The app: where each piece of data goes
| What | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Your task, the app name, the redacted window title | Mac → our server → the AI model, once per new window. Not stored on our server. |
| Verdict cache | On your Mac only (a hash and a verdict, kept 7 days) |
| Stats (focus time, drifts) | On your Mac only |
| “It's for the task” choices | On your Mac only |
| License key, a device hash, a daily check counter | Our server, to validate your license and cap abuse |
| Payment details | Polar only. We never see your card. |
| Never collected | Screenshots, screen content, keystrokes, full URLs, file contents |
Redaction and the never-send list
Before a title leaves your Mac, FocusNod strips email addresses, long numbers and token-like strings. Apps on the never-send list are never judged at all. It ships with sensible defaults (password managers, banking apps, private browser windows where they can be detected), and you can edit it.
See exactly what was sent
The app has a “Recent checks” view that lists every title it sent and the verdict that came back. Transparency beats promises.
Who processes each judgment
Our server passes the task, app name and redacted title to a third-party AI model for a single judgment and keeps only anonymous counters (how many checks, never what was checked). We'll name the AI provider and its data-retention terms here before launch, and we'll choose a zero-retention option wherever one is offered.
Usage counters are opt-in
If you opt in, the app sends anonymous counts that help us tune it: nudges shown, “It's for the task” taps, returns to task, and your strictness level. Never titles, never tasks.
It's for you, not for watching others
FocusNod has no accounts, no remote dashboard and no way to see someone else's data. All stats stay on the Mac they came from.
This website
- No analytics scripts, no ad pixels and no tracking cookies.
- Like any web server, ours may keep standard access logs (IP address, page, browser, referrer) for up to 30 days, for security and to count visits in aggregate.
- The waitlist stores your email, your optional answer about what you drift to, where you came from (for example “producthunt”), and when you joined. We use your email only for the launch announcement and, if you pre-ordered, for messages about your order. We never sell or share it.
- Pre-orders are processed by Polar, our merchant of record. Polar tells us your email, what you bought and whether it was refunded.
Your rights
You can ask us to show, correct or delete everything we hold about you, or remove you from the waitlist, by emailing [email protected]. We'll do it within 30 days, usually the same week.
Who we are
FocusNod is made by DRISH LABS (drishlabs.com), which is responsible for this data. Questions: [email protected].