Now in open beta, 14 days free
Stay focused.
Get nudged
when you drift.
A blocker can't tell a 10 hour work day from a 10 hour binge. Hawser can.
Hawser is an AI accountability app for Windows. It runs on your computer, watches for the moments you slip off task, and gently reminds you what you said you wanted to do today, instead of blocking you outright. Like having a friend over your shoulder, except they actually pay attention.
Join the beta Why not a blocker?
Free for 14 days, no card. $25/mo when you're ready. Windows 10 and 11.Windows only for now.
Not at your computer? Leave an email and you'll hear when there's something new.
hawser /ˈhɔː·zər/ (HAW-zer) noun
The heavy rope that holds a ship fast to the dock, so it can't drift away. Hawser does the same job for your attention.
Why not just use a blocker?
A blocker only sees the site. Hawser reads the mission you set that morning. So a CSS Grid tutorial on a video site counts as work, and a speedrun on the same site means you've drifted. Hawser stays quiet on the first and checks in on the second. If you've tried Cold Turkey, Freedom or RescueTime, Hawser works differently: it reads what you're trying to do, not just which site you're on.
Your mission, both days: finish the pricing page
Loop stands in for the video site you're thinking of.
Build a pricing page in CSS Grid
A blocker: same answer both days
Matches your mission. Hawser stays quiet.
Minecraft 1.16 speedrun world record
A blocker: same answer both days
Not your mission. Hawser checks in.
14 days free, no card, cancel anytime. Windows 10 and 11.
What Hawser does
One daily mission, a companion that keeps it in front of you, and a gentle pull back the moment you drift.
One daily mission
Set the single thing that matters today. A focus ring fills as you work, with today's tasks right underneath.
A gentle pull back
When you drift, Hawser doesn't lock your screen. It asks what's pulling at you, then helps you get back to it.
Blocks, only if you ask for them
Nothing is blocked until you add it. When you do want a hard line, close an app, block a site or a whole category, or just get a warning after a few minutes. Schedules switch the rules by time of day.
Brain dump
Drop any loose thought, typed or spoken, and Hawser sorts it into a task, reminder, idea, or note for you.
Your rhythm
After a few days it knows your peak focus window, your best days, and what pulls you off, so you can work with your grain.
Local first and private
Your notes, missions and history live on your machine. When Hawser needs a look, a compressed screenshot goes to the AI, is answered in the moment and never stored; you see this at setup and can switch it off there or any time in Settings. Want nothing to leave your computer? A fully local AI mode covers that too. Here is everything it looks at
A companion you can actually talk to
It notices when you drift and pulls you back with real context, and you can talk straight back. Type or speak in plain English, and it does the thing.
- Proactive check-ins on your schedule: a gentle nudge first, a full screen one only if you asked for it.
- Co-working sessions, body double on one task for a set time.
- Set rules by talking: "block YouTube after 20 minutes," "no games weekday afternoons."
- Hands off the menus, manage tasks, goals, reminders, decks, and focus modes just by asking.
- "What's on my screen?" It looks, only when you ask.
A gentle pull back, not a lockout
It doesn't slam a wall down. It shows you the window it saw and asks one honest question: back to it, or did the plan change?
- Honest options: back to it, I meant to do this, or talk it through.
- Real context: your mission, the window, how long you were there.
- Quiet by default: no nudge while you're on task.
Here is everything Hawser looks at.
What Hawser reads
- the window title
- the app name
- the site's domain
- how long you were there
- when it needs to look, a compressed screenshot, sent to the AI (Anthropic's Claude, which does not train on it), answered in the moment and never stored (one switch turns it off)
What Hawser never does
- log your keystrokes
- read your messages or files
- keep screenshots anywhere
- send anything off your machine without showing you at setup what goes and why
Hawser is built by one person, Jacob. Questions about any of this go straight to him: [email protected]. Bugs get reported in the beta Discord, to the person who fixes them.
14 days free, no card, cancel anytime. Windows 10 and 11.
Talk instead of type
Press Ctrl+Alt+D and speak into anything on your computer: an email, a doc, a chat box, your editor. Your words drop in, cleaned up.
- Works everywhere, not just inside Hawser.
- Auto cleanup fixes mishears and filler as you go.
- Rewrite on the fly: professional, casual, concise, or your own custom style.
- Your choice: accurate cloud transcription, or fully on device so audio never leaves your machine.
- Straight to brain dump. Speak a stray thought anywhere and it lands in brain dump already sorted, no typing required.
Learn in the cracks of your day
Hawser can quietly surface a flashcard between work blocks, so you chip away at a language, a deck, or a skill without ever scheduling a study session. Off by default, turn it on when you want it.
- Spaced repetition, cards come back right before you'd forget.
- Audio cards, hear a clip, then reveal. Great for music and pronunciation.
- Import your Anki decks (.apkg), audio included.
- AI deck generator, describe a topic and Hawser writes the deck.
- Ambient review, a card appears in the corner or full screen, your call.
After a few days it knows your rhythm
And everything else in the box
One subscription unlocks all of it, no tiers, no add ons.
Goals and roadmap
- Roadmap, break big goals down by horizon
- Pull a goal into today as a linked task
- Focus profiles, save a setup, switch in a tap
Capture and reminders
- Smart reminders, capsule, toast, or takeover
- Auto categorized captures
- Search, pin and archive
Rituals
- Shutdown ritual, review, roll tasks, plan tomorrow
- Welcome back, pick up where you left off
- Quiet modes, mute notifications on your terms
Make it yours
- Color palettes, recolor the whole app
- Themes and accessibility, contrast, text scaling
- Rebindable shortcuts
Insights
- Your rhythm, peaks, best days, distractions
- History, day by day, mission replay
Your data
- Export and backups, manual or scheduled, encrypted
- Account and sync across devices
- Local first by default
Simple pricing
One subscription. All features. No tiers, no add ons, no upsells. Pay monthly or yearly, same Hawser either way.
You pick monthly or yearly inside the app, after the 14 days. These two are here so you can see the numbers side by side; either button starts the same free trial.
Personal, monthly
$25
per month, billed monthly
- 14 days free, then $25/mo
- No card to start; subscribe when you're ready
- Unlimited AI nudges
- Can look at your screen when a window title isn't enough
- AI included, nothing else to sign up for
- When the trial ends, your data stays on your machine and the AI features pause until you subscribe.
- Cancel anytime, no questions
14 days free first. No card to start. Subscribe and change your mind? Full refund within 14 days of the first charge.
Two months free
Personal, yearly
$250
per year, billed yearly
- Two months free against paying monthly
- Works out at $20.83 a month, $50 saved
- The same 14 day free trial first
- Everything in the monthly plan
- AI included, nothing else to sign up for
- When the trial ends, your data stays on your machine and the AI features pause until you subscribe.
- Cancel anytime, no questions
14 days free first. No card to start. Subscribe and change your mind? Full refund within 14 days of the first charge.
Questions people ask
Is Hawser a blocker?
No. It nudges you back on task instead of locking you out, and you can always answer that you meant to do this. Blocks exist, but nothing is blocked until you add it.
How much does Hawser cost?
$25 a month or $250 a year, after a 14 day free trial that needs no card. One plan with everything in it. Cancel anytime.
Why a subscription when a blocker is a one time fee?
Because a blocker is a list, and a list costs nothing to run. Hawser reads what you're doing and thinks about it all day, and that costs real money every day it runs. The AI is included in the price, with nothing else to sign up for.
What does Hawser see?
The window title, the app name, the site's domain, how long you've been there, and, only when it needs a closer look, a compressed screenshot sent to the AI (Anthropic's Claude, which does not train on it) and never stored. It never logs keystrokes.
What does open beta mean?
It's finished enough to pay for and still getting better every week. Whether you join now during beta or later, the trial is the same 14 days.
What does Hawser run on?
Windows 10 and 11. Mac is on the roadmap; leave an email on this page to hear when it lands.
Ready to actually focus?
Free for 14 days, no card. $25/mo when you're ready, cancel anytime. Full refund within 14 days of the first charge. Windows 10 and 11.
A hawser is the heavy rope that holds a ship fast to the dock, so it can't drift away.
On a Mac, or not at your computer? Leave an email and you'll hear when Mac lands or something big ships.