Help & how it works

Upload a photo of your own cat or dog. DeskTails removes the background right in your browser — your original photo never leaves your device; only the finished cutout is saved to your private account.

Not happy with the edges? Use the brush tool to tidy them up. Then drag, resize, and rotate your pet onto the chair — they stay put every time you come back. No photo handy? Start with a sample pet and swap yours in later.

Start a focus timer and your pet keeps you company on the chair while it counts down. When the session ends you hear a gentle chime, then take a short or long break.

The timer is reliable — it keeps correct time even if you switch tabs, minimize, or reload, and it stays in sync if you haveDeskTails open in more than one tab. Keep a simple task list beside the timer; delete something by mistake and a one-tap Undo brings it back.

Want the timer visible while you work in other apps? Open Compact mode for a small, sidebar-free window you can pop out and keep on top. It shares the exact same timer as your main room — start or pause in one and the other updates instantly.

Every completed focus session earns you Kibble — a cosmetic reward (never real money). New members also get a welcome bonus to start decorating right away.

Spend Kibble in the Desk Shop on plants, lamps, rugs, and furniture. Buy an item, then equip it to see your room change; each slot holds one item, so equipping a new lamp simply swaps the old one. You can preview “see it in my room” before you commit. (The shop is a Pro feature.)

See how your focus is going — today, this week, and a streak of active days. Miss a day? Your streak rests instead of resetting — no guilt, ever. Pro adds a full calendar heatmap and complete history.

Proud of a session? Generate a share card — a pretty picture of your room, pet, and stats — and post it anywhere.

Share your personal invite link from Settings → Invite friends. Your friend gets a discount on their first payment, and you earn Kibble when they join.

The companion browser extension (Chrome & Edge) quietly closes distracting sites while a focus session is running and reopens them when you break. It’s free to install; blocking is a Pro feature. Because it’s backed by your account, it keeps working even with no DeskTails tab open and after a browser restart.

1. Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store (or Edge Add-ons).
2. In DeskTails, go to Settings → Browser extension → Connect a browser and generate a pairing code (it usually connects automatically).
3. Add the sites you want blocked, and turn the blocker on.
4. Start a focus session — blocked sites show a calm “Stay focused” page until you’re done. You can revoke the connection anytime.

DeskTails works as a normal website, but you can install it from your browser’s “Install app” option to get its own window and icon, like a native app.

It’s resilient offline, too: if your connection drops mid-session, your timer keeps going and syncs back up when you’re online again — nothing is lost.

In Settings you can update your name, pet, and timezone, set your default timer lengths, manage notifications, export all your data as a file, or delete your account entirely. Billing is handled securely by Stripe — cancel anytime.