Panic Mode

Panic mode is an emergency feature that immediately blocks all domains and prevents bypassing.

What is Panic Mode?

Panic mode is designed for crisis moments when you need absolute protection:

All domains blocked regardless of schedule
Dangerous commands hidden (unblock, allow)
Cannot be disabled until timer expires
Minimum 15 minutes to prevent abuse

When to Use

Good Use Cases

Feeling strong urges to access blocked content
Recognizing you’re in a vulnerable state
After a “slip” to prevent further access
Before a known trigger event
When willpower is low

Examples

Situation	Recommended Duration
Quick urge	30-60 minutes
After a slip	2-4 hours
Bad day	4-8 hours
Weekend protection	24-48 hours

Activating Panic Mode

# Activate for 1 hour
nextdns-blocker panic 60

# Activate for 30 minutes
nextdns-blocker panic 30m

# Activate for 4 hours
nextdns-blocker panic 4h

# Activate for 1 day
nextdns-blocker panic 1d

Output

⚠️  PANIC MODE ACTIVATED

Duration: 60 minutes
Expires at: 2024-01-15 15:30:00

All domains are now blocked.
The following commands are disabled:
  - unblock
  - allow
  - disallow

Panic mode cannot be cancelled.
Wait for expiration or use 'panic extend' to add more time.

During Panic Mode

What’s Blocked

Every domain in your blocklist is blocked, regardless of:

Schedule (available hours ignored)
Current time
Pending unblock actions

Hidden Commands

These commands become invisible:

Command	Why Hidden
`unblock`	Would bypass panic
`allow`	Would create exceptions
`disallow`	Consistency

Attempting to run them:

nextdns-blocker unblock reddit.com
# Error: Command 'unblock' is not available during panic mode

What Still Works

status - Check current state
config push - Runs but only blocks
config show - View configuration
watchdog status - Check automation
panic extend - Add more time
panic status - Check remaining time

Checking Status

nextdns-blocker panic status

Output when active:

Panic Mode Status
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Status: ACTIVE ⚠️

Activated: 2024-01-15 14:30:00
Expires: 2024-01-15 15:30:00
Remaining: 45 minutes

Hidden commands: unblock, allow, disallow

Extending Duration

Need more protection? Extend:

nextdns-blocker panic extend 30

Output:

Panic mode extended by 30 minutes
New expiration: 2024-01-15 16:00:00
Remaining: 75 minutes

Sync Behavior

During panic mode, sync:

Blocks all domains - Ignores schedules
Skips unblocks - No automatic unblocking
Skips allowlist - No exceptions
Pauses pending actions - Won’t execute

This ensures complete lockdown.

Pending Actions

Pending unblock actions during panic:

Timers continue - Time still passes
Execution skipped - Actions don’t run
Resume after - Execute when panic ends

Why Can’t I Cancel?

This is intentional.

The effectiveness of panic mode comes from its inescapability:

No “just this once” temptation
Can’t talk yourself out of it
Forces waiting

If you could cancel, you would during weak moments.

After Panic Expires

When panic mode ends:

Normal schedule evaluation resumes
Hidden commands become visible
Allowlist sync resumes
Pending actions execute (if due)

Technical Details

State Storage

Panic state stored in:

macOS/Linux: ~/.local/share/nextdns-blocker/.panic
Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\nextdns-blocker\.panic

Contains ISO 8601 expiration timestamp.

Minimum Duration

15 minutes minimum prevents:

Accidental very short panics
Abuse of the feature

Troubleshooting

Panic not blocking domains

Force sync:
Terminal window
```
nextdns-blocker config push
```
Check watchdog:
Terminal window
```
nextdns-blocker watchdog status
```

Domains still accessible

Might be:

Cached in browser (clear cache)
Cached in OS DNS (flush DNS)
Not using NextDNS

Flush DNS:

# macOS
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache

# Linux
sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved

# Windows
ipconfig /flushdns

Need to end early (emergency)

Not recommended, but possible:

# Delete panic file (macOS/Linux)
rm ~/.local/share/nextdns-blocker/.panic

# Delete panic file (Windows)
del %LOCALAPPDATA%\nextdns-blocker\.panic

This defeats the purpose. Only use for genuine emergencies.

Best Practices

Use proactively - Before urges peak, not during
Start with longer durations - Better safe than sorry
Extend freely - No shame in needing more time
Combine with schedules - Panic is backup, not primary
Tell someone - Accountability helps