Rules

Rules are the backbone of Chronoid's automatic categorization system. Instead of manually sorting every activity, you define rules once and Chronoid applies them continuously in the background.

Rules power three key features:

• Distraction Detection — Flag distracting apps and websites
• Project Auto-Assignment — Route activities to the right project
• Ignore Tracking — Skip activities you don't want recorded

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What Are Rules?

A rule is a simple condition: if an activity matches this pattern, take this action. Each rule has three parts:

1. Type — What to match against (app name, website, window title, etc.)
2. Operator — How to match (equals, contains, starts with, ends with)
3. Value — The text to match

For example: Website URL contains youtube.com → mark as Distraction.

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Condition Types

Chronoid supports seven rule types:

Keyword Match is the most flexible type — it searches across app name, window title, and URL simultaneously.

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Operators

Each rule type supports four matching operators:

Use Contains for broad matching and Equals for precise targeting.

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How Rules Are Evaluated

Rules follow a priority-based system:

1. Higher priority rules are checked first — Each rule has a priority number. Higher values take precedence.
2. First match wins — Once an activity matches a rule, no further rules are checked for that activity.
3. Active/Inactive toggle — Disabled rules are skipped entirely during evaluation.

This means rule ordering matters. If you have a broad rule that matches many activities, give specific exceptions a higher priority so they're checked first.

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Open the Rules Configurator

To manage rules for any category or project:

1. Double-click or right-click the item in the sidebar
2. Select Manage Rules

The Rules Configurator opens showing all rules for that category.

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Add a Rule

1. Select the rule type from the dropdown (App Name, Website URL, etc.)
2. Enter your match value — Type the keyword, domain, or app name
3. Click + Add Rule to save

The new rule takes effect immediately. Any matching activities will be re-categorized automatically.

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Edit and Delete Rules

• Enable/Disable — Toggle the checkbox beside each rule to activate or deactivate it
• Edit — Click a rule to update its value or type
• Delete — Right-click a rule and select Delete
• Undo — Press Cmd+Z immediately after deleting to restore a rule
• Search — Use the search bar at the top to find specific rules

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View Modes

The Rules Configurator offers two view modes, toggled at the bottom of the window:

Simple View

Lists all rules in a single scrollable list. Best for quick edits and small rule sets.

Grouped View

Organizes rules by type (Application, Website URL, Window Title, etc.). Easier to manage when you have many rules.

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Where Rules Apply

Rules are used across multiple Chronoid features:

• Distraction Detection — Rules define which activities count as distractions
• Project Auto-Assignment — Rules route activities to specific projects automatically
• Ignore Tracking — Rules exclude certain activities from being recorded

The same rule types and operators work identically across all three features. The only difference is the action taken when a rule matches.

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Best Practices

• Keep rules focused — One rule per pattern. Avoid overly broad rules that match unintended activities.
• Use Keyword Match for flexibility — When an activity could appear in different apps or contexts, Keyword Match catches it everywhere.
• Review rules periodically — As your workflow changes, some rules may become outdated or too broad.
• Use Grouped View for audits — Switch to Grouped View to review all rules of a specific type at once.
• Test with Contains first — Start with a Contains rule and narrow down to Equals if you get false matches.

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For help, email support@chronoid.app