Block Shorts, keep YouTube
Most people don't want YouTube gone. They want the tutorial without the next hour. Add youtube.com/shorts as a target and Shorts get a wall while regular videos still open. Or protect all of youtube.com and set a short unlock, such as 10 minutes, for when you genuinely need a video.
Late-night watching
Focus Hours can make YouTube stricter on a schedule, for example after 10 pm. A temporary unlock won't override it, so the late-night version of you doesn't get the final say.
How it works
- Add a Site Target. Type a domain such as youtube.com or reddit.com, or narrow it to a path like youtube.com/shorts.
- Choose an intent wall. Pick how much friction stands between you and the site, and how long access lasts once you choose to go in: anywhere from 1 to 60 minutes.
- Turn on the Safari extension. Enable Intent Guard in Safari and allow it on your target sites. The app walks you through each switch.
- See the wall once. Open the site in Safari. When the wall appears, protection is live; until then, Intent Guard won't pretend it is.
Intent walls you can choose
- Gentle Pause: a short, calm pause before the page opens, enough to ask whether you meant to come here.
- Math Check: solve a quick problem to continue. It breaks autopilot without needing a code.
- Passcode: entry needs a code, useful when you want a firmer line or someone else keeps the code.
- Focus Hours: stricter protection on a timer or a schedule. Temporary unlocks never override Focus Hours.
When you do enter, the unlock covers that whole site for the time you chose, then the wall comes back on its own. You can revoke an unlock early.
Questions
- Does it block the YouTube app?
- No. Intent Guard protects youtube.com in Safari. It's designed for people who deleted the app and now open YouTube in the browser instead.
- Can I see how much time I spend on YouTube?
- If you turn tracking on for YouTube, Intent Guard shows your time there, blocked attempts and unlocks. You can also leave tracking off; protection works either way.
- Does it work on Mac?
- Yes. Intent Guard has iPhone and Mac apps, each with its own Safari extension.