What counts as AI time
Once a second, Touch Grass looks at whatever is frontmost on your Mac and asks whether it is AI.
- Apps are matched by bundle id. Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and so on.
- A frontmost terminal is checked for AI command line tools such as
claude,codex,aider, andgemini. That includes ones running under an interpreter, likenode …/claude. - A frontmost browser has the address of its current tab read locally and compared against a list of AI domains like chatgpt.com, claude.ai, and perplexity.ai.
Only while you are actually there
A second counts when you are present at an AI surface, meaning there was recent keyboard or mouse activity. It also counts when an AI command line tool is working in the background and using CPU, even if you are not typing. A window left open in the corner does not count. Neither does an unrelated app.
A rolling window
Counted seconds add up inside a sliding window that you choose. The running total is saved to disk, so quitting and relaunching does not reset it. You pick up where you left off.
A warning, one minute ahead
Before a break, a small notice appears. You get time to finish the thought and save your work. Nothing happens mid-sentence.
The break
When you cross the limit, every display fills with a slow dawn to dusk landscape and a countdown. A small plant grows while you are away. The overlay covers all screens and Cmd-Tab is paused for the duration, which is rather the point. The end time is saved too, so if you quit mid-break it resumes the remaining time when you relaunch.
Firm, but not a trap
There is no anti-tamper daemon and nothing running that you cannot see. The break always clears on its own timer, and you can quit the app whenever you like. It is meant to be a nudge with a nice view.
Still curious? Read the FAQ or the privacy page, or download it, set a tiny limit, and watch it happen.