SDIT Tools · Free & Open Source
Tools built for the age of AI.
Free software from the San Diego Institute of Technology — designed to help you stay focused, protect your privacy, and understand the machines you use every day.
No cost. No tracking. No lock-in.
Why We Build
Free, forever.
Good tools should be accessible to everyone, not reserved for those who can afford subscriptions. These apps are, and always will be, free.
Open source.
Every line of code is public. Read it, audit it, fork it. Trust should be earned through transparency, not promised through marketing.
Built for now.
The age of AI demands new kinds of tools — for attention, for privacy, for understanding what our machines are doing. These are a start.
Current Release4 Tools
iOS
macOS
Attention & Deep Work
Focus
Press one button, watch a calm countdown toward your daily goal, build the hours up over time. Discipline over motivation — structured sessions and gentle accountability without the guilt trip.
- Structured work and rest sessions built around real cognitive limits
- Daily intention setting — one clear priority before the phone takes over
- No accounts, no feed, no algorithm
iOS
Language & Context
Gloss
Select a word — or a whole paragraph — anywhere on your iPhone. Gloss explains what it means, what it means in the context you're reading, how it's commonly used, and where it comes from.
- Works in any app via the Share sheet
- Full passage context, not just dictionary definitions
- Follow-up questions and saved lookup log
- Free daily allowance — no API key needed
macOS
Performance & System Health
Scope
A lightweight native macOS menu bar utility for live system metrics with a storage-first point of view. See exactly what your machine is doing — CPU, memory, disk, battery, network — without opening Activity Monitor.
- Menu bar icon with live load bars — no intrusive windows
- Storage audit identifying large files, caches, and cleanup candidates
- Top app power draw, memory pressure, and network destinations
- Battery health and thermal state at a glance
iOS
Privacy & Digital Awareness
Shade
A privacy posture advisor for iPhone. See how exposed your phone is right now — Bluetooth, location, network, app permissions — with guided steps to reduce what you're broadcasting.
- Exposure score dashboard with plain-language breakdown
- Mission modes: Everyday, Travel, Meeting, Ghost
- Manual checklist for iOS settings apps can't toggle directly
- No cloud, no account, no tracking of any kind
Open Source
MIT Licensed — use it for anything.
Every SDIT tool is published under the MIT License. Read the source, build on it, distribute it, or integrate it into your own projects. Software built for the public good should be inspectable by the public.
MIT
License
Roadmap
More tools are coming.
These four are the beginning.
The Institute is building a small suite of tools that address the most pressing challenges of living and working in the age of AI — attention, privacy, performance, digital literacy, and more. Each will follow the same principles: free, open-source, no tracking, no dark patterns.
If you have an idea for a tool that fits this frame, write to us.
GitHub
All source code is public at github.com/sandiegotech