Chrome Extension · Shipped
CoffeeCat
Focus without network access.
A privacy-first focus timer Chrome extension with no backend, no analytics, and no host permissions.
- 0NETWORK CALLS
- 0DEPENDENCIES
- 0ACCOUNTS
Testing whether a tool can be genuinely useful with zero access to your data.
Timer
Local sync over a backend.
I chose chrome.storage.sync over a backend because focus sessions should follow a Chrome profile without an account or a new data surface. The cost is quota and per-profile storage limits, but that is a better constraint than building a service just to store a timer.
Permissions
The manifest is the privacy policy.
The extension requests no host permissions, so Chrome will not grant it page content — even if the code asks.
No backend to breach. No dependencies to audit.
Surprise
The sync boundary is a real boundary.
The useful surprise was that a zero-backend product still has distributed-state behavior: profiles can be offline, delayed, or at quota. I kept the timer useful locally and made the sync layer additive instead of making a session depend on it.
Next pass
Cut accounts before adding features.
Next time I would cut social or analytics features before widening the permission surface. The product is strongest when the manifest stays legible at a glance.
Craft
Artwork generated, not exported.
A Python tool renders the sprites. A test fails if the popup and this site drift apart.