Is it possible to stop Terminal from running a specific command on MacOS?

[lionsatdoor]

I'm looking for a way to stop a specific command from being ran on MacOS's terminal, or if that's not possible lock it (either with a different password than the admin/user password, or time lock it) before running - is that possible?

Basically looking to block social media from my life, but these days I can easily disable those block using the Terminal, so was wondering if there's a scorch-earth way to do that. I understand nothing can stop me if I really want to, but looking to create as many barriers as I can.

 

[Malus120]

Are you actually trying to stop yourself or another tech savvy user?
Depending on what the command is you could create a user level account that can't access it without an admin password (although a better solution is probably blocking this stuff at the router level) but... If you're actually trying to stop yourself I don't know what to tell you other than this isn't the right way to go about it/isn't going to work.

 

[bogdanw]

Basically looking to block social media from my life, but these days I can easily disable those block using the Terminal, so was wondering if there's a scorch-earth way to do that. I understand nothing can stop me if I really want to, but looking to create as many barriers as I can.

Tech can’t solve your problem, see a psychologist.

 

[Bigwaff]

Commands run in Terminal are just programs. Delete the program.

 

[chown33]

Which Terminal command do you want to block, and what effect do you think it will have on using social media?

Or are you asking if there is a Terminal command you can block that will only affect use of social media? If that's your question, the answer is, "No, not really."

I'm familiar with many Terminal commands, and not one I can think of would have an effect solely on use of social media. Some might well affect broader areas, such as overall internet use, etc. but it would be impossible to limit them to just social media.

I suppose you could do something drastic, like remove all the available shells, thus preventing Terminal from working at all, but again, that affects a much larger scope than just social media. It would also be reversible by reinstalling the OS, so it's more of a speed-bump than a significant block.

 

[lionsatdoor]

Which Terminal command do you want to block, and what effect do you think it will have on using social media?

Or are you asking if there is a Terminal command you can block that will only affect use of social media? If that's your question, the answer is, "No, not really."

I'm familiar with many Terminal commands, and not one I can think of would have an effect solely on use of social media. Some might well affect broader areas, such as overall internet use, etc. but it would be impossible to limit them to just social media.

I suppose you could do something drastic, like remove all the available shells, thus preventing Terminal from working at all, but again, that affects a much larger scope than just social media. It would also be reversible by reinstalling the OS, so it's more of a speed-bump than a significant block.

So I have a tool that blocks social media (getcoldturkey.com), and the only way to uninstall that is via terminal.

When you mentioned "remove all available shells", what does that mean? Is there a way to block access to the terminal completely? I won't reinstall the OS (simply takes way too much time).

 

[bogdanw]

So I have a tool that blocks social media (getcoldturkey.com), and the only way to uninstall that is via terminal.

That’s not true. You can delete from Finder ~/Library/LaunchAgents/launchkeep.cold-turkey.plist, as well as the other files/folders associated with the app, and reboot.

 

[Isamilis]

Blocking the access is not really solution. In fact, you can easily block using hosts file. The hardest part is self discipline and commitment.

 

[bogdanw]

In fact, you can easily block using hosts file.

Hosts are easily bypassed by Apple’s iCloud Private Relay, “Secure DNS” (DNS-over-HTTPS) enabled by default in Chrome, Edge and Firefox
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212614
https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/10468685
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/privacy-whitepaper/
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-dns-over-https