Built because blocklists
never really worked.
We kept losing entire afternoons to distraction — and got tired of focus tools that treated it like a list problem when it's really a context problem.
Built for deep work.
Useful for anyone who works at a screen.
We built it because we needed it. But the problem — drifting off-task when it matters most — isn't unique to us. If you do focused work on a computer, this is for you.
Attentus started as a personal problem. I'd sit down to work and surface two hours later having done everything except the thing that mattered — tabs open everywhere, momentum gone, deadline closer. After enough of those days, I stopped blaming willpower and started thinking about why every tool I'd tried wasn't actually working.
They were either too blunt, too easy to bypass, or demanded exactly the consistent discipline you were trying to supplement. So I built something that makes the decision for you, based on what's actually on your screen — not a list you maintain.
It's a one-person project, and that shapes everything about it: no investors means no pressure to monetize your attention, no growth team means no dark patterns, and keeping everything on-device means there's no server that could even receive your data.
The price is low because the goal is to cover costs and keep improving it. If you've ever lost a deadline to a browser spiral, you already know why this exists.
The principles behind every decision we make.
Context over lists
A URL tells you nothing about intent. What matters is what's actually on the page, whether it matches your goal, and what you're supposed to be doing right now. A list can't answer any of those questions — a vision model can.
Privacy by architecture
We don't want your data and we don't need it. The model runs locally, the decisions happen locally, and nothing about your screen ever leaves your device. That's a constraint we chose on purpose, not a checkbox we ticked.
Tools should stay out of the way
A focus app you have to fight with is a distraction in itself. Attentus runs quietly, makes one decision at a time, and gets out of your way the moment you're doing something relevant. You shouldn't notice it working.
Help shape what we build
Attentus is small and independent, and Discord is where we actually talk to users. Suggest features, report bugs, or just say hi — you get a direct line to the people behind it, and we reply fast. Early members have shaped the entire direction of the app.
Try it for yourself.
Seven days free — no card required. See what a focused work session actually feels like.