Session
Focus timer with app blocking, planning, and session analytics
Session's solo core is compact: build a local desktop utility that captures the essential focus timer workflow with keyboard-first controls and local storage. A competent builder can reach a useful personal version in one sitting, while the paid product mainly wins on polish, OS integration.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- cross-device sync
- deep operating-system edge-case coverage
- polished shortcuts and accessibility
- vendor-maintained updates
Why people still pay
Session: People keep paying because a utility used dozens of times a day must be instant, predictable, and compatible with every OS update.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- Runtime and tools: Swift, SwiftUI/AppKit and SQLite on macOS, with secrets in Keychain where needed.
- Before starting: A Mac, the current Xcode toolchain and a documented permission checklist; distribution signing is a separate delivery task.
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Project rule — domain: Store Intention, SessionStart, PauseInterval, Completion and Reminder; derive elapsed time from timestamps rather than assuming timer ticks run while the machine sleeps.
Project rule — scope and recovery: A timer is not guaranteed app blocking. Keep overrides and emergency exit visible, and present activity trends without moral judgments or claims about productivity.
Project rule — acceptance: Put the Mac to sleep mid-session and reopen it after the planned end; show the actual elapsed state and ask how to record the interrupted session.
Project rule — delivery: document real setup commands and permissions; do not claim a build, accuracy level, performance result or security certification that has not been demonstrated.
Recommended skill: swiftui-expert-skill — design native SwiftUI state, accessible controls and permission/error views for the proposed Apple-platform interface. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime.
Recommended skill: swift-concurrency — isolate capture, background work and UI updates, and make cancellation invalidate late callbacks. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Pin the working slice and create its example input: Start a focus timer from a short intention, pause or end deliberately, and review completed sessions with optional distraction reminders. Confirm setup: A Mac, the current Xcode toolchain and a documented permission checklist; distribution signing is a separate delivery task.
Phase 2
Implement persistence and write-time invariants before decorating the UI: Store Intention, SessionStart, PauseInterval, Completion and Reminder; derive elapsed time from timestamps rather than assuming timer ticks run while the machine sleeps.
Phase 3
Connect the working view to real saved state. Ask for each operating-system permission when its feature is used. Handle denial and revocation without a loop; show permission status and keep local history deletable.
Phase 4
Expose the app-specific limits and recovery path in context: A timer is not guaranteed app blocking. Keep overrides and emergency exit visible, and present activity trends without moral judgments or claims about productivity.
Phase 5
Walk through this concrete acceptance case and preserve its exported evidence: Put the Mac to sleep mid-session and reopen it after the planned end; show the actual elapsed state and ask how to record the interrupted session. Finish the README and backup/restore instructions; report unfinished capabilities explicitly.
Build the following focused alternative to Session. Implement the focused workflow below first; the verdict is not evidence of a completed or production-certified build. WORKING SLICE Start a focus timer from a short intention, pause or end deliberately, and review completed sessions with optional distraction reminders. SETUP AND ARCHITECTURE Use Swift, SwiftUI/AppKit and SQLite on macOS, with secrets in Keychain where needed. Prerequisites: A Mac, the current Xcode toolchain and a documented permission checklist; distribution signing is a separate delivery task. Before integrating anything, record actual versions and permissions, plus model files or provider limits only where used, in the README; make unavailable dependencies visible rather than simulating success. DOMAIN MODEL AND INVARIANTS Store Intention, SessionStart, PauseInterval, Completion and Reminder; derive elapsed time from timestamps rather than assuming timer ticks run while the machine sleeps. IMPLEMENTATION CONTRACT Ask for each operating-system permission when its feature is used. Handle denial and revocation without a loop; show permission status and keep local history deletable. Provide an input/setup view, the main work view, and a review/export view appropriate to this workflow. Preserve the last saved state if a job or save fails. Include empty, loading, permission-denied, partial and retryable-error states. Log identifiers and error categories without secret values or unnecessary private content. APP-SPECIFIC BOUNDARY AND RECOVERY A timer is not guaranteed app blocking. Keep overrides and emergency exit visible, and present activity trends without moral judgments or claims about productivity. ACCEPTANCE SCENARIO Put the Mac to sleep mid-session and reopen it after the planned end; show the actual elapsed state and ask how to record the interrupted session. Also reopen the app after an interrupted operation, confirm the saved record/export remains inspectable, and document the recovery action. These are implementation acceptance requirements, not a claim that this guide has been tested. DELIVERY Deliver a runnable repository with migrations or project-format versioning, a non-sensitive example, environment/permission setup, the exact manual acceptance steps, and a backup/export-and-restore walkthrough. Implement the working slice before optional integrations; list any deferred paid-product capabilities honestly. Do not add capabilities outside the working slice just to resemble the original product. PROJECT RULES FOR AGENTS.md Keep the domain invariants above executable at the write boundary. Propose scope changes before adding providers or permissions. Never fabricate source evidence, publish results, identity matches or successful delivery. Preserve user originals and require an explicit confirmation for destructive changes or external publication.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan
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Session pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0/user | $0/user | Unlimited focus and rest sessions; analytics limited to the past 2 days; calendar view included. |
| pro | $4.99/user | $3.33/user | Full analytics, planning, blocking, and Pro features.$39.99 billed yearly; 7-day trial that does not start a subscription. |
free tierUnlimited focus and rest sessions; analytics show only the past 2 days.
billingmonthly + annual; 7-day trial with no subscription started
hidden costsThe $3.33 figure on file is the annual-billing equivalent; month-to-month Pro is $4.99. Prices can differ by region and subscriptions auto-renew; the 30% student discount lasts 1 year and does not renew.
pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Session
Can you build your own Session with AI?
The verdict is yes for the scoped workflow. Session's solo core is compact: build a local desktop utility that captures the essential focus timer workflow with keyboard-first controls and local storage. A competent builder can reach a useful personal version in one sitting, while the paid product mainly wins on polish, OS integration.
What does the Session build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Start a focus timer from a short intention, pause or end deliberately, and review completed sessions with optional distraction reminders. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: cross-device sync; deep operating-system edge-case coverage; polished shortcuts and accessibility. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Session prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Session project take?
The catalogue estimate is one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Session?
cross-device sync; deep operating-system edge-case coverage; polished shortcuts and accessibility; vendor-maintained updates. Session: People keep paying because a utility used dozens of times a day must be instant, predictable, and compatible with every OS update.
What price is this guide comparing against?
The recorded Pro plan is $3.33/mo (annual-equivalent individual subscription), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.
What can I use instead of building Session?
The prior-art section lists ActivityWatch as starting points. Review their current scope, license and maintenance before adopting one.