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Subspace

Not-now

Not-now is Subspace’s answer to “I’ll just check mail for a second.” You define restrictions on specific surfaces, mail, the task queue, instant messaging, and the server enforces them on the data itself. A locked surface never receives the data it asked for, so reloading the page, restarting the app, or reinstalling the extension changes nothing: the lock lives in Postgres, not in client state.

How enforcement works

Section titled “How enforcement works”

Gated surfaces are wrapped server-side by gate(), sitting directly on the surface’s data procedures (mail.view, mail.thread, ops.tasks.view, and the IM equivalents). A gated query returns one of two shapes:

// unlocked
{ locked: false, /* ...normal read model... */ }


// locked
{ locked: true, surface, reason: 'frequency' | 'quota' | 'condition' | 'mode', notNow, until }

Because the lock check runs on the query itself, not on a client-side wrapper, there is no “just don’t render the lock screen” bypass: the underlying data genuinely never leaves the server. until is the ISO timestamp the surface reopens (null for a condition lock, since those depend on an event rather than a clock). Frequency “opens” and quota counters live in ops.surface_counters and survive reload and reinstall for the same reason.

Restriction shapes

Section titled “Restriction shapes”

Each restriction is one row: a shape, a target surface, a rule, and a screen to show while locked.

Shape Rule Behavior
frequency {everyMinutes, windowMinutes} The surface opens for a windowMinutes viewing window at most once every everyMinutes. The first data load consumes the window; windowMinutes: 0 closes it immediately after that first view.
quota {limit, windowMinutes} Locks once limit counted items accumulate in the trailing window. Counted items come from the extension’s feed-item sync.
condition {afterTime: iso} or the default {withinMinutes} Opens at a wall-clock time, or opens only for a stretch after a task is marked done.

Every restriction also carries a screen: {kind: 'quotes', quotes: [...]}, {kind: 'images', images: [url, ...]}, or {kind: 'flashcards'}, shown on the not-now screen while that restriction is active.

The not-now screen

Section titled “The not-now screen”

When a surface’s query comes back locked, the surface renders the not-now screen instead of its normal content:

  • An amber rule chip describing why: frequency rule · once every 2h, quota rule · N items / M min, or <mode> mode.
  • A live countdown, <SURFACE> OPENS IN in H:MM:SS or M:SS, ticking every second, or the hint “opens after a task is marked done” when until is null.
  • The configured screen: a quote (picked deterministically by hour, so it’s stable across reloads within the same hour) or an image.
  • A dark “Review due flashcards instead” CTA linking to the spaced-repetition review page, and a ghost Back.

When the countdown hits zero, the surface’s query refetches automatically, no manual reload needed. On the mail page, while unlocked and a mail frequency restriction exists, a small amber viewable every Nh chip shows in the header as a standing reminder that the window is finite.

“I actually need access”

Section titled ““I actually need access””

Every lock screen carries a dotted-underline override link: “I actually need access.” Clicking it opens a dialog, “What do you need from <surface> right now?”, with a reason textarea and a friction line pulled from your override history, “3rd override this week.”

Submitting:

  1. Logs the goal

    The reason you gave is written to ops.override_log and an override-used event fires, so overrides are visible, not silently granted.

  2. Grants a window

    You get one viewing window of at least 5 minutes, or the restriction’s own window if that’s longer.

  3. Unlocks without reload

    The surface’s query invalidates and the data loads immediately. The window is server-side, so it survives a reload, it isn’t a client-side “just this once.”

The escalating friction line is the point: overriding is always possible, but it isn’t free, and the count is a running tally you see every time.

Modes

Section titled “Modes”

Two modes sit above individual restrictions and are evaluated first, so a mode-driven lock reports reason: 'mode':

  • No-comms locks every comms surface: mail, instant messaging, social feeds, and ingestion (matched by prefix).
  • Focus locks everything No-comms locks, plus the task queue.

Only ultra-severity notifications pierce an active mode; everything else queues silently until the mode lifts. A mode can carry an auto-expiry until, or the settings toggle can flip it on/off with no expiry at all.

Settings

Section titled “Settings”

/settings/not-now (sidebar settings group) is where restrictions and modes live:

  • A restrictions table (Shape | Rule | Not-now screen), each row deletable.
  • A “New restriction” inline form: pick a shape, a surface, and the shape-specific numeric inputs (everyMinutes + windowMinutes for frequency, limit + windowMinutes for quota, no extra fields for condition), plus a screen-kind select with a one-quote-per-line textarea when the screen is quotes.
  • Two mode cards, No-comms and Focus, each with a toggle switch and a status line reading on · until HH:MM, on, or off.

The page is backed by notnow.restrictions.list / .save / .delete.

Extension feed quotas

Section titled “Extension feed quotas”

The Chrome extension’s content script enforces quota restrictions on social feeds directly in the DOM, so a locked feed is actually hidden, not just visually dimmed:

  • The site key is the hostname (www. stripped).
  • Feed items ([data-feed-item], or article as a fallback) count once they cross 50% viewport visibility.
  • Counts sync to the server every 3 items and on every visibilitychange, via notnow.counters.sync, windowed to the restriction’s windowMinutes boundary and kept idempotent server-side.
  • Once the synced total reaches the limit, the feed container is hidden, the notifications button is hidden, and a full-page overlay reads “not now, quota spent, reopens in N min.”
  • A fresh tab re-checks the current total on load, so quota spent on one device is respected on another.
Section titled “Related”
Spaced repetitionThe flashcard review page the not-now screen offers as an alternative.
Task queueOne of the gated surfaces, and the 'task marked done' trigger for condition restrictions.
MailThe other primary gated surface, including the standing viewable every Nh chip.
ExtensionFeed quota counting, DOM hiding, and the overlay in full.
NotificationsWhy only ultra-severity notifications pierce an active mode.