Anchor
Anchor
Leave the task, and it quietly pulls you back.
A free Mac menu-bar companion that keeps you on deep work — auto-return, thought parking, and a session you can pause when life interrupts.
How it works
Stay with the work — without another to-do app.
Name the task
Start a session with one line — the thing you’re completing right now.
Drift gets a gentle return
Wander into messages, email, or the browser mid-session and Anchor brings you back automatically.
Park the urge
Capture the interrupting thought so you can stay with the task instead of chasing a new tab.
Features
Everything you need to finish — free on your Mac.
Focus sessions
Name one intention and start. The menu-bar timer tracks focused time — not idle stretches.
Auto-return when you drift
Leave your deep-work apps for the browser, messages, or Finder and Anchor gently pulls you back.
Primary focus app
Order the apps that count as deep work. #1 is where Anchor returns you — every time.
Soft or strict
Take a two-minute away window, or use Strict mode for a short countdown and a faster return.
Pause the whole session
Freeze the timer and friction when you need a real break — resume when you’re ready.
Park the urge
⌘⇧P captures the interrupting thought so you can stay with the task instead of a new tab.
Free forever — for now
Install with Homebrew in one line.
No account. Sessions and parked thoughts stay on your Mac. Copy the command, paste in Terminal, and you’re done.
brew install --cask tebinraouf/anchor/anchor