get ahead of that pace, or reach the budget, Tolby uses the coach on your Mac for a while instead. Checkout is through Lemon Squeezy.
Questions
Is Tolby a website blocker?
No. Tolby is a focus app for Mac that doesn't block any website or app. If you can block YouTube outright, a website blocker will do that. Tolby is for when you can't, because the same site is sometimes the tutorial you need. It notices when you're procrastinating and asks if that's still the plan. You decide.
What if I always turn off my screen time limits?
Then you know the problem: "Ignore limit" takes a second and asks nothing of you. Tolby isn't a limit that can't be turned off, and it has no limit to ignore. You say what you're about to do, even "YouTube for 15 more minutes." You can say that every time, but you say it each time, and that moment is where you decide. Some of those times you'll change your mind. Saying you just want to is enough. You never have to explain yourself.
Do I still need my planner?
If a planner works for you, keep it. Tolby isn't a planner. A planner is where you decide what to do. Tolby is for the moment you're about to do it, and for noticing when you've wandered off.
Why won't it just make me do it?
If Screen Time's limits already work for you, use them. They're built into your Mac at no cost. But if you've tapped "Ignore limit" more times than you can count, or uninstalled a blocker after a few weeks, Tolby is built for you. It doesn't force anything. It keeps asking, follows up if you slide back into it, and helps you get back, so over time you get better at choosing.
Why does it need to see my screen?
So it can ask instead of block. A blocker only knows a list of sites. Tolby knows what you said you'd do, so it can tell the tutorial you need from a rabbit hole, and ask about the right one.
Isn't that creepy?
It would be if anyone else could see it. Your screen is read on your Mac, and the recordings never leave it. You can stop recording in Settings, and Tolby keeps going from your app and window titles instead. Turn on "Keep the coach on this Mac" and none of your screen or chat goes online.
Who sees my screen?
No one. It's read on your Mac and never uploaded. On Tolby+, a short text note about it and the window title go to the online coach along with your intention and the chat, as described above.
What if I'm offline?
It keeps working. The free version runs entirely on your Mac once the model has downloaded. On Tolby+, Wren switches to the coach on your Mac until you're back online.
Battery?
It runs a model on your Mac every few minutes, so it costs some battery. How much depends on your Mac and what you're doing. Tolby+ moves the coach off your Mac, which uses less. A lighter model for your Mac, built to use less battery, is being worked on. It isn't ready yet.
Storage?
By default, recordings are kept for a week, then deleted, which comes to about 5 to 7GB. You can keep them for as little as a day or as long as a year, or keep everything. The model downloads once, on first run, and takes about 6 to 7GB, depending on your Mac's memory.
Can I turn recordings off?
Yes. Switch off “Watching and check-ins” in the sidebar for 15 minutes, an hour, the rest of the day, or until you turn it back on. While it's off, Tolby doesn't record or read your screen, and Wren won't check in unless you message it.
Who makes Tolby?
Everett Wilber, an independent developer with ADHD. He built Tolby for himself first.
Is it open source?
No. Tolby is closed source. The privacy policy lists what leaves your Mac and what Tolby's server keeps.
Will it run on my Mac?
Apple Silicon with 12GB of memory or more, on macOS 26 or later. Intel Macs aren't supported and likely won't be. Support for 8GB Macs is being worked on, and Windows is planned. Leave your email to hear when Tolby is ready for your computer.
Is Tolby a website blocker?
No. Tolby is a focus app for Mac that doesn't block any website or app. If you can block YouTube outright, a website blocker will do that. Tolby is for when you can't, because the same site is sometimes the tutorial you need. It notices when you're procrastinating and asks if that's still the plan. You decide.
What if I always turn off my screen time limits?
Then you know the problem: "Ignore limit" takes a second and asks nothing of you. Tolby isn't a limit that can't be turned off, and it has no limit to ignore. You say what you're about to do, even "YouTube for 15 more minutes." You can say that every time, but you say it each time, and that moment is where you decide. Some of those times you'll change your mind. Saying you just want to is enough. You never have to explain yourself.
Do I still need my planner?
If a planner works for you, keep it. Tolby isn't a planner. A planner is where you decide what to do. Tolby is for the moment you're about to do it, and for noticing when you've wandered off.
Why won't it just make me do it?
If Screen Time's limits already work for you, use them. They're built into your Mac at no cost. But if you've tapped "Ignore limit" more times than you can count, or uninstalled a blocker after a few weeks, Tolby is built for you. It doesn't force anything. It keeps asking, follows up if you slide back into it, and helps you get back, so over time you get better at choosing.
Why does it need to see my screen?
So it can ask instead of block. A blocker only knows a list of sites. Tolby knows what you said you'd do, so it can tell the tutorial you need from a rabbit hole, and ask about the right one.
Isn't that creepy?
It would be if anyone else could see it. Your screen is read on your Mac, and the recordings never leave it. You can stop recording in Settings, and Tolby keeps going from your app and window titles instead. Turn on "Keep the coach on this Mac" and none of your screen or chat goes online.
Who sees my screen?
No one. It's read on your Mac and never uploaded. On Tolby+, a short text note about it and the window title go to the online coach along with your intention and the chat, as described above.
What if I'm offline?
It keeps working. The free version runs entirely on your Mac once the model has downloaded. On Tolby+, Wren switches to the coach on your Mac until you're back online.
Battery?
It runs a model on your Mac every few minutes, so it costs some battery. How much depends on your Mac and what you're doing. Tolby+ moves the coach off your Mac, which uses less. A lighter model for your Mac, built to use less battery, is being worked on. It isn't ready yet.
Storage?
By default, recordings are kept for a week, then deleted, which comes to about 5 to 7GB. You can keep them for as little as a day or as long as a year, or keep everything. The model downloads once, on first run, and takes about 6 to 7GB, depending on your Mac's memory.
Can I turn recordings off?
Yes. Switch off “Watching and check-ins” in the sidebar for 15 minutes, an hour, the rest of the day, or until you turn it back on. While it's off, Tolby doesn't record or read your screen, and Wren won't check in unless you message it.
Who makes Tolby?
Everett Wilber, an independent developer with ADHD. He built Tolby for himself first.
Is it open source?
No. Tolby is closed source. The privacy policy lists what leaves your Mac and what Tolby's server keeps.
Will it run on my Mac?
Apple Silicon with 12GB of memory or more, on macOS 26 or later. Intel Macs aren't supported and likely won't be. Support for 8GB Macs is being worked on, and Windows is planned. Leave your email to hear when Tolby is ready for your computer.
Spend the day the way you meant to.
macOS · Apple Silicon · 12GB+ memory
What's being worked on
- A lighter model that uses less battery is being worked on. It isn't ready yet.
- Support for 8GB Macs is being worked on.
- A Windows version is planned.