Sworn

Sworn for Linux

Your computer,
under the same promise.

The same filter as your phone, the same partner, one alert stream. Pause it or remove it and your partner hears — exactly like the phone. 

$ curl -fsSL https://sworn.snowleopard.dev/install | sh

Read the script first Add the repo by hand

  • Pairs with the Sworn app on your phone. Get that first
  • Covers every app, not just the browser
  • No screenshots, no browsing history, no device names

Debian 12+, Ubuntu 22.04+, Mint, Pop!_OS, Fedora 40+, RHEL / Rocky / Alma 9+ · x86_64 and ARM64.

Install

One line.

Open a terminal and paste this. It asks for your password once (to add the package repository), installs Sworn, and starts the Sworn icon next to the clock. Your DNS is not changed until you pair. 

$ curl -fsSL https://sworn.snowleopard.dev/install | sh

Works on Debian 12+, Ubuntu 22.04+, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, Fedora 40+, RHEL / Rocky / Alma 9+, on x86_64 and ARM64. The script is short and meant to be read. It's at sworn.snowleopard.dev/install.

  1. Run the line above. When it finishes, the Sworn icon appears next to the clock as a crossed-out shield, which means “not protecting yet”, and, on most desktops, a browser tab opens asking for your pairing code. If it doesn't, open 127.0.0.1:8453 yourself.
  2. Get a code from your phone. In Sworn on your phone: Settings → Add a computer. It shows a short code that's good for ten minutes.
  3. Pair. Type the code into that tab. If you closed it, click the Sworn icon → Pair with your phone…, or open 127.0.0.1:8453 in a browser. The shield turns solid: protected. Your partner is not emailed for adding a computer.

GNOME users: stock GNOME hides tray icons until the AppIndicator extension is on. Sworn works without the icon, because the browser page at 127.0.0.1:8453 does everything the menu does. Install the extension only if you want the icon. Sworn deliberately doesn't install it for you.

What it does

The phone's rules, on the computer.

Sworn runs a small DNS agent on your computer that sends every lookup, from every app and browser, through your Sworn account — the same categories you chose on your phone, the same personal block list, the same partner. Blocked attempts count toward the same tally your partner already sees; the computer is never named in an email.

Pause from the menu stops filtering on this computer and emails your partner — same as the toggle on your phone. Remove Sworn (sudo apt remove sworn or sudo dnf remove sworn) puts your network settings back and emails your partner that you uninstalled it from a device. Both are one step; neither is secret. That's the deal.

If Sworn's servers can't be reached (a hotel captive portal, an outage), the agent lets your normal DNS through and says so in the menu, rather than cutting the computer off. Your partner's silence-detection still notices a long absence.

Manual install & verification

If you'd rather not pipe to sh.

Every package is signed, and the repositories are signed, with one key. Fingerprint:

E162 F8EE 6C7C 43C1 E996 779D D770 7D89 93CA 1CB0

Debian / Ubuntu: 

$ curl -fsSL https://pkg.sworn.snowleopard.dev/sworn.gpg | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/sworn.gpg >/dev/null
$ echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/sworn.gpg] https://pkg.sworn.snowleopard.dev/apt stable main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/sworn.list
$ sudo apt update && sudo apt install sworn

Fedora / RHEL: 

$ sudo rpm --import https://pkg.sworn.snowleopard.dev/sworn.asc
$ sudo curl -fsSL -o /etc/yum.repos.d/sworn.repo https://pkg.sworn.snowleopard.dev/sworn.repo
$ sudo dnf install sworn

Just the files. The current .deb and .rpm packages for both architectures, with checksums, are at pkg.sworn.snowleopard.dev (SHA256SUMS). Installed by hand they still update through the repository once you add it; without the repository they simply don't update.

After installing by hand, run sworn-tray once (it starts by itself at every later login), then pair as above.

Other computers

Windows and Mac.

Sworn for Windows is one signed installer with the same icon next to the clock. Sworn for Mac is a Mac App Store app with the same menu-bar design. All three pair the same way, with a code from your phone. Sworn for Chromebook is a single ChromeOS setting, with no installer at all. If something's off on any of them, tell us. The message is read by the person who wrote it.

Weighing this against the hosts file, systemd-resolved or filtering at the router? Read the honest guide to blocking porn on Linux — every option, what each one covers, and where each one stops.