These are some general tips for Pluckeye users, especially new users.
The delay can be adjusted inside Chrome or using the delay command in a console window:
pluck delay 10Having a small non-zero delay will help you understand how Pluckeye will work when you increase the delay.
After a couple days, increase the delay. To set the delay to 2 hours:
pluck delay 2hTo set it to 2 days:
pluck delay 2dIt is surprisingly common for users to set the delay to 7 days immediately in an effort to achieve “maximum protection”. While the mindset is laudible, we recommend you start with something more conservative, such as 1, 2, or 3 days. Few people plan to eat chocolate cake 24 or 48 hours in advance.
But if 1 or 2 days isn’t enough, then by all means increase it (and let us know).
Pluckeye used to work with Firefox, but support for Firefox is lagging. See Browsers.
If you install a Firefox-based browser after installing Pluckeye, then you may need to enable the Pluckeye extension manually. In Firefox, type “about:addons” in the location bar, click “Extensions”, and search for Pluckeye.
Pluckeye installs without enabling the system feature (previously known as level 2) so that new users can try it out with minimal system integration. The system feature is the intended experience for the majority of Pluckeye users because it prevents users from trivially bypassing Pluckeye.
If you need to do occasional tasks that require images or videos on a site that you think may be problematic for you in the long run, perhaps you should use a public computer at your local library.
Seriously; do whatever it takes.
Another option is to use a when rule to schedule when a website should be allowed and when it should not.
To allow access to YouTube on Monday through Friday (MTWRF), 10am (10) to noon (12):
pluck + when MTWRF10-12 allow youtube.comTo allow access to amazon.com any day from 10am (10) to noon (12):
pluck + when 10-12 allow amazon.comThe format used to specify times and days is called hrs3, and there is a point-and-click tool you can use to find a schedule for a particular set of time periods you may have in mind.
If you think you can handle a periodic whiteout, it might alleviate some of the pain in using Pluckeye. Depending on your settings, this may also help with automatic updates for various software.
E.g., to allow access to any program and site on Monday mornings
10am (10) to noon (12):
pluck + when M10-12 allow everythingpluck repair
In Pluckeye v0.99 and above, if something doesn’t work correctly after installing, open a console and run the repair command:
pluck repairThat fixes some common problems, especially on macOS.
Other useful techniques for solving common problems are:
If you are still having problems, see Troubleshooting.
The expedite button is really useful in maintaining a long delay, but to use it you need to be part of a cohort or find some real-life human beings to power it (a.k.a. Pluckeye supporters). If you don’t know who to ask, maybe you could start a circle of Pluckeye helpers in the Pluckeye forum or in r/pluckeye.
pluck verdicts) is really useful. Try it.pluck eval somesite.com is really useful. Try it.If you sense that a whitelist rule you added earlier is no longer a good idea, remove it as soon as possible.
If the rule is still in the pending state, you can simply throw it away by clicking the “abort” button in the browser, or by using the abort command at the command line:
pluck abort bad.comIf the rule is already active, you’ll need to remove it specifically.
pluck - allow bad.comOr, if you can’t think straight enough to remove the rule(s) one by one, you have the nuclear option (the blackout button):
pluck + block everythingGo for a walk. Drink some tea. Call a friend. Sometime later, when a better mind-set is restored:
pluck - block everythingIf you expect Pluckeye to “do it for you”, you’re doing it wrong.
The most important principle in using Pluckeye is that you must determine what boundaries you need to set. These boundaries are likely to be different for different people.
Pluckeye is rather configurable, and you should find the configuration that works best for you. Is your delay too short? Then make it longer! Are certain sites problematic for you? Block them! Do you need to see images on some site and consider its content safe? Allow it! Pluckeye is designed to help you choose ahead of time what you really think is okay for you to have access to.
This principle can not be over-emphasized. Let it soak in.
If you frequently bemoan the way Pluckeye interferes with normal activity, you’ll have 3 choices:
Which road you choose is up to you, but methinks road #2 is unrealistic.
In particular, if you decide against road #1, I think road #3 is the only alternative. If you can learn to love it, to exult, to exclaim, ”Yess!!!” when you can’t get to that article or program or video right now – when you can smile with satisfaction knowing yes, there’s a cost, but in your opinion it is totally and completely worth it because you are gaining something far more important in the long run – when you learn to love the feeling of that occasionally-rather-tight safety belt, even when it keeps you from getting those keys out of your pocket that seem pretty darn important right now – when you appreciate the distance you get from all the other stuff that makes your life suck – then, my friend, then you get the idea.
While Pluckeye can help you modify the playing field, it can’t address the underlying sources of behavior, and if those issues are left unaddressed, you may not experience the long-term change you seek. The author highly recommends you consider this, and that you search for a program and/or other people who can help you to grow. Here is a list of sites and organizations to get you started.
There are some who instead of installing Pluckeye should be:
(in addition, of course, to eating true food and drinking true drink).
Long-term change usually takes time. Don’t give up.