Frequently Asked Questions
1 About Pluckeye
1.1 What is Pluckeye?
Pluckeye is an Internet content filter, a kind of software that prevents the user from accessing parts of the Internet.
See also vision.html.
1.2 How does Pluckeye differ from other filters?
- Pluckeye blocks all images and videos from the Internet by default.
- Pluckeye doesn't rely on password protection; rather it uses a delay system for configuration. See also this question.
- Pluckeye can block some content but allow other content from the same webhost (based on Internet media types).
- Pluckeye doesn't come with a prepackaged list of web resources that it should block or allow; configuration is up to the end-user.
- Pluckeye's target audience are those who want a filter for themselves rather than parents looking to protect their kids.
- Pluckeye aims not at convenience but at inconvenience!
- Pluckeye works on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, and Android. See also this question.
See also this site for a list of Internet filters.
1.3 Is Pluckeye easy to bypass?
No, not if you have installed Pluckeye at "installation level 2". See here for a more thorough description of installation levels.
1.4 But couldn't I just uninstall Pluckeye whenever I want?
No. The delay must first be set to 0 before Pluckeye will uninstall. See also the uninstall sequence described here.
But isn't Pluckeye just a browser extension that can be disabled in the browser?
That is true at installation level 1 (the default). But real users are expected to use installation level 2.
But couldn't I just set the delay to 0 and then uninstall?
Yes, but to set the delay to 0 you would have to wait one delay cycle.
But isn't Pluckeye easy to bypass?
Try it and see.
1.5 Is Pluckeye a porn filter?
Many users of Pluckeye are seeking to avoid porn, but Pluckeye can also be used to block other sources of online temptation such as email, gambling, gaming, shopping, and social media sites.
1.6 Wait, it blocks all images? Not just porn and clickbait?
Even photos of my Aunt Gertrude? What's the point of the Internet without pictures?!
That is 4 questions.
Yes, by default, all images on the Internet are blocked. But most Pluckeye users white-list sites and/or use scheduling rules so they can see images on some or many sites. Pluckeye is designed to be configured by the user.
1.7 I can whitelist sites? What good is a filter if I can simply access whatever I want?
Well, there's what you want now, what you want 5 hours from now, and what you want to want 5 hours from now. To which of these wants are you referring?
Pluckeye is designed to help users choose "meta wants" rather than "carnal wants".
The means for this is a delayed configuration system that allows the user to make any changes to the filter configuration, but the changes only take effect after a delay.
It is similar to the debt-ridden consumer putting his emergency credit card in the freezer so it can't be used for impulse purchases, the alcoholic choosing ahead of time not to walk past the liquor store where the smell of alcohol will be certain to be too much for him, the food addict choosing not to store chocolate ice cream in her freezer, and so on.
1.8 That delay sounds like it might be inconvenient at times.
Yes. That is the whole point. Hence, the Pluckeye motto is
Hooray for inconvenience!
Runner up mottos include:
- It ain't for wimps.
- It's up to you. (see this tip)
- Do whatever is necessary.
- You have to want it.
- Take the bull by the horns.
- Pluckeye is there to serve you.
1.9 What do you mean, "Hooray for inconvenience"? Who would want to be inconvenienced?
Folks who dislike the kind of convenience the Internet offers.
1.10 Can Pluckeye cure my porn addiction?
I don't think so; you need to make that choice. However, Pluckeye may be a tool that can help you make better choices.
1.11 Can you recommend any less extreme filters?
Popular products can be found on https://alternativeto.net/software/pluckeye .
For a more extensive list, see http://filters.pluckeye.net/ .
1.12 Can you recommend any organizations that can help me with my porn struggle / pornography addiction?
Check out sites and organizations.
1.13 Can Pluckeye do X (email my friends, filter based on keywords, …)?
Maybe. This page and the tips page mention most of Pluckeye's features. If you have a feature request, feel free to let me know.
1.14 I don't have problems with porn, but I'm addicted to Facebook. Might I have any use for Pluckeye?
Pluckeye can be used in a similar manner to SelfControl for Mac or SelfControl for Linux. Such users may want to remove the filtering rules that are specific to images. See how-to-filter-by-time.html.
1.15 What's with the name, "Pluckeye"? How's it pronounced?
It's an allusion to this:
And if your right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast if from thee, for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." (Matthew 5:29, KJV)
And though it is spelled "pluck-eye", I pronounce the name pluck-ee.
1.16 How do you plan on monetizing Pluckeye?
I hope that users who find it valuable willingly pay for it.
1.17 How can I contribute to Pluckeye?
Glad you asked! See help-out.html.
1.18 Why and when was Pluckeye created?
Work on Pluckeye began in 2007 after the author (Jon) investigated what software was available for folks looking for a filter to help them overcome compulsive porn use – a problem he believed to be increasingly common and long lasting. Firmly believing such a product should be freely (as in gratis) available, he eventually contacted a few vendors who had free offerings (X3Watch, BlueCoat, and Qustodio) to see if it was possible to work with them on improving the self-control features in them. Unsurprisingly, none were interested in integrating a volunteer coder into their process. So, he undertook to build his own – after all, how hard could it be?
Thus was Pluckeye conceived. But because the author was easily sidetracked its gestation was horribly long, and a working version was not publicly available until January 2014.
1.19 Is there any scientific basis for Pluckeye?
Ugh. How I hate the way the words "scientific" and "proven" are handled in modern life. I recommend reading Abolition of Man.
1.20 But is there any scientific basis?
:-( Well, here's an interesting study on how some pigeon's self-limited. I guess it is kind of similar.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1333221/
But perhaps a study involving pigeons pecking levers is a bit of a stretch. Here's one involving humans
http://psych.wustl.edu/lengreen/publications/2010/Pigeon%20Double%20Delay-MS.pdf
But, should humans really be treated as objects of study, like animals?
Here's a direct quote from a similar study:
"Maximization theory, which is borrowed from economics, provides techniques for predicting the behavior of animals - including humans."
Are humans true animals? You make the call.
1.21 Would Pluckeye be a good filter for protecting a child? If not, do you know of one?
This is hard to answer.
Pluckeye was not designed with the child in mind. It could be used that way, especially by a conservative parent (such as the author!), but there are other tools available, including some built into Windows, macOS, or Chrome OS. If you're looking for a guide to set up something, you might find the following links useful.
1.22 Can I subscribe to Pluckeye using paypal?
Donations through paypal are not connected to the subscription system.
You can donate using paypal, and then periodically fill out surveys or request freebies, but a payment via paypal does not count as a subscription.
If you are concerned about sending credit card information, you might be interested to know that on s.pluckeye.net, while your credit card is filled out while you are looking at the site, the number never goes to s.pluckeye.net; it only goes to stripe.com (a merchant gateway). That's a typical set up so that little guys like me don't have to deal with the added responsibility of seeing or storing actual credit card data.
1.23 I live in a country where credit cards are uncommon, can I subscribe without a credit card?
Unfortunately, resources are so thin, the author has very little spare time for improving the payments system. If you can't subscribe because your live in a country where online subscriptions are handled differently, please let the author know so he has some idea how often this happens, and if you could theoretically use SEPA or iDEAL, please also mention that. Then simply fill out quarterly surveys or request freebies, and feel free to support the project some other way (e.g., through recommending it somewhere if you feel it is worth recommending).
2 Using Pluckeye
2.1 What operating systems does Pluckeye support?
Pluckeye supports Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and Android.
See platforms.html for more information.
2.2 How do I install pluckeye?
See quickstart or how-to-install.html.
2.3 What are the recommended practices for using Pluckeye?
See the tips page.
2.4 What does "level 1" mean?
See the installation levels page.
2.5 What browsers does Pluckeye work with?
Firefox, Chrome, and some browsers based on them (such as Brave, Vivaldi, etc.). But at level 2, Pluckeye can block all browsers (i.e., Internet Explorer, Safari, and Opera).
2.6 Where do I type the pluck commands that are mentioned on this site?
pluck add "Allow mysite.org"
are typed in a console window, aka a terminal on Mac OS X or Linux. You'll need to learn to open and type in one if you want to use advanced features such as scheduled rules or accountability.
However, the basic feature set requires only pointing and clicking in the browser, and many people use Pluckeye without typing anything, ever.
For a longer explanation of code blocks, see notation.html.
2.7 How do I whitelist a site?
In Firefox or Chrome, click on the Pluckeye button, and then click "Allow".
Or, from the command line:
pluck add "Allow mysite.org"
Keep in mind that the whitelisting will only take effect after the pluckeye delay has expired.
2.8 Can I whitelist a URL, perhaps using wildcards, pattern matching, a specific resource or something similar?
Yes, and no. As of Pluckeye 0.31.0, literal urls and url prefixes are supported, like so:
pluck add "Allow https://flickr.com/photos/myfamily"
Full regular expressions support is not yet implemented, and may never be. If you would like regex support, see this uservoice suggestion.
2.9 Can I block or allow part of a website, but not all of it?
Yes. Pluckeye supports blocking by URL. There are 2 ways to do it.
- Firefox or Chrome > Pluckeye button > Allow > Click the "down arrow" (aka caret) to allow a specific url.
- Use a terminal and add a rule for the url you would like to allow.
pluck add "Allow https://flickr.com/photos/myfamily"
2.10 Can I transfer (export/import) my Pluckeye settings between computers?
Yes.
First, export the settings from the source computer:
On Mac OS X or Linux:
cd ~/Desktop && pluck export >pluckeye-settings.txt
On Windows
pluck.exe export > "%HOMEPATH%\Desktop\pluckeye-settings.txt"
Copy pluckeye-settings.txt from the desktop of the source computer to the desktop on the destination computer.
Then, on the destination computer, import the settings:
On Mac OS X or Linux:
pluck import pluckeye-settings.txt
On Windows
pluck.exe import "%HOMEPATH%\Desktop\pluckeye-settings.txt"
2.11 How do I manually remove a rule?
If the rule was added using the "Allow" button in Firefox or Chrome, the "Default" button will remove the rule.
At the command line, you can use pluck rm. For example,
pluck add "Allow wikipedia.org" pluck rm "Allow wikipedia.org"
2.12 What is the complete syntax for rules and settings?
See rule-syntax.html.
2.13 I whitelisted a site, but I still can't see videos there. Why?
Hmm. What url? Please let me know so I can investigate for the sake of others.
There are a variety of ways to publish videos on the web.
2.14 I did not whitelist a site, but I can download videos. How can I block them?
That's odd. Try these commands:
pluck add "Block application/octet-stream" pluck add "Block application/x-unknown-content-type"
If that does not fix the problem, give me the url (and optionally your email) so I can investigate.
2.16 I share a computer with others. Is it possible for some users to use Pluckeye while other users are completely oblivious to Pluckeye's presence?
Yes. See multiuser.html.
2.17 How do I access github.com, rubygems.org, npmjs.org, and heroku.com from the command line? They all use https.
Like so:
pluck add "Allow github.com"
Typical symptoms of this FAQ:
$ git clone https://github.com/plujon/fmemopen Cloning into 'fmemopen'... fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/plujon/fmemopen/': Couldn't connect to server $ bundle install Unfortunately, a fatal error has occurred. Please see the Bundler troubleshooting documentation at http://bit.ly/bundler-issues. Thanks! /usr/lib/ruby/2.2.0/net/http.rb:879:in `initialize': Permission denied - connect(2) for "rails-assets.org" port 443 (Errno::EACCES) $ heroku logs Enter your Heroku credentials. Email: blah Password (typing will be hidden): blah ! Unable to connect to Heroku API, please check internet connectivity and try again.
The solution to all of the above:
pluck add "Allow github.com" pluck add "Allow rubygems.org" pluck add "Allow rubygems.global.ssl.fastly.net" pluck add "Allow npmjs.org" pluck add "Allow heroku.com" sleep $(pluck export | perl -lne 'print $1 if /Delay (\d+) seconds/') git clone https://github.com/plujon/fmemopen # Cloning into 'fmemopen'...
Also useful to some folks:
pluck add "program git whiteout" pluck add "program git-remote-http whiteout"
2.18 What about pip packages?
On Linux:
pluck add "Allow pypi.org" pluck add "Allow pythonhosted.org"
2.19 How do I use Homebrew on Mac OS X at installation level 2?
Run the following commands in a terminal.
cat >~/.pluckeye.homebrew.env <<EOF export HOMEBREW_DEVELOPER=pluckeye export HOMEBREW_CURL_PATH=/usr/local/bin/curl EOF for i in ~/.bashrc ~/.bash_profile ~/.bash_login ~/.profile; do [ -f $i ] && break done echo source ~/.pluckeye.homebrew.env >>$i source ~/.pluckeye.homebrew.env
After that, allow the hosts that homebrew requires. E.g.:
pluck add "allow bintray.com" pluck add "allow gnu.org"
Alternatively, you could use a periodic whiteout. E.g., to reserve time on Saturdays from 12pm to 2pm for homebrew updating:
pluck add "sometimes A12-14 whiteout"
2.20 How do I unblock Steam?
It depends on the operating system.
- Windows
pluck add "program steamwebhelper.exe whiteout"
If using nhb, also use
pluck add "program Steam.exe whiteout"
Note that some versions of Pluckeye before v0.98.14 have been known to block Steam from downloading games at level 2, regardless of the above settings. Use v0.98.14 or above to avoid that.
- Linux
One way:
pluck add "program steam whiteout"
Another way:
pluck add "allow steampowered.com" pluck add "allow steamcommunity.com" pluck add "allow steamgames.com" pluck add "allow steamusercontent.com" pluck add "allow steamcontent.com" pluck add "allow steamstatic.com" pluck add "allow akamaihd.net"
See also https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8571-GLVN-8711
2.22 How can I watch videos on youtube?
It depends. One option is to schedule access to youtube. E.g., to only allow media from youtube on Mondays 10am - 12pm:
pluck add "sometimes M10-12 allow youtube.com"
Another option is to allow one of the following "clean" youtube sites.
Another option is to whitelist only specific videos.
2.24 How do I uninstall Pluckeye?
See the uninstallation instructions on how-to-install.html.
2.27 How do I block all websites except a few select ones?
If you only want access to ok.com:
pluck add "Block" pluck add "Allow pluckeye.net" pluck add "Allow ok.com"
2.29 How do I block or unblock pdfs or other documents?
To allow pdfs or doc files or other documents on specific sites, one generally just allows a url, or a domain. E.g.,
pluck add "allow http://my-college.edu/courses" pluck add "allow my-church.org
To block pdfs on most sites:
pluck add "block application/pdf"
See also the no-documents recipe on https://www.pluckeye.net/recipes/
2.31 How do I watch videos on safeyoutube.net while blocking youtube.com?
pluck add "Block video/" pluck add "Allow safeyoutube.net"
should work. But it might not in some versions of Firefox.
pluck add "Allow safeyoutube.net" pluck add "Block youtube.com"
will not work because "Block youtube.com" will block videos from safeyoutube.net.
2.32 Is there a way to modify the settings in an ordinary editor?
If you only want to add settings:
pluck export >settings.txt $EDITOR settings.txt pluck import settings.txt
If you want to remove a lot of settings:
pluck export >settings.txt $EDITOR settings.txt pluck factoryreset # leaves a few settings pluck import settings.txt
2.33 I notice my CPU "spinning". Does Pluckeye slow down Firefox and/or my computer?
Sometimes. In particular, some common sites such as
contain advertising-related javascript that reacts poorly to the advertisements being blocked. Such javascript will sometimes cause the CPU to "spin in a loop" while it tries continuously to load ads.
If you notice your CPU is being heavily utilized by Firefox, close some tabs until the CPU spinning goes away. Alternatively, you can close Firefox completely and restart it.
2.34 How can I completely cut off Internet access at night?
To schedule daily blackouts from midnight to 6am and from 9pm (21:00) to midnight:
pluck add "sometimes 0-6&21-24 blackout"
2.35 How can I schedule access? What format do so-called "sometimes" settings take?
To allow youtube.com from 8am to 9am:
pluck add "sometimes 8-9 allow youtube.com"
The same thing, but only for Mondays:
pluck add "sometimes M8-9 allow youtube.com"
Enable NHB except on Sunday from 11:30 to 12:00
pluck add "sometimes U0-1130&12-24.MTWRFA0-24 nhb"
The schedule format used by sometimes rules is not well documented, but perhaps the following legend will enlighten.
- MTWRFAU
- sUn, Mon, Tue, Wed, thuR, Fri, sAt, sUn
If you'd like a calendar-like interface to create an hrs-3 string for you, visit https://u.pluckeye.net/hrs3 . Then point, click, and drag your desired schedule, and a properly-formatted sometimes string should show at the top of the page. The page supports daily or weekly schedules.
2.37 Does Pluckeye interfere with the Mac App Store, iTunes, and Apple Mail? If so, how can I use them?
It depends on your Pluckeye settings, and your version of Mac OS X. In v0.99.14+ you may be able to allow these programs. Note that this syntax is only valid for v0.99.x and above.
The App Store, in macOS 10.13 or so and above:
pluck + allow program App Store pluck + allow program commerce
iTunes
pluck + allow program iTunes
pluck + allow program Mail
Note that you may need to configure Mail using Other Mail Account. For Gmail accounts, you will need to enable the less secure apps option.
Note that the above settings will not permit images in most HTML email. Such images can't be allowed at present without also allowing all of Safari, a feature that almost no Plucker wants.
In Pluckeye before v0.99, at installation level 2, iTunes and the App Store are blocked on some machines. The workaround is to periodically drop down to level 1 to apply updates from the App Store.
If you use macOS 10.12 or below, you may not be able to allow the App Store without also allowing Safari. In which case, a periodic allowance for WebKit might be useful. For example, to allow WebKit (includes Safari and the App Store) on Mondays from 10am to 12pm:
pluck + allow program App Store pluck + when M10-12 allow program com.apple.WebKit
2.38 How can I block the Windows App Store?
The Microsoft App Store is blocked by nhb. But if nhb is too severe for you, if if using Pluckeye v0.99.24+, the app store can be blocked with
pluck + block program winstore.app.exe
2.39 How do I allow all websites and then only block specific ones?
Really? With Pluckeye? Shrug.
- See the "all-access" recipe.
- Block the sites you want to block.
2.40 How do I reset Pluckeye to its default settings, with all images being blocked?
pluck factoryreset
2.41 What if I think Pluckeye doesn't block enough for my tastes?
You may want to enable the NHB option.
2.42 Does Pluckeye support password protection?
Sort of, via the expedite feature. To set it up, you need to register both the supporter (i.e., friend / spouse / parent) and the primary user on https://u.pluckeye.net/ . The friend can then approve requests made by the user. If the user has a a long delay, this is similar to traditional password protection.
Alternatively, if you can allow somebody else to first register on https://u.pluckeye.net/ using your device, that person can make the device "restricted", and you will no longer have ability to make any changes to its configuration; only that other person will.