How to block Hacker News on Chrome
Why Hacker News is hard to put down
- The front page changes every few minutes, so refreshing feels rewarding.
- Comment threads are long and genuinely interesting.
- It feels like learning, which makes it hard to notice it's procrastination.
Block Hacker News in four steps
- 1Add ZenTab to Chrome. It's free, and your first 7 days include every Pro feature.
- 2Open the ZenTab dashboard and go to Site Blocker.
- 3Hacker News is already in the News & forums pack: make sure news.ycombinator.com is switched on. If it isn't listed, type news.ycombinator.com and click Add site.
- 4Open news.ycombinator.com. Instead of the site you'll see ZenTab's calm block page, with your streak and a button to start a focus session.
A site covers its subdomains too, so news.ycombinator.com also blocks every *.news.ycombinator.com address. The free plan blocks 10 sites at a time; if you're at the limit, switch off one you need less, or go Pro for unlimited sites.
Smarter ways to limit Hacker News
A once-a-day skim is useful. Checking it twenty times isn't. Blocking everything isn't the only option:
Block the subdomain only
FreeZenTab blocks news.ycombinator.com specifically, so other Y Combinator pages stay open.
Read it once a day
ProA 15-minute daily limit keeps the skim and drops the compulsive refresh.
Read it after work
ProSchedule HN to unlock at 6 pm.
When you're tempted to unblock it
Most blockers fail in the same moment: you're tired, the urge hits, and switching the block off takes two clicks. ZenTab adds friction exactly there.
- I really need this site: the block page can open Hacker News for a few minutes after a short wait, so a genuine need doesn't turn into an hour.
- Strict Mode (Pro): no quick unlocks, you can add sites but not remove or pause them, and turning it off takes a 15-minute cool-down.
- Commitment lock (Pro): keep Strict Mode on until a date you choose, with no way out early.
Frequently asked questions
Can I read a specific Hacker News thread someone sent me?
Use the "I really need this site" pass on the block page: it opens the site for 5 minutes after a short wait.
Does blocking Hacker News block ycombinator.com?
No. ZenTab's default rule is news.ycombinator.com, so the rest of ycombinator.com stays open.
Block Hacker News in a minute
ZenTab is free: block up to 10 sites, hide YouTube Shorts and grow a focus streak. Pro adds unlimited sites, page rules, schedules and daily limits for $10 once.