Real-World Use & Risk
How the timer and visuals work, plus what is still illustrative today: shared rooms and charged stakes are future work.
What can I actually use Nova Goals for?
Nova Goals is for any single block of deep work you want to protect: writing, studying, coding, admin, or creative practice. You set an intention, pick 25, 50, 90, or a custom length, and watch a calm timer until it ends.
The pattern is always the same. You name one intention, choose a length, optionally set a stake, and begin. The visual fills as time passes. You are done when the timer is done.
It fits work that benefits from a clear edge. A 25-minute block to draft an email you have been avoiding. A 50-minute block to read a hard paper. A 90-minute block to write without checking anything.
Students use it for a single study sprint with a real intention written down, not a vague "study." Writers use the 90-minute block to stay in one document. People doing dull admin use a $3 or $7 stake as a gentle nudge to finish.
The "sit with others" toggle is meant for body-doubling: the quiet sense that someone else is also working. The avatars in the room are generated rather than real people, so treat them as ambience — but the count of others focusing at that moment is genuine. Real shared rooms are future work.
Signed out, it also works as a private, no-login scratch space for focus. Open the page, begin a session, close the tab. Nothing but an anonymous presence heartbeat leaves the browser.
- A single writing or coding block, 25 / 50 / 90 minutes, with one named intention
- A study sprint where you write down what you are actually trying to learn
- Boring admin you keep postponing, with a small self-stake as a nudge
- Quiet body-doubling ambience via "sit with others" (avatars illustrative; the live count is real)
- A private, no-account focus timer that keeps history on your own device by default
- Resuming a session after a reload, since the countdown is timestamp-based
Is Nova Goals better for one task or a whole to-do list?
One task. Each session holds a single intention and one timer. For a list, run separate back-to-back sessions, one intention each.
Can I use it as a group focus room with friends?
Not yet. There is no way to invite someone or share a room, and the avatars are generated. You will see a live count that includes your friend if you both start at once, but you cannot tell which number is them. Genuine shared rooms are planned future work.
Does it work offline or after a refresh?
On refresh, yes: the countdown is timestamp-based, so reloading mid-session resumes exactly where it should, and your history persists in your browser. You do need a connection to load the page itself — it is not a full offline app.
What are the limitations of Nova Goals?
Nova Goals is local-first, so by default your data lives in one browser and clearing it erases your history. Sync solves that but stores an unencrypted copy on the server. The named companions are illustrative, and money stakes are not actually charged.
Be clear-eyed about what exists today. Nova Goals is honest about the parts that are demos.
Signed out, data lives only in your browser — sessions in IndexedDB, goals and day notes in localStorage. That is a privacy benefit, because nothing leaves your device. It is also a real limitation: your streak and sessions do not follow you to another device, and clearing your browser data wipes your history with no copy to restore from.
Sync is the escape hatch, and it has its own cost. Turn it on and your sessions, goals, and day notes are stored on Nova's server without encryption. Anyone who learns your sync code can read and write your history — there is no second factor and no device approval. Choose a long code, do not reuse a password, and do not share it. If you sign in by email instead, the app generates a strong code for you.
The named companions are illustrative. The avatars are generated and there is no matching or chat. What is real is the anonymous count of people holding a session at that moment. If you need accountability from a specific real person, this does not provide it yet.
The money stake is a conceptual mechanic. No payment is processed, nothing is charged, and nothing is actually held or returned. Treat it as a self-set intention to finish, not a financial commitment.
It is a single-task timer, not a planner. There are no projects, tags, calendars, reports, or integrations. It does not block websites or apps for you; staying off distractions is still your choice.
The wall is a second, separate opt-in. Sharing a session publishes your intention text, minutes held, whether you kept it, an anonymous generated avatar and alias, and your country — country-level only, added by the server; the app never asks for your location. Posts are public to anyone who visits, so share what you would say aloud in a quiet room. You can delete your own posts from the browser that made them.
If you connect an AI agent over MCP, it can read your history and propose goals and intentions. It cannot start a session or record one as finished — that stays yours, on purpose. You can revoke any agent's access at any time.
- Signed out, history lives on one device/browser and does not follow you
- Clearing browser data deletes your sessions and streak, with no copy to restore from
- Wall posts are public: intention, minutes, avatar, alias, and country — opt-in per session, deletable by you
- Sync is unencrypted: the sync code alone protects your history — treat it like a password
- Named companions are illustrative: generated avatars, no matching or chat (the live count is real)
- Money stakes are conceptual: nothing is charged, held, or returned for real
- No website or app blocking; it relies on your own attention
- No projects, tags, reports, or third-party integrations
Will I lose my data if I clear my browser?
Signed out, yes — history lives on that device only, so clearing site data or switching browsers means starting fresh with no way to restore it. With sync on, the server copy remains and returns when you enter your sync code or sign back in.
Are the people in the room real?
The avatars are not: they are generated and shown as ambience, with no matching or chat. The "N holding a session right now" count is real, though anonymous. Shared rooms with real companions are future work.
Does the stake actually charge my card?
No. Payment is not wired up. The stake is a conceptual accountability cue only; no money moves.
How private is sync, really?
Less private than staying signed out, and we would rather say so. Your sessions, goals, and notes sit unencrypted on the server, and the sync code is the only guard. We cannot read your mind about that trade — so sync stays off until you choose it.
What does Nova Goals measure and track?
Nova Goals tracks the simple things: minutes focused, your day-rhythm streak, a weekly focus total, and your recent sessions. It is stored on your device by default, and there is no product analytics or third-party tracking anywhere in the app.
The numbers are intentionally few. They reflect what you held, not a dashboard to optimize.
On the home screen you see a day-rhythm streak (your run of focus days), a "focused this week" total, and a list of recent sessions. When a session completes, you see the minutes held, your rhythm dots, and the stake outcome.
If you end early, the reason log captures a non-judgmental reason and an optional private note. That history is for your own reflection, not a score against you.
Every metric is derived from sessions saved in your browser and computed there. There is no product analytics, no third-party tracker, and no one watching how you use the app. If you turn on sync, your sessions travel to Nova's server so your other devices can compute the same numbers — that is storage, not tracking, and it is still off unless you enable it.
The public wall keeps its own, separate counters: sessions shared per day (UTC) and how many people have posted. Those numbers count only what people chose to share — they say nothing about focus that stayed private, which is most of it.
There are no streaks-as-pressure mechanics, leaderboards, or comparisons to other people. The intent is a quiet record of attention, not a competition.
- Minutes held per completed session
- Day-rhythm streak: your run of focus days
- "Focused this week" running total
- Recent sessions list for quick context
- Stake outcome shown on completion (conceptual, no real money)
- Reason and optional note logged when you end early
Are my focus stats private?
Every metric is computed in your browser, and there is no analytics or third-party tracking of any kind. Signed out, the numbers never leave your device. With sync on, the underlying sessions are stored unencrypted on Nova's server so your devices can share them.
Can I see long-term charts or export my data?
Not today. You get a streak, a weekly total, and recent sessions. There are no detailed reports, charts, or export tools yet.
Why did my streak reset?
Signed out, streaks and totals live only in your browser, so clearing site data or opening the app in another browser leaves no history to count. If you use sync, entering your sync code or signing back in brings it back.
Ready to begin?
Begin a session