Unrestricted windows
Schedule times when a site is completely open. PurposeGate still counts activity quietly so the daily review stays accurate.
Private Chrome extension
PurposeGate
Put a thoughtful gate between impulse and screen time with local rules, intentional YouTube viewing, quiet schedules, and a private daily review.
Your boundaries
Rules and schedules
Focus starts with a clear boundary.
Set the rules that keep your attention pointed toward what you meant to do.
Y
YouTube
45 min/day
R
Reddit
20 min/day
Ready for manual install
Download it, unzip it, and keep one stable extension folder.
PurposeGate is distributed here as a Chrome extension ZIP for testing before the Chrome Web Store release. Chrome does not install ZIP files directly, so first-time installs load one extracted folder in Developer mode. Updates replace that same folder and use Reload.
Existing manual install
Update the same folder. Do not load a second copy.
Chrome treats a different unpacked folder as a different extension. To keep your existing rules and activity, update the folder Chrome already has loaded, then reload that extension from the Extensions page.
Download the update ZIP- Find the current PurposeGate card Open chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode, and keep the original PurposeGate card enabled.
- Open the folder Chrome already uses Use the path shown on the original card. This is the folder to update.
- Replace the files in that folder Unzip the new download somewhere temporary, then copy its contents over the existing PurposeGate files.
- Reload PurposeGate Return to chrome://extensions and click Reload on the original PurposeGate card.
- Remove only accidental duplicates If you already loaded the update as a separate extension, remove the duplicate after confirming your original PurposeGate still has your rules.
What it does
Flexible accountability without cloud tracking.
Daily budgets
Set active-use limits for distracting sites and choose whether PurposeGate blocks the page or redirects you somewhere more useful.
YouTube intentions
Pause each distinct YouTube video until you write what you want from it, then review what you actually watched later.
Private daily review
Review usage, overrides, redirects, and video intentions on your own device. Export records when you want them and delete them when you do not.
Manual installation tutorial
Enable Developer mode and load PurposeGate.
This takes about two minutes. These steps are for Google Chrome on desktop; Brave, Edge, and other Chromium browsers use a very similar extension page.
Download the ZIP first-
1
Download and unzip PurposeGate
Save the ZIP, right-click it, choose Extract All, and keep the extracted folder somewhere you will not delete.
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2
Open Chrome Extensions
In Chrome, go to chrome://extensions. You can paste that directly into the address bar.
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3
Turn on Developer mode
Use the Developer mode switch in the top-right corner of the Extensions page.
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4
Choose Load unpacked
Click Load unpacked, select the extracted PurposeGate folder, and confirm. Do not select the ZIP file itself.
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5
Pin and configure
Pin PurposeGate from Chrome's extension menu, open it, and create your first site rule from the options screen.
How it handles access
PurposeGate asks for site access only when a rule needs it.
YouTube access
Used for the optional per-video intention workflow.
Configured-site access
Requested when you add a site rule so PurposeGate can enforce it.
Optional notifications
Used only if you enable a local daily-review reminder.
Privacy posture
No account. No analytics. No remote activity tracking.
Rules, viewing intentions, usage records, override reasons, and reports stay in Chrome extension storage and IndexedDB on your device.
Activity is automatically pruned after 90 days. You can export or delete records from the extension whenever you choose.
PurposeGate is a self-accountability tool. Chrome still lets you disable or uninstall it, and it does not control other browsers or native apps.
Start testing today