Frequently Asked Questions
Everything about what LessLLM blocks, how the blocking actually holds, and what it costs.
What is LessLLM?
LessLLM is a free macOS menu bar app that blacks out AI chat services — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok — on a schedule you set, enforced at the DNS level by a system daemon rather than an honor-system browser extension. The idea is less LLM, not no LLM. It runs on macOS 14 and later and is signed and notarized.
Which AI services does LessLLM block?
ChatGPT and OpenAI (including Codex), Claude and Anthropic (including the Claude desktop app and Claude Code CLI), Google Gemini (and Antigravity), and Grok from xAI. The block list is generated from the app’s source code so it can’t drift, domains are blocked with all their subdomains, and running AI apps are quit when a blackout starts.
How does LessLLM block AI sites — can I just turn it off?
A root daemon sinks DNS for the blocked services at the system level, so a new tab, a different browser, an app reinstall, or a reboot stays blocked — and quitting LessLLM does not lift it. The daemon remembers its state across restarts. The only ways out are the exits you chose ahead of time, labeled by severity.
Can I unblock LessLLM early if I need to?
Yes, but by design it’s costly. You choose how hard each block bites on a severity
ladder — from a nudge you can wave off to a self-ransom that costs real money to
break the window early: $1, $5, $25, or
$100.
Is LessLLM free?
Yes. LessLLM is a free download for macOS 14 and later, signed and notarized. The only money involved is the optional self-ransom penalty you pay only if you choose to break your own schedule early.
Does LessLLM work on Windows or iPhone?
No. LessLLM is macOS only — a menu bar app for macOS 14 and later — because it relies on a system-level DNS daemon to enforce the blocks.