StudyNook

A focus timer that closes distracting apps and blocks distracting websites while you study.

Pomodoro and free-focus timer · app guard · website blocking · Iron sessions · progress tracking English · العربية · Français · Español

Download · Website · Design docs · Report an issue

Why StudyNook

Most blockers only cover one thing, and they are easy to switch off in a weak moment. StudyNook covers the programs on your computer and the websites in your browser, keeps working when its window is hidden, and has an optional Iron mode that makes giving up take effort. It has no account, no cloud and no tracking: everything stays in one folder on your PC.

Features

Focus timer	Pomodoro rounds with breaks, or one free-focus block of any length (up to 10 hours). Keeps running from the tray, with an optional always-on-top mini timer.
App guard	Closes the programs you list while you focus. Blocklist or allowlist mode, with a warning countdown, instant close, or reminder-only. System processes are never touched.
Website blocking	A Chrome, Edge or Brave extension blocks distracting sites, including single paths such as youtube.com/shorts. If StudyNook is closed mid-session the extension keeps blocking until the session would have ended.
Iron sessions	A promise to yourself: no unpausing the blockers, lists can only grow, ending early needs a 60-second cool-down and a typed sentence, and the switch stays locked for days you choose. If the extension disappears, the browser is closed after about 90 seconds.
Crash recovery	If the app is closed or killed during a session, a small background helper reopens it and the session continues where it left off.
Tasks and notes	Tasks with subjects, estimates, planned time and study links. Plain-text notes that save as you type.
Progress	XP, levels, streaks, a daily focus goal, a 13-week activity map, 24 achievements and a companion that grows with your focus time.
Made for everyone	Light, dark, system or automatic theme. English, Arabic (full right-to-left layout), French and Spanish. Labelled controls and a visible keyboard focus.

Screenshots

Install

StudyNook is built for Windows.

Installer. Download the latest StudyNook-Setup-<version>.exe from Releases and run it.

From source. You need Node.js (LTS).

git clone https://github.com/Amorgabab/StudyNook.git
cd StudyNook/studynook
npm install
npm start

To build the installer yourself, run Make-Installer.bat in the studynook folder (it runs npm install and npm run dist, then opens the installer).

Connect the browser extension

Website blocking needs the extension, which is bundled with the app:

1. Open Chrome, Edge or Brave and go to chrome://extensions.
2. Turn on Developer mode.
3. Click Load unpacked and choose the extension folder (the Websites page shows its exact location).
4. Click the StudyNook extension icon, enter the pairing code shown on the Websites page, and click Pair.

How it works

 StudyNook (Electron)  ──────────►  closes distracting programs (app guard)
   timer · data · tray
        │   127.0.0.1:47470 (token + pairing code, this computer only)
        ▼
 Browser extension (Manifest V3)  ─►  redirects blocked sites to a calm page

Everything is stored as readable JSON in studynook/data/ (or your user-data folder when installed): settings, tasks, notes, progress, a daily backup (the last seven are kept) and lifecycle.log. The extension talks only to the app on your own computer. See the in-app Help for details on every feature.

Good to know

• Browsers never let an app stop you from removing or turning off an extension. StudyNook warns you if the extension stops responding during a focus, and in an Iron session it closes the browser. It cannot do more than that.
• The app closes programs you choose with a forced close, so save your work before a focus session.
• Website blocking works in Chrome-family browsers only (Chrome, Edge, Brave).

Development

Run everything from the studynook folder.

Command	What it does
npm start	Run the app from source
npm test	Unit tests (plain Node, no Electron needed)
npm run lint	ESLint
npm run smoke	Boot the engine and the extension bridge in plain Node and talk to it like the extension does
npm run dist	Build the Windows installer into dist-installer/

Pushes to main and pull requests run lint and the tests on Windows (workflow).

Project layout

Path	Contents
studynook/app/main/	Electron main process: data store, timer engine, app guard, extension bridge, watchdog, IPC
studynook/app/ui/	The windows: plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript (no bundler), pages, help articles
studynook/app/shared/	Pure modules shared by main and the windows: progress, Iron rules, themes, translations, icons
studynook/extension/	The Manifest V3 browser extension
studynook/tests/	Unit and integration tests
studynook/docs/	Design specification and engineering notes
docs/	This project's website (GitHub Pages)

Contributor notes for working in the code, including the rules that are easy to break, are in CLAUDE.md. The design system is described in studynook/docs/UI-REDESIGN-SPEC.md.

License

StudyNook is not open source. You may download it, run it for your own use and read the code, but you may not share, publish or redistribute it, or distribute modified versions. See LICENSE for the exact terms. To ask for permission to do something it does not allow, open an issue.

Third-party components keep their own licenses: the Inter typeface (SIL OFL 1.1), Lucide icons (ISC) and Electron (MIT).