A community-built add-on for Cold Turkey Blocker that adds features the official app doesn't have.

Important

CTBL++ requires the paid version of Cold Turkey Blocker. It is not a crack, bypass, or a way to get paid features for free; it runs alongside Cold Turkey and extends it. CTBL++ is an independent community project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Cold Turkey developer.

Cold Turkey is one of the best blocking tools out there, but there are features the developer has said they don't plan to build. CTBL++ fills that gap. It runs alongside Cold Turkey and extends it with new lock types, enforcement mechanics, and features the community wants.

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MVP Features

Queued Delay lock shipped	Cold Turkey normally requires a block to be off before you can change it — its most vulnerable moment and the easiest point to relapse. The Queued Delay lock type removes that moment entirely: instead of unlocking to make a change, you queue the change and it executes after a delay you chose in advance. There's nothing to re-lock and no instant access for an impulse to act on.
Tamper resistance shipped	A background Engine service backed by two cross-monitoring watchdogs (Wd1 / Wd2). They watch the Engine and each other, restart on death, and mark themselves critical, making the enforcement layer hard to simply kill.
Local AI categorization planned	A local AI feature that automatically categorizes sites, searches, and apps against your stated goals and adds them to the right blocklist without you having to manage it manually.

For the full list of planned and shipped improvements, see FEATURES.md.

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Who this is for

People who feel like Cold Turkey's current options aren't quite enough. If you've ever wished you could set stricter rules than the app currently allows, or just want more control over how your blocks behave — this is that project.

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Getting started

Status: CTBL++ is in active alpha. There are no pre-built releases yet, so for now you build from source. Prebuilt installer releases are on the roadmap.

Prerequisites

• Windows (the solution targets net10.0-windows)
• Cold Turkey Blocker (paid version), installed at its default location (C:\Program Files\Cold Turkey)
• .NET 10 SDK
• Node.js (used to build the patched web UI via webpack)
• An Administrator terminal (CTBL++ installs Windows services and patches files under Program Files)

Build

The repo ships an interactive build menu; there is no .sln, so each project is built individually.

:: from the repo root, in an Administrator terminal
ctbl.bat

 ================================================
  CTBL++ v0.2.1.2
 ================================================
  [1] Build all projects      <- builds Engine + Wd1 + Wd2, repackages Payload.zip, builds the Installer
  [2] Launch Installer
  [3] Launch Engine (console mode)
  [0] Exit

Pick [1] Build all projects, then [2] Launch Installer to run the setup wizard.

Patch the Cold Turkey UI

The CTBL++ interface is delivered by patching Cold Turkey's own web front-end (there is no separate window). To build and deploy the UI patch:

# self-elevates to Administrator; backs up the original web folder first
.\Deploy.ps1

This runs the webpack build and replaces C:\Program Files\Cold Turkey\web with the patched UI, keeping a timestamped backup (web.bak_<date>) so you can roll back. Restart Cold Turkey for changes to take effect.

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Architecture

CTBL++ is a multi-project .NET 10 (Windows) solution. The UI is delivered by patching Cold Turkey's own web interface, and all real work happens in a background service that the UI talks to over a local REST API.

Project	Type	Role
CtblPlusPlus.Core	Class library (headless)	Shared core: queue, persistence, security, lockdown, system & app control. Referenced by every other project.
CtblPlusPlus.Engine	Windows Service	The only process that does real work. Hosts the repositories, queue dispatcher, enforcer/lockdown battery, and the local REST API on http://127.0.0.1:58123.
CtblPlusPlus.Wd1 / Wd2	Windows Services	Watchdogs. Monitor the Engine and each other, restart on death, mark self critical.
CtblPlusPlus.Installer	WPF + WebView2	The setup wizard. Embeds the published payload and ships the Cold Turkey installer.

CtblPlusPlus.Core            (lowest layer, references no other project)
   ▲           ▲        ▲           ▲
   │           │        │           │
 Engine       Wd1      Wd2      Installer     (each references Core only)

The patched UI talks to the Engine over HTTP against http://127.0.0.1:58123/api/.... See CtblPlusPlus.Core/architecture.md for the full design.

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Project status & roadmap

The core architecture is in place. The project is currently transitioning away from a standalone desktop UI toward patching Cold Turkey's interface directly. Current focus:

• Queued Delay lock type
• Engine + dual-watchdog enforcement
• Move from standalone window → patched Cold Turkey web UI
• Fix known bugs and remove dead code
• Finish incomplete parts of the core feature set
• Simplify over-complex areas
• Local AI categorization of sites / searches / apps
• Prebuilt installer releases

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Get involved

CTBL++ is in active development and looking for collaborators: coders, vibe coders, and people with ideas are all welcome. Even if you can't write code, feature requests and feedback are genuinely useful.

• Open an issue: bugs, ideas, feature requests
• Start a discussion: questions and design talk
• Fork, build (see Getting started), and open a pull request

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License

Released under the MIT License. Free to use, modify, and distribute with attribution.

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_{CTBL++ is an independent community project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Cold Turkey developer.}