commit_motivation

Block distracting websites on macOS until you make at least one GitHub commit today.

By default it blocks Gmail (mail.google.com, gmail.com) until your GitHub account has a PushEvent dated today (in your local timezone). The block re-engages automatically every day at 00:01.

How it works

• A small shell script (commit_gate.sh) hits the public GitHub events API for your username. If there's a PushEvent today, it removes a marked block from /etc/hosts. Otherwise, it adds it.
• Two launchd agents run the script: one every 5 minutes (and at login), and one daily at 00:01 to re-block.
• A narrow sudoers rule lets the script copy a single staged file into /etc/hosts without prompting for a password each time.

Requirements

• macOS
• A public GitHub account (private-repo pushes won't show up in the public events API)
• python3 (preinstalled at /usr/bin/python3 on macOS)

Install

git clone https://github.com/<you>/commit_motivation.git
cd commit_motivation
cp .env.example .env
# edit .env and set GITHUB_USER to your github username
$EDITOR .env
bash install.sh

install.sh will:

1. Read your .env
2. Install a sudoers rule at /etc/sudoers.d/commit_motivation (asks for your password once)
3. Render and load two LaunchAgents into ~/Library/LaunchAgents
4. Run an initial check

Configuration

Edit .env:

GITHUB_USER=your-github-username
BLOCKED_HOSTS=mail.google.com,www.mail.google.com,gmail.com,www.gmail.com

BLOCKED_HOSTS is a comma-separated list. Examples:

# Block Twitter and Reddit instead
BLOCKED_HOSTS=twitter.com,www.twitter.com,x.com,www.x.com,reddit.com,www.reddit.com

After changing .env, just wait — the next 5-minute poll picks up the new BLOCKED_HOSTS and rewrites /etc/hosts to match. To apply immediately: ./commit_gate.sh check.

Manual commands

./commit_gate.sh check     # poll GitHub and toggle the block
./commit_gate.sh status    # print BLOCKED or UNBLOCKED
./commit_gate.sh unblock   # force-remove the block (next poll may re-add)
./commit_gate.sh reset     # force-add the block

Logs: ~/.commit_motivation/gate.log

Uninstall

bash uninstall.sh

Unloads the LaunchAgents, removes the /etc/hosts block, and deletes the sudoers rule.

Limitations

This is a soft commitment device, not a hard lock. Anyone who knows what they're doing can sudo vi /etc/hosts and delete the block in 30 seconds, or just disable the LaunchAgent. The friction is the whole point — it's there to interrupt the autopilot of opening Gmail, not to defeat a determined procrastinator.

Other things to know:

• Browser cache: after a hostname is added to /etc/hosts, browsers may keep an existing tab connected. Cmd+Q (fully quit) and reopen.
• Public events only: pushes to private repos don't show up in /users/<name>/events/public. If you only commit to private repos, this won't work for you.
• Fails open: if GitHub's API is unreachable, the script does not block (so you're not stranded with no email when GitHub goes down).
• Local timezone: "today" is your machine's local date, not UTC.
• Doesn't block native apps: this is /etc/hosts-based, so anything bypassing system DNS (some VPNs, some apps using DoH) will still work.
• macOS only: uses launchd and macOS-style /etc/hosts flushing. Linux would need different scheduling and DNS-flush commands.