Orson
Working hours
Choose your schedule. Orson prevents idle sleep and generates minimal local activity only inside that window.
A quiet companion for your Mac workday
Your work does not stop when your hands leave the keyboard.
Orson keeps your work setup ready during the hours you choose, launches the apps you select, and runs simple startup and close routines. A private timeline is planned for a later release.
Coming soon Native macOS app Apple silicon and Intel No subscription
01 / Focused work is still work
Presence dots and timecards miss the work between clicks.
Calls, reading, planning, and whiteboarding can make presence apps show you as away. Orson gives you explicit, scheduled controls for your Mac workday—without pretending a status dot measures productivity. Presence behavior depends on each app and cannot be guaranteed.
02 / One small menu bar app
Ready at sign-in. Useful at sign-off.
Work apps, ready
Select common work apps such as Teams, Slack, Zoom, Outlook, and your browser. Orson opens only the ones that are not already running.
Private timeline — coming later
We are building opt-in, encrypted local capture with a visible pause control, app exclusions, and short raw-data retention. It is not included in this release.
Review and export — coming later
Daily timeline review and local export are planned for a future release. No timeline capture runs today.
Plain-language routines
Describe simple startup and close actions. Paid AI translation converts them into a small, reviewable allowlist—not arbitrary shell commands.
Offline registration
A signed registration and device certificate unlock paid features offline. Only cloud AI translation needs a connection.
03 / How it works
Set your day once.
- Choose working hours.Orson stays off outside your schedule.
- Select your work apps.No process names or bundle IDs to type.
- Add an optional routine.Describe an app or HTTPS link action for startup or close.
- Stay in control.Turn Orson off at any time. Timeline capture is not in this release.
04 / Designed for the person doing the work
Your workday is yours to control.
This release does not capture screenshots or OCR. Orson has no manager dashboard, hidden capture mode, or process concealment. Settings stay encrypted on your Mac. Optional AI translation sends only the action text you submit and your selected app names.
Read the privacy details05 / Simple shareware
Try the core app. Pay once for AI features.
Scheduling, sleep prevention, and local controls remain useful without registration. One purchase unlocks AI action translation on two Macs and includes 1,000 lifetime translations.
Orson Pro · coming soon
$19.99 one time, plus applicable tax
Founder offer: 25% off for the first 100 purchases across all launch channels. Enter a channel-specific code at checkout while available.
- Two Mac activations
- Offline signed registration
- 1,000 AI translations
- Email activation reset
The signed Mac download and checkout are not available yet.
06 / Questions
Before you install
Does Orson connect to my Microsoft or Slack account?
No. Presence continuity uses local macOS input and power APIs. Orson does not request Teams or Slack credentials.
Are screenshots uploaded?
No. This release does not take screenshots. A future opt-in timeline is being designed to keep its encrypted captures local.
Can Orson run hidden from IT tools?
No. Orson uses a stable app name and bundle identifier. Use it only on devices where you are authorized and follow your organization’s policies.
How do I install and update it?
Open the notarized DMG and drag Orson to Applications. The native updater can check automatically with your consent and verifies signed updates. Nothing runs from a local script.
What works offline?
Scheduling, previously saved local actions, and signed registration checks. Initial activation and new AI translation require a connection.