馬 dinesh_achari

Native macOS app · built for ADHD

SuperNudge

The focus companion that scaffolds attention without shame. AI screen-awareness that nudges you back — never blocks, never alarms, never blames.

macOS 14+ menu-bar app Nudges, not blockers Opt-in by default
Request early access Why I built this

the story

I built the tool I was ashamed to need.

Every focus app I tried was a cop. Blockers, streaks, red badges — tools built on the assumption that I was lazy and needed policing. I wasn't lazy. I was drowning quietly behind a screen that looked productive.

I'd start a 25-minute timer and look up at 4 PM. One "you're distracted" ping could sink an entire day. Every planner assumed a person I have never been.

So SuperNudge isn't a startup idea. It's the accommodation I built for myself after 33 years — and every feature on this page started as one of my own failures. That's the section below.

Read the full story →

see it move

Real captures. No mockups.

Everything below was recorded from the actual app, running a real session on my Mac — including the moment it caught me on Reddit.

start_focus.mov
One goal. One dial. One tap — and the session begins settling in.
nudge_on_reddit.mov
I drifted to Reddit mid-session. The response: "It's okay to get distracted, Dinesh." Not a block. Not an alarm. A hand back.
ambient_glow.mov — 60s in 12
A minute of a real session, compressed to twelve seconds — the Chromatic Ticker breathing at the screen edge, the tide rising in the dial. Time you can feel, not fear.
goal_sticky.mov
The goal never leaves the screen corner — and the menu bar keeps quiet time.
complete_goal.mov
I was on task 42% of the time. It still asked "how did that go?" and offered me a win — "No pressure — this is just for you."
// what it is

SuperNudge is a native macOS focus companion for ADHD brains. It lives in your menu bar, notices when you drift, and guides you back with a calm cue — timer, AI Focus Buddy, task board, dopamine menu, ambient HUD. Positive reinforcement, never shame.

why it exists

Most productivity tools fail ADHD brains by design.

They run on shame, rigid schedules, and negative reinforcement. SuperNudge does the opposite — when you drift, it offers a hand, not a verdict.

What it refuses to do

  • "You are distracted." — shame markers
  • Loud, jarring Pomodoro alarms
  • Red "BLOCKED" / punishment design
  • Blank required fields (blank is friction)
  • Agents that act silently in the background
  • Auto-deleting your parked ideas

What it does instead

  • Verb-first, agency-framed nudges
  • Soft-landing glow + gentle chimes
  • Warm amber health, never alarm-red
  • Fields pre-filled from your real data
  • Propose-and-confirm — you approve first
  • "Vaporize safely," never nag

what's inside

A full focus system, tuned for the inattentive-type brain.

Not a generic Pomodoro timer — a companion for the specific ways an ADHD brain slips: time blindness, object permanence gaps, task-initiation paralysis, and rejection sensitivity.

Focus & Sessions

Focus Sessions

Timed deep-work around a goal, tracking elapsed time and on-task percentage.

Focus / Break dial

One dial to flip between a work sprint and a break — no menus.

Auto goal breakdown

One tap splits a goal into ~3 micro-steps, tuned to your energy.

Sequential micro-goals

One step at a time; finishing pops confetti and re-anchors you.

Open-ended sessions

A sandbox mode that counts up — never a stressful 00:00.

Menu-bar timer pill

A live mm:ss countdown in the macOS menu bar.

Nudges & Interventions

AI screen-aware nudges

Drift to Reddit or YouTube and a calm capsule offers a supportive nudge.

Forgiveness Protocol

Verb-first, warm copy capped at three actions — never "you failed."

Quiet Mode

Silence nudges for 2h (or auto during meetings); timer keeps running.

Focus Coach

An optional screen-aware coaching line for gentle mid-session guidance.

The Focus Buddy — AI agent

Focus Buddy

A chat teammate that works across tasks, inbox, sessions, and settings.

Propose-and-confirm

Never changes data silently — every action needs your approval first.

Skills

Attachable instruction sets — Weekly Review, Inbox-to-Tasks, and more.

Routines

Time- or event-triggered runs that draft proposals — off by default.

Agent memory

Persistent threads, a facts notebook, and on-device semantic recall.

Bring your own AI

Anthropic, OpenAI-compatible, Google Gemini, or Mimo — no lock-in.

Capture, Tasks & Email

Park a thought (⌥Space)

Dump a distracting thought into an inbox from anywhere, zero friction.

Kanban task board

Columns, swimlanes, and list views to organize tasks your way.

Parked-List Rescue

Stale items decay to warm amber with a gentle "keep or let go?"

Email triage

Unify Gmail and Outlook; turn any email into a calm 3-step task.

ADHD accommodations

Spoon Energy

Set low / balanced / high; it reshapes breakdown and what surfaces.

1-Percent Micro-Victory

Name the first action; doing it triggers a sparkling win.

Body Doubling Simulator

A subtle "virtual focus buddy" so you're not working alone.

Dopamine Menu

Energy-aware breaks with a "🎲 Roll for Dopamine" for choice paralysis.

Micro-Wins

Low-friction "what went right?" — incl. "Bare Minimum" & "Spite Win."

Breathing Recharge

A calming breathing break overlay for a reset.

The ambient HUD

Chromatic Time Ticker

The screen edge shifts hue (teal→violet→amber) so you feel time pass.

Holographic Goal Sticky

A click-through capsule pins your goal so it's never out of mind.

Ambient vignette

A soft edge glow shows focus health in calm green-amber-coral.

Configurable widgets

Movable glass widgets: countdown ring, goal board, task panel.

Soft-Landing breaks

Breaks arrive as a gentle glow shift + soft chimes, never an alarm.

Grounding soundscapes

Ambient focus audio to steady a session.

Tracking & reflection

Analytics dashboard

On-task %, focused minutes, streaks, mood — stored locally.

Session timeline

Browse past sessions with full detail and reflections.

Session-end reflection

Optional mood, a note, and a micro-win when a session ends.

the scars became features

Every feature started as one of my failures.

"I'd blink and four hours were gone."
Chromatic Time Ticker — the screen edge drifts teal → violet → amber, so I feel time in my peripheral vision instead of fearing a countdown.
"If the goal left my screen, it left my brain."
Holographic Goal Sticky — a click-through capsule that pins the goal on screen. Out of sight is no longer out of mind.
"Starting was always the hardest part."
1-Percent Micro-Victory — it only asks for the first action ("Open Xcode"). Do it, and the screen celebrates like you shipped.
"One 'you failed' ping could end my whole day."
Forgiveness Protocol — every nudge is verb-first and warm. There is no way to make this app tell you that you failed.
"Alarms ripped me out of hyperfocus like a fire drill."
Soft-Landing breaks — a slow glow shift and soft chimes land you gently, instead of fracturing your train of thought.
"Some days there is no dopamine to spend."
Spoon Energy + 🎲 Roll for Dopamine — tell it you're at low energy and it shrinks every decision to match.

built honestly

Native, private, and calm by law.

Platform
Native macOS 14+ app — Swift & SwiftUI, a menu-bar app with always-on, click-through overlays.
Detection
Screen capture is downscaled and classified by AI; no screenshot or recording history is ever retained.
Your data
Analytics, tasks, and history live locally on your Mac. Email connects over OAuth — no passwords stored.
Your AI
Bring your own provider key (Anthropic, OpenAI-compatible, Gemini, or Mimo). No vendor lock-in.
Calm law
Every feature is opt-in by default and every animation respects Reduce Motion.

on the roadmap

Honest about what's next.

Planned, not yet shipped — listed so you know exactly where the product is.

Notch Companion Push-to-talk voice capture Graduated distraction blocking Session automation hooks Evening recap (wins only) Screenshot-free coach Google Calendar true sync Mac App Store build

frequently asked

SuperNudge, answered plainly.

What is SuperNudge?
A native macOS focus companion built specifically for ADHD and neurodivergent (inattentive-type) brains. It runs in the menu bar, watches your screen during a focus session, and when you drift it guides you back with a calm, supportive nudge instead of an alarm, a blocker, or a shame message.
How is it different from a Pomodoro timer or other focus apps?
Most focus apps block apps and sound jarring alarms. SuperNudge nudges instead of blocks, uses color-based peripheral time cues instead of anxiety-inducing countdowns, and its AI agent proposes actions but never acts silently. No red "BLOCKED", no "you are distracted."
Is it private? Where is my data stored?
Analytics, tasks, and history are stored locally on your Mac. Screen captures are downscaled and classified but no screenshot or recording history is retained. Email connects over OAuth with no passwords stored, and you bring your own AI provider key.
What platforms does it support?
A native macOS 14+ app built with Swift and SwiftUI. It runs as a menu-bar app with always-on, click-through overlays. A sandboxed Mac App Store build is planned.
Is SuperNudge good for ADHD?
It is purpose-built for inattentive-type ADHD. Each feature targets a specific cognitive block: the Chromatic Time Ticker for time blindness, the Holographic Goal Sticky for object permanence, 1-Percent Micro-Victory for task-initiation paralysis, and the Forgiveness Protocol for rejection sensitive dysphoria.

Focus that works with your brain, not against it.

SuperNudge is in active development. Ask for early access and I'll keep you posted as builds ship.

Request early access Back to the blueprint