Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

3/24/23, 9:58 PM Frequently asked questions (FAQ) | Plucky manual
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

On this page
How do I install / uninstall Plucky?
What operating systems does Plucky support?
What are the recommended practices for using Plucky?
What browsers does Plucky work with?
Where do I type the pluck commands that are mentioned on this site?
How do I configure Plucky?
How do I whitelist a site?
Wait, Plucky block all images?!!
How do I block only “bad sites”?
How do I schedule allowing or blocking of a website?
How do I completely cut off Internet access at night?
How do I block or allow part of a website, but not all of it?
How do I transfer (export/import) my Plucky settings between computers?
How do I manually remove a rule?
What is the complete syntax for configuration?
Can I whitelist a URL using wildcards or pattern matching?
Does https://u.pluckeye.net/ collect data about users? What’s your privacy policy?
Can Plucky notify my accountability partner?
I share a computer with others. Is it possible for some users to use Plucky while other users are completely
oblivious to Plucky’s presence?
How can I watch videos on YouTube?
How can I enforce safe search?
https://docs.pluckeye.net/faq 1/16
How do I block torrents?
How do I block all websites except a few select ones?
How do I block downloading of a live ISO?
How do I block or unblock PDFs or other documents?
How do I block downloading of all programs?
How do I block all downloads?
How do I block audio by default?
Does Plucky interfere with the Mac App Store, iTunes, and Apple Mail? If so, how can I use them?
How do I block the Windows App Store?
How do I allow all websites and then only block specific ones?
How do I reset Plucky to its default settings, with all images being blocked?
What if Plucky doesn’t block enough for my tastes?
Does Plucky support password protection?
How can I use my network printer with the system feature enabled?
How can I enforce use of a particular DNS server?
How do I access github.com, rubygems.org, npmjs.org, and heroku.com from the command line?
How do I allow pip packages?
How do I use Homebrew on mac OS with the system feature enabled?
How do I unblock a program such as Steam?
How do I modify Plucky configurations in an ordinary text editor?
How do I temporarily override a “block otherwise” rule?
How do I temporarily unblock a block for a specific website?
How do I allow or require another person to approve changes to a Plucky configuration?
Can I increase the delay beyond a week?
Where can I get more help and/or find more Plucky documentation?
How do I cancel my subscription?
How do I update the credit card associated with my subscription or change my subscription level?
Unanswered question?
How do I play Fortnite and avoid BattlEye problems while Plucky is installed?
If you’re not already a Plucky user, you may want to take a look at the non-user FAQ instead of this
page.
How do I install / uninstall Plucky?

See how to install.
What operating systems does Plucky support?

Plucky supports Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android.
See platforms.
What are the recommended practices for using Plucky?

See tips.
What browsers does Plucky work with?

Only Chrome and its variants are fully supported. See Browsers.
When the system feature is enabled (which used to be known as level 2), Plucky will block all
browsers with which it does not integrate, such as Internet Explorer and Safari.
Where do I type the pluck commands that are mentioned

on this site?
See command line basics and notation.
Note that many people use Plucky without typing anything, ever.
How do I configure Plucky?

See how-to-configure.
How do I whitelist a site?

There are a couple ways. The most common way is to click the Plucky button ( ) in the
browser, and then click “allow”.
You can also type in a console:
pluck + allow example.com
Keep in mind that no matter how you do this, the new setting will only be effective after the Plucky
delay waiting period.
For more information on adding rules, see rules.
Wait, Plucky block all images?!!

Yes, by default, all images on the Internet are blocked.
Get over it.
Most Plucky users allow sites and/or use scheduling rules so they can see images on some or many
sites. Plucky is designed to be configured by the user.
Before you think this is nuts, consider: if you could only have the Internet without images, would that
improve or degrade your quality of life in the Grand Scheme? Seriously, think about this before
configuring Plucky to be liberal.
How do I block only “bad sites”?

See how to block only bad sites.
How do I schedule allowing or blocking of a website?
1. Click the Plucky button in your browser (in the top right corner).
2. On the “New Rule” page that opens, select what you want the new rule to do using the “action”
and “location” drop-down menus.
3. Click “advanced”.
4. Use the “schedule” drop down menu to select when you want the rule to have effect. (Select
“other…” for times of day and days of the week.)
Alternatively, you can also use when in a console:
pluck + when 8-12 allow example.com
How do I completely cut off Internet access at night?

To schedule daily blackouts from midnight to 6am (0-6) and from 9pm to midnight (21-24):
pluck + when 0-6,21-24 block everything
How do I block or allow part of a website, but not all of it?
You can add a rule to block or allow specific urls. For example,
pluck + allow https://example.com/good

pluck + block https://example.com/bad
How do I transfer (export/import) my Plucky settings

between computers?
See synchronizing configuration.
How do I manually remove a rule?

There are 3 ways , but usually by clicking del
What is the complete syntax for configuration?

See figs and rules.
Can I whitelist a URL using wildcards or pattern

matching?
Yes, and no. Matching by literal urls and url prefixes are both supported, as is matching by media
type.
Full regular expressions support is not yet implemented, and may never be. If you would like regex
support, feel free to request the feature.
Does https://u.pluckeye.net/ collect data about users?

What’s your privacy policy?
See the privacy policy, which is short and easy to read.
Can Plucky notify my accountability partner?

See how to get supporters.
I share a computer with others. Is it possible for some

users to use Plucky while other users are completely
oblivious to Plucky’s presence?
Yes. You can simply allow by user. E.g.,
pluck + allow user:susan

pluck + allow user:\\paravel\polly
How can I watch videos on YouTube?

See youtube.
How can I enforce safe search?

See safe.
How do I block torrents?

pluck + block application/x-bittorrent
How do I block all websites except a few select ones?

If you only want access to ok.com and pluckeye.net:
pluck + block
pluck + allow pluckeye.net
pluck + allow ok.com
How do I block downloading of a live ISO?

pluck + block application/x-iso9660-image
How do I block or unblock PDFs or other documents?

To allow PDFs or .docx files or other documents on specific sites, one generally just allows a url, or a
domain. E.g.,
pluck + allow http://my-college.edu/courses

pluck + allow my-church.or
To block PDFs on most sites:
pluck + block application/pdf
See also the no-documents configuration.
How do I block downloading of all programs?

Try the no-programs configuration
Or, pluck + block application/download
If you want to block more programs regardless of whether or not they are downloaded or installed,
you can use pluck + nhb.
How do I block all downloads?

Plucky supports a pseudo-type, “application/download” specifically to control “downloads.”
pluck + block application/download
That said, downloads typically have a separate, true media type and can be allowed or blocked.
How do I block audio by default?

pluck + block audio/
Does Plucky interfere with the Mac App Store, iTunes,

and Apple Mail? If so, how can I use them?
It depends on your Plucky settings, and your version of Mac OS X.
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
Mail
pluck + allow program Mail
Note that you may need to configure Mail.
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 Plucky user wants.
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
How do I block the Windows App Store?

The Microsoft App Store is blocked by the NHB feature. But if NHB is too severe for you and you are
using Plucky v0.99.24+, the app store can be blocked with
pluck + block program winstore.app.exe
How do I allow all websites and then only block specific

ones?
Really? With Plucky? Shrug.
pluck clear
Then block the sites you want to block.
How do I reset Plucky to its default settings, with all

images being blocked?
pluck factoryreset
This will overwrite your existing configuration. If you want to save a copy of your configuration for
later, use the export command.
What if Plucky doesn’t block enough for my tastes?

You may want to enable the NHB feature.
Does Plucky support password protection?

Yes. Plucky allows you to restrict your device so that a password is necessary to configure it. The
restricted device feature is intended for other control (such as parental control) rather than self
control.
How can I use my network printer with the system feature

enabled?
pluck + allow port 3910
pluck + allow port 3911
How can I enforce use of a particular DNS server?

See how to enforce a dns filtering service.
How do I access github.com, rubygems.org, npmjs.org,

and heroku.com from the command line?
If you are using Linux or macOS, like so:
pluck + 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 s
$ 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)
$ 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 aga
The solution to all of the above:
pluck + allow github.com

pluck + allow rubygems.org
pluck + allow rubygems.global.ssl.fastly.net
pluck + allow npmjs.org
pluck + allow heroku.com
sleep $(pluck delay)
git clone https://github.com/plujon/fmemopen
\# Cloning into 'fmemopen'...
Also useful to some folks:
pluck + allow program:git

pluck + allow program:git-remote-http
How do I allow pip packages?

On Linux:
pluck + allow pypi.org

pluck + allow pythonhosted.org
How do I use Homebrew on mac OS with the system

feature enabled?
To use Homebrew, 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 + allow bintray.com

pluck + allow gnu.org
Another approach is to edit /usr/local/Homebrew/Dockerfile, inserting

HOMEBREW_NO_ENV_FILTERING=1 before brew tap homebrew/core, and then to run brew update.
Alternatively, you could use a periodic whiteout. E.g., to reserve time on Saturdays from 12pm to 2pm
for homebrew updating:
pluck + when A12-14 allow everything
See when and everything to understand how this works.
How do I unblock a program such as Steam?

First, start the program. In this case, we’ll use the program Steam as an example. Then run pluck
verdicts to see what the names of the blocked programs are.
pluck verdicts
Finally, allow programs with that name.
pluck + allow program steamwebhelper.exe

pluck + allow program Steam.exe
For minecraft, one might use
pluck + allow program:minecraft

pluck + allow program:java
You could instead allow by IP addresses if the IPs used by the programs are stable.
On Linux, instead of allowing by program name, you can allow by domain name. E.g.:
pluck + allow steampowered.com

pluck + allow steamcommunity.com
pluck + allow steamgames.com
pluck + allow steamusercontent.com
pluck + allow steamcontent.com
pluck + allow steamstatic.com
pluck + allow akamaihd.net
How do I allow or unblock Microsoft teams?

On Windows:
pluck + allow program teams.exe
How do I modify Plucky configurations in an ordinary text

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 clear
pluck import settings.txt
But using the users site may be easier.
How do I temporarily override a “block otherwise” rule?

Remove the rule (e.g. by running pluck - block otherwise in a a console window), wait for your
delay to pass, do whatever you need to do, and then restore the rule (pluck + block otherwise). If
you find that you do this often, consider whether combining a when rule with block otherwise (so that
block otherwise only sometimes has effect) would be better for you.
How do I temporarily unblock a block for a specific

website?
We’ll use Facebook as an example. Let’s say you normally block Facebook, like this:
block facebook.com
If you want to use Facebook unfiltered for 10 minutes, you could do this:
pluck + when now+10m allow facebook.com
If you want to only allow Facebook, except for images and video, you could do this:
pluck + when now+10m allow facebook.com

pluck + when now+10m block facebook.com image/
pluck + when now+10m block facebook.com video/
How do I allow or require another person to approve

changes to a Plucky configuration?
See expedite and restricted devices.
Can I increase the delay beyond a week?

This question is usually asked by people who have not actually tried using a 7 day delay. Have you
tried using a 7 day delay and found it ineffective in practice? If so, feel free to let us know.
Plucky does allow you to restrict your device if you want to give up control.
In times past, Plucky did support a longer delay, but nobody, as in zero people ever, who used the
longer delay ever reported that it made a real life difference for them. In the face of a longer delay, all
of them found other ways to feed their addiction, some of them quite destructive. Are you any
different? If you want a delay longer than 7 days, that is a red flag that may indicate you are
attempting to to throw the painful burden of choosing out of your addiction onto something else, such
as Plucky. It won’t work. You must bear your own load. If this paragraph speaks to you, please use
one or more resources aimed at the whole person, such as those listed on
https://resources.pluckeye.net/ . Plucky can be a helpful tool for dealing with impulse control, but it
is no replacement for you.
Where can I get more help and/or find more Plucky

documentation?
See help and pluck more-help.
How do I cancel my subscription?

See the how to subscribe page.
How do I update the credit card associated with my

subscription or change my subscription level?
Just resubscribe using the same email address you originally used. Stripe should automatically
update your payment information and simply switch you over to another plan. You shouldn’t be
double-billed for overlapping time because Stripe automatically pro-rates such changes.
Unanswered question?
After you have registered on https://u.pluckeye.net/ , support can often be had in the private Plucky
forum and sometimes in support chat. You can also contact us.
How do I play Fortnite and avoid BattlEye problems while

Plucky is installed? 
From
https://www.reddit.com/r/pluckeye/comments/v7c8b3/allowing_fortnitebattleye_with_pluckypluckeye/ :
``` bash
pluck + allow program beservice.exe
pluck + allow program beservice_fn.exe
pluck + allow program beservice_x64.exe
pluck + allow program easyanticheat.exe
pluck + allow program easyanticheat_eos.exe
pluck + allow program easyanticheat_setup.exe
pluck + allow program epicgameslauncher.exe
pluck + allow program epicwebhelper.exe
pluck + allow program fortniteclient-win64-shipping.exe
pluck + allow program fortniteclient-win64-shipping_be.exe
pluck + allow program fortniteclient-win64-shipping_eac.exe
pluck + allow program fortnitelauncher.exe
pluck + allow program wddriveservice.exe
```
Last updated: 2023-01-12

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - Plucky Manual

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3/24/23, 9:58 PM Frequently asked questions (FAQ) | Plucky manual

How do I install / uninstall Plucky?

What operating systems does Plucky support?

What are the recommended practices for using Plucky?

What browsers does Plucky work with?

How do I configure Plucky?

How do I whitelist a site?

Wait, Plucky block all images?!!

How do I block only “bad sites”?

How do I schedule allowing or blocking of a website?

How do I completely cut off Internet access at night?

How do I block or allow part of a website, but not all of it?

How do I transfer (export/import) my Plucky settings between computers?

How do I manually remove a rule?

What is the complete syntax for configuration?

Can I whitelist a URL using wildcards or pattern matching?

Can Plucky notify my accountability partner?

How can I watch videos on YouTube?

How can I enforce safe search?

How do I block torrents?

How do I block all websites except a few select ones?

How do I block downloading of a live ISO?

How do I block or unblock PDFs or other documents?

How do I block downloading of all programs?

How do I block all downloads?

How do I block audio by default?

How do I block the Windows App Store?

What if Plucky doesn’t block enough for my tastes?

Does Plucky support password protection?

How can I enforce use of a particular DNS server?

How do I allow pip packages?

How do I use Homebrew on mac OS with the system feature enabled?

How do I unblock a program such as Steam?

How do I modify Plucky configurations in an ordinary text editor?

How do I temporarily override a “block otherwise” rule?

How do I temporarily unblock a block for a specific website?

How do I allow or require another person to approve changes to a Plucky configuration?

Can I increase the delay beyond a week?

How do I cancel my subscription?

How do I install / uninstall Plucky?

What operating systems does Plucky support?

What are the recommended practices for using Plucky?

What browsers does Plucky work with?

Where do I type the pluck commands that are mentioned

How do I configure Plucky?

How do I whitelist a site?

browser, and then click “allow”.

You can also type in a console:

pluck + allow example.com

For more information on adding rules, see rules.

Wait, Plucky block all images?!!

Get over it.

How do I block only “bad sites”?

How do I schedule allowing or blocking of a website?

Alternatively, you can also use when in a console:

pluck + when 8-12 allow example.com

How do I completely cut off Internet access at night?

pluck + when 0-6,21-24 block everything

How do I block or allow part of a website, but not all of it?

pluck + allow https://example.com/good

How do I transfer (export/import) my Plucky settings

How do I manually remove a rule?