Context & Operations
Local-first by default: your history stays in your browser unless you turn on sync. What sync stores, and what it costs you in privacy.
Is Nova Goals available now, and what state is it in?
Nova Goals is live now and free to use at novagoals.com. The core focus timer, intentions, length and stake choices, the living visuals, your history, optional sync, and the live presence count all work today. Real shared rooms and actually-charged stakes are still future work.
You can open Nova Goals and run a real focus session right now. The countdown is timestamp-based, so it keeps correct time through a reload and resumes where you left off.
What is real today: setting an intention, picking a length (25, 50, 90, or a custom length), choosing a stake label, switching between the Ensō, Water, and Moon visuals mid-session, logging a reason if you end early, and seeing your rhythm streak and weekly focus total. The focus loop runs in your browser. Also real: a live, anonymous count of people focusing right now; optional cross-device sync; an optional email account; and MCP access for AI agents.
What is not finished yet: the eight named companions are a demo. Their avatars are generated and there is no matching or chat behind them. Stakes are a conceptual accountability mechanic, not a real charge, because payment processing is not wired up. We say this plainly so you know what you are using.
We ship in small, honest steps. When real rooms or real stakes arrive, the app will say so clearly rather than implying they already work.
- Live and usable today at novagoals.com
- Free, with no account or signup required
- Real: timer, intentions, lengths, stake labels, visuals, reason log, streak and totals
- Also real: the live presence count, opt-in sync, optional email accounts, and MCP agent access
- Illustrative for now: the named companions (generated avatars) and money stakes (no charging yet)
- Timer is timestamp-based and survives reloads
Is Nova Goals finished or still in development?
The core single-person focus loop is finished and works today, as do sync, accounts, and the live presence count. Real shared rooms and charged stakes are still in development and are labelled illustrative until they land.
Will my saved sessions carry over as the app updates?
Yes. Your history lives in your browser and is independent of app updates; it stays as long as you don't clear the browser. With sync on, it also persists server-side.
Do I need to wait for an invite or release date?
No. There is no waitlist and no release gate. Open the site and begin a session.
Where does Nova Goals run, and where is my data stored?
Nova Goals runs in your web browser at novagoals.com, with no app to install. The focus loop happens entirely on your device, and your data is stored there by default. Small optional services handle sync, accounts, and the live presence count when you use them.
Nova Goals is a web app. It loads as static files from Cloudflare Pages and then runs in the browser tab. The timer, the visuals, and every calculation happen on your device rather than on a machine of ours.
Signed out, your intentions, session history, streak, and weekly total live only in the browser you used: sessions in IndexedDB, goals and day notes in localStorage. Open it on your laptop and your phone and each keeps its own separate history.
That is the privacy benefit, and also the limitation: no automatic backup, and clearing your browser data or using private mode erases your history. Sync exists for people who want the other trade — enter a sync code or sign in with an email link, and your sessions, goals, and day notes are mirrored to a Cloudflare Durable Object so your devices share one history. That copy is unencrypted and reachable by anyone with your sync code.
Three small services sit behind the app, and it is worth knowing what each one holds. Sync stores your sessions, goals, and day notes, keyed by your sync code. Accounts store your email, the sync key it maps to, and the country you signed in from (country-level only, read from the connection — we never ask for your location) — no password, no profile. Presence keeps a throwaway id in memory for 35 seconds so it can count how many people are focusing; it holds nothing about you and forgets you as soon as you stop.
It works in any modern desktop or mobile browser. You can add it to your home screen for quick access, but it is still the same web app, not a native install from an app store.
- Runs in the browser at novagoals.com, nothing to install
- Served as static files via Cloudflare Pages; the focus loop runs on your device
- Signed out, data stays in your browser: sessions in IndexedDB, goals and notes in localStorage
- Opt-in sync mirrors your history to a Cloudflare Durable Object, unencrypted, behind your sync code
- Accounts hold an email, a sync key, and a sign-in country — no password, no profile
- Presence holds a throwaway id for 35 seconds and nothing else
Can I use the same history on my phone and laptop?
Yes, if you turn on sync — with a sync code or an email sign-in, both devices share one history. Without it, each browser keeps its own separate history and nothing is shared.
Is there a native app in the App Store or Google Play?
No. Nova Goals is a browser-based web app. You can add it to your home screen, but it is not a native store download.
Does it work offline?
You need an internet connection to load the page. After that, the timer is timestamp-based so it survives reloads, and your data stays on your device — but it is not a true offline app.
What exactly is stored on your servers?
Nothing, unless you opt in. Turn on sync and we store your sessions, goals, and day notes under your sync code. Sign in and we also store your email address, the sync key it maps to, and the country you signed in from (country-level, read from the connection, used only for aggregate counts). Share to the wall and that post — intention, minutes, avatar, alias, country — is stored publicly on a Cloudflare Durable Object until you delete it or it ages out. The presence count keeps a random throwaway id for 35 seconds and nothing more.
How do I get help with Nova Goals?
Most issues are solved on your side: refresh the tab, and avoid clearing browser data or private mode if you want to keep your history. There is no password to reset, and solo use has nothing to bill, so support is mainly self-serve guidance. Teams billing — cards, invoices, cancellation — is self-serve too, through the billing portal in the org's admin room.
There is no password to reset, and the solo practice has nothing to bill, so the surface area for problems is small. If a session looks stuck, refreshing the page is safe: the countdown is timestamp-based and will resume at the correct time. If your org is on Teams, cards, invoices, and cancellation are handled by you in the billing portal, reached from the admin room.
If your history disappeared, the usual cause is cleared browser data, a different browser or device, or private/incognito mode. Whether it can be recovered depends on one thing: whether sync was on. If it was, enter the same sync code — or sign in with the same email — and your history comes back from the server. If it was not, the data existed only in that browser and there is no copy to restore.
If a sign-in code never arrives, check spam first, then wait 45 seconds before asking for another — the app deliberately throttles repeat sends. Codes expire after 10 minutes, and five wrong attempts invalidate the code, at which point you simply request a new one.
If you think someone else has your sync code, treat it like a leaked password: your history is readable and writable by whoever holds it. Sign in with email to get a freshly generated strong key, and stop using the old code.
Remember what is illustrative: if the named companions do not feel like real people, that is expected — they are generated. The live count beside them is real. If a stake never charged or refunded you, that is also expected, because real payment is not wired up.
For anything else, keep your expectations matched to the facts above. The solo practice is free and intentionally simple.
- No password, and nothing to bill for solo use — most fixes are on your device
- Teams billing (cards, invoices, cancellation) is self-serve in the org's billing portal
- Refresh safely; the timer resumes correctly after a reload
- Lost history usually means cleared data, a different browser, or private mode
- Recovery depends on sync: with it, your code restores your history; without it, there is no copy
- Sign-in codes expire in 10 minutes and are throttled to one per 45 seconds
- A leaked sync code exposes your history — sign in by email to get a strong generated key
- Companions and stake charges are illustrative, so unusual behavior there is expected
I lost my streak and history. Can you restore it?
Only if sync was on. In that case, enter the same sync code or sign in with the same email and your history returns from the server. If you were signed out, the data lived only in that browser and there is no copy to restore.
My stake didn't charge or refund. Is that a bug?
No. Stakes are a conceptual accountability mechanic right now, and real payment processing is not yet wired up, so no money actually moves.
The people in my room don't respond. Why?
The named companions are generated, and there is no chat, so there is no one to respond. The live count beside them is real, but it is only a number — it carries no way to reach anyone.
How do I disconnect an AI agent I connected?
Open the connected-apps page from sign-in and revoke it. Access disappears immediately, and anything the agent already proposed stays as a suggestion you can dismiss.
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