How ScreenLeash works

From goal creation to penalty charge — a complete walkthrough of the system, step by step.

The breach lifecycle

Track usage

Check ceiling

Breach detected

Charge penalty

Rerail line

Notify (Slack)

Next-day respite

Set a goal

Pick a website you want to spend less time on (e.g. youtube.com) and set a daily rate — how many minutes per day you're willing to allow. A ceiling rises at that rate. Stay below it.

Example: "youtube.com, 30 minutes per day." This creates a ceiling that starts at 30 minutes and grows by 30 minutes each day.

Usage is tracked automatically

The Chrome extension monitors your active tab. When you're on a tracked website, seconds accumulate. Everything is synced to the database — nothing is lost if you close your browser.

Tracking pauses when you're idle, when the tab is in the background, or when you switch to an untracked site. Only active, foreground time counts.

The cumulative model

Unlike daily limits that reset at midnight, ScreenLeash uses a cumulative model. Your total usage from day one is compared against a continuously rising line.

If your rate is 30 min/day: Day 1 ceiling = 30 min. Day 2 = 60 min. Day 3 = 90 min. If you used 0 min on Day 1 and Day 2, you have 90 min of banked buffer on Day 3. Conversely, if you used 50 min on Day 1, you only have 10 min of buffer on Day 2.

Breach detection

Every 60 seconds, the extension checks: has your cumulative usage crossed the ceiling? If yes, a breach fires. The server atomically records the breach, charges the penalty, rerails the line, and notifies you.

The check runs continuously while you browse. The moment your total usage exceeds the ceiling, the breach fires — no delay, no grace period.

Rerail — the line snaps to you

After a breach, the ceiling moves to your current usage. This prevents you from being permanently stuck above the ceiling with no way to recover. You get a fresh start — but you still paid the penalty.

New ceiling = current usage + cooldown allowance. The cooldown gives you exactly that many minutes of headroom before the next breach can fire.

Respite — breathing room (tomorrow)

Respite adds extra ceiling the morning after a breach — not during it. This gives you a buffer for recovery the next day without rewarding you during the binge.

Why deferred? Because usage is tracked in real-time. If we gave respite immediately, you'd burn through it during the same binge session. Deferring guarantees the full buffer is available for recovery the next day.

Continuous penalty during binges

If you keep watching after a breach, more breaches fire. Each one raises the ceiling by the cooldown amount and charges the next escalated penalty. You can't just "eat the penalty" and binge freely.

With a 30-minute cooldown: first breach fires, ceiling rises 30 min. 30 minutes later if you're still over, second breach fires. The penalty doubles each time.

Penalty escalation

The first breach is free — a warning. The second costs your starting penalty (e.g. ₹50). Each subsequent breach doubles: ₹100, ₹200, ₹400, up to your cap. Penalties never reset automatically.

This exponential escalation means the system quickly finds your actual pain threshold. At some point, the penalty is enough to make you close the tab.

7-day akrasia horizon

Want to change your rate, respite, or penalty? The change takes 7 days to apply. You can't weaken your commitment in the moment of temptation. Think of it like a parent who won't reduce the punishment just because the child is crying right now — the rational, calm version of you sets the rules, and the impulsive version has to live with them.

The delay forces you to stay committed for a full week before any weakening takes effect. By the time the change applies, most people realize they don't actually want it and cancel. New goal creation is immediate (adding commitment, not weakening it). Goal deletion also has a 7-day delay. You can cancel pending changes anytime.

Payment mandate

To enable automatic charges, you set up a payment mandate (UPI Autopay or Card Standing Instruction via Cashfree). Breaches deduct from this mandate automatically — no manual payment needed.

You authorize a maximum mandate amount. Each breach charges only the penalty amount for that breach, never more.

The cumulative model, visualized

Day	Ceiling	Usage	Buffer	Status
Mon	30m	25m	5m	Safe
Tue	60m	50m	10m	Safe
Wed	90m	55m	35m	Safe — banked buffer
Thu	120m	125m	-5m	BREACH
Thu (post-rerail)	155m	125m	30m	Rerailed + cooldown

Example: 30 min/day goal with 30-min cooldown allowance. On Thursday, a binge pushes usage over the ceiling, triggering a breach. The rerail snaps the ceiling to usage + cooldown.

Reading the signals: when to adjust your goals

Breaches aren't just punishments — they're data. How often you breach tells you whether your goals are calibrated correctly.

Breaching constantly

If you're continuously below the red line — multiple breaches per week — your goals are too aggressive. Your daily rate doesn't match your actual capacity.

Action: Increase your daily rate to something achievable, then tighten gradually once stable. (Takes 7 days to apply.)

Always on the edge

If you use almost exactly your allowance every day with zero buffer, one bad day will breach you. You're living without breathing room.

Action: Increase your rate or respite so you have a buffer for bad days. Sustainability beats perfection.

Well-calibrated

Most days, comfortably below the ceiling. Some banked buffer. Occasional bad day dips into the buffer. Rare breach that reminds you to course-correct.

This is the target. The system is working as intended — the threat of penalty keeps you in check without constant punishment.

Ready to put real stakes on your screen time?

Create an account, install the Chrome extension, and set your first goal.