A calm, focused meditation timer with singing-bowl bells, interval bells, ambient sounds, and a warm glass-morphism design.
🌐 Live: https://wisdomtimer.app/
No streaks, no stats, no accounts, no ads, no analytics, no payments - not even micropayments. Nothing to nudge you back, nothing to buy, no evil whatsoever: just a timer, some bells and a quiet screen.
Free for anyone, anywhere, any time, for ever.
- Any duration from 1 to 99 minutes with a − / + stepper (1 minute at a time up to 10, then 5); presets for 30, 45, 60 and 90 minutes (default 45)
- Settling in (optional) - a silent 5 s to 1 min countdown before the start bell of a new session, so you can put the phone down and get comfortable; Cancel, Space or Reset stop it
- Guided meditation (optional) - pick one of four guided meditations by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (metta 4 min, breath 12, 30 or 40 min) and press Play: the start bell rings, the voice begins 15 seconds later, and the end bell rings the moment the recording ends. Downloaded when chosen, then kept on your device for offline use. If a phone call (or anything else) interrupts the voice, the session pauses right there and a big Carry on button picks it up again. In a regular sit, the timer runs on through an interruption, and a Restore the bell button brings the sound back with one tap, since an iPhone may otherwise keep it off - end bell included
- Open-ended sitting (optional) - count up from 00:00 with no set end; interval bells keep ringing, and Finish rings the end bell and completes the session
- Pause and resume - the start bell rings again when you resume
- Hold to reset - during a sit, Reset has to be held for a second, so a stray tap can't end it
- Survives a reload - a sit in progress is kept for the browser tab: after a reload it runs on to the same end (one tap brings the sound back), and a sit that ended meanwhile says when
- Play after a finished session starts the next one - no need to press Reset
- The time as a soft light - no box around it: the time sits in a warm glow (think nimitta) that breathes slowly while you sit - 4 s swelling, 4 s settling - and holds still when paused. The session's progress is a thin trail of light around it; Play, Pause and Reset sit on the card below
- "Ends at 07:45" under the timer while a session runs (in your device's time format)
- Quiet screen while sitting - while the timer runs, the settings and hints are hidden and the page dims around the glowing time and the metta phrase (or Itipi so lines) (on by default; how dark is up to you, 10-90%); "Show settings" brings them back
- Session counter - "Session 1", "Session 2", … for sessions completed today (kept in memory: it starts over on reload and on a new day)
- Keeps the screen awake while a session runs, so your phone doesn't lock mid-session - in browsers that support it. If it can't (an older browser, or refused on low battery), it says so on screen, since a locked phone may not ring the end bell on time
- Stays on time in background tabs - the end and interval bells are scheduled directly, so they ring on time even when the browser slows down timers for a hidden tab
- Start bell - singing bowl (~43 s)
- Interval woodblock - a short woodblock knock every 1-30 minutes (optional), the first one after its own delay of 1-60 minutes (default: every 10 minutes, starting after 5); never at the very end, which belongs to the end bell
- End bell - resonant "gling" (~35 s)
- Ambient sounds - rain, ocean waves or forest, looping, with a 0.5 s fade in and out
- Metta mode (optional) - the four loving-kindness phrases take turns in large letters above the timer while you sit: May I be happy. May my loved ones be happy. May those I find difficult be happy. May all beings everywhere be happy. Each shows for 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds (default 10), then the cycle starts again
- Metta Sutta mode (optional) - the Buddha's words on loving-kindness (Karaniya Metta Sutta, Amaravati Sangha translation), a couplet at a time above the timer, each word brightening in turn. 0.5, 0.75, 1 or 1.5 seconds per word (default 0.75). One at a time with metta and Itipi so mode; the (i) button shows the translation's source and license.
- Itipi so mode (optional) - the recollection of the Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha, one line at a time on a card above the timer: the Pali, each word brightening in turn, and under it the English. 1, 2, 3 or 5 seconds per word (default 2). One or the other with metta mode.
- Gentle ending (on by default) - the ambient sound fades out over the last minute, so the end bell arrives into silence; the bells themselves never fade
- Separate volume sliders for bells and ambient sound; changes apply immediately, including to a bell that is still ringing
- Test bell - rings the end bell at the chosen volume, for a sound check before a sit (is it loud enough for the room, and coming out of the speaker rather than someone's earbuds?); End test stops it (the end bell rings for over half a minute)
| Running | Paused | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration (presets, custom, open-ended) | Locked | Locked - Reset unlocks it |
| Ambient sound choice | Switches right away (via "Show settings") | None stops it; another sound starts on resume |
| Volume sliders | Usable (via "Show settings") | Usable |
| Interval woodblock settings | Locked | Usable |
- Enlightenment burst - a 9-second light animation in three waves, and the title briefly reads "Wisdom Time!"
- Keyboard shortcuts - Space to start/pause, R to reset (browser shortcuts like Cmd/Ctrl+R are left alone, typing in a field never triggers them, and Space on a button reached with Tab presses that button); the hint is shown only with a mouse or trackpad, not on touch screens
- Settings are remembered in the browser (localStorage) and checked when loaded, so old or damaged saved values fall back to the defaults
- Accessible - labelled controls for screen readers, and animations are switched off when your system asks for reduced motion
- Responsive - works on phones, tablets and desktops
- Works offline - once opened with a connection, the app and its bells are kept on your device (within moments, no need to open it again), so it opens and runs in airplane mode or without signal; bells are held in memory, so losing wifi mid-session changes nothing. Can be added to the home screen
- Ambient sounds download when you choose one (with a progress ring), then stay on your device, offline too - so the app itself loads fast
- Security headers - Content Security Policy, clickjacking protection and more (
vercel.json, plus meta tags inindex.html)
- iPhone with the screen locked: iOS pauses web pages when the phone locks, so bells can't ring until you unlock it. Keeping the screen awake during a session prevents the automatic lock; locking the phone yourself still pauses the page.
The end bell matters most when a group sits together. So that it rings, in this order:
- Set up with a connection: open the app and choose your ambient sound or guided meditation. Once it's selected, it's kept on the phone, and the app works offline.
- Keep calls away: airplane mode with Wi-Fi off keeps them all out; Do Not Disturb, most. Silent mode is fine.
- Charge the phone, or plug it in. Around 20% battery, power saving may turn on and let the screen lock mid-sit.
- Ring the Test bell last (under the volume sliders), with everything set: loud enough for the room, and from the right speaker, not a pair of earbuds.
- Don't lock the phone while you sit. The app keeps the screen on and dims it; a locked phone may not ring the end bell on time.
- If the sound is interrupted anyway, tap Restore the bell.
The app shows the same steps under the settings ("Leading a group sit?").
- Node.js 22.12 or newer (24 LTS recommended) - required by Vite 8 and Vitest
- npm
npm install
npm run dev # http://localhost:5173| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
npm run dev |
Development server with hot reload |
npm run build |
Production build to dist/ |
npm run preview |
Serve the production build locally |
npm run lint |
ESLint |
npm test |
Unit and component tests (Vitest), about 20 s |
npm run test:watch |
Vitest in watch mode |
npm run test:e2e |
End-to-end tests (Playwright) in Chromium, Firefox, WebKit and an iPhone profile; builds first. One-time setup: npx playwright install chromium firefox webkit |
- Unit and component tests (Vitest + Testing Library + jsdom) - next to the code they test (
*.test.js(x)insrc/). They cover the timer (including background-tab throttling), interval-bell scheduling, the audio manager (with a fake audio element, including an iOS-style one), the session counter, settings validation, and the whole app with fake audio. - End-to-end tests (Playwright) - in
e2e/. They run the production build in real browser engines with a frozen fake clock, so a 45-minute session takes about a second, and record which sounds play. - CI - GitHub Actions runs lint, unit tests and build (
ci.yml) and the end-to-end tests (e2e.yml) on every pull request and onmain.
Bugs are fixed test-first: a test that fails on the old code, then the fix.
What no emulator can check - iOS's no-sound-without-a-tap rule, a locked screen, a phone call - is in the device checklist, run on real phones before a release.
- React 19 with Context +
useReducerfor settings - Vite 8 for the dev server and builds
- Tailwind CSS 4
- Lucide icons
- Vitest, Testing Library and Playwright for tests
- ESLint 10
- Deployed on Vercel
src/
├── App.jsx # Session flow, keyboard shortcuts, layout
├── sw.js # Service worker: keeps the app and bells offline
├── components/ # Timer/, Settings/, UI/
├── hooks/ # useTimer (the clock), useAudio, useWakeLock, ...
├── context/ # Settings state (reducer) + saving
├── utils/ # audioManager, ambient downloads, bell scheduling, settings validation, ...
└── constants/ # Sound file paths and the ambient sound list
e2e/ # Playwright end-to-end tests
public/audio/ # Bell and ambient sound files
docs/ # Session behavior, architecture notes, device checklist
The file-by-file map is in CLAUDE.md.
public/audio/
├── bells/
│ ├── bell-start.mp3 # Start: singing bowl (~43 s)
│ ├── bell-interval.mp3 # Interval: woodblock (~0.3 s)
│ └── bell-end.mp3 # End: gling (~35 s)
├── ambient/
│ ├── rain.mp3 # ~36 min loop
│ ├── ocean.mp3 # ~27 min loop
│ └── forest.mp3 # ~10 min loop
└── guided/ # Guided meditations (Thanissaro Bhikkhu), played once
├── metta.mp3 # 4:09
├── breath-12.mp3 # 12:16
├── breath-30.mp3 # 29:32
└── breath-40.mp3 # 40:00
The three bell files are AAC audio in an MP4 container despite their .mp3 names; browsers identify them by content, so they play normally.
Edit initialState in src/context/TimerContext.jsx:
duration: 2700, // default: 45 minutes (in seconds)
presetDurations: [1800, 2700, 3600, 5400], // 30, 45, 60, 90 minutesThe gradients are Tailwind classes in src/App.jsx: from-[#FDE68A] to-[#F97316] normally, and a brighter gradient after a session completes.
- Put the file in
public/audio/ambient/. - In
src/constants/audioSources.js, add it toAUDIO_SOURCES.ambient(the buttons follow its order). - For an icon, give it an
iconname and add that toiconMapinsrc/components/Settings/AmbientSoundSelector.jsx; otherwise a speaker icon is used.
- The bells load when the page opens; Start stays disabled with "Loading bells…" until they're ready (at most about 2 s). Ambient sounds download when you choose them.
- Browsers only allow audio after you interact with the page - pressing Start counts.
- Check the browser console (F12) for loading errors, and that the files exist in
public/audio/.
- Make sure
@tailwindcss/postcssis installed, and trynpm run dev -- --forceto clear Vite's cache.
MIT - feel free to use this project for personal or commercial purposes.
The bells and ambient sounds are licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain). While attribution is not legally required, we credit the following creators. The guided meditations are not CC0 - see below.
-
Start Bell - "Singing Bell Hit 2" by ryancacophony Source: Freesound.org License: CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain)
-
Interval Bell (Woodblock) - "Wood Block Hit" by thomasjaunism Source: Freesound.org License: CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain)
-
End Bell - "Gling" by manuelsound Source: Freesound.org License: CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain)
-
Rain - "Light Gentle Rain" by Naturthusiast Source: Internet Archive License: CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain)
-
Ocean Waves - "Birds With Ocean Waves on the Beach" by Naturthusiast Source: Internet Archive License: CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain)
-
Forest - "Relaxing Nature Sounds - Birdsong Sound" by Naturthusiast Source: Internet Archive License: CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain)
- Metta Meditation, Breath Meditation - Quick Version, Breath Meditation - Older Version and Breath Meditation with Instructions for Leaving Meditation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu Source: dhammatalks.org License: CC BY-NC 4.0 / for free distribution only - never to be sold. Included unmodified (renamed files only).
- Metta Sutta mode - "Karaniya Metta Sutta: The Buddha's Words on Loving-Kindness" (Sn 1.8), translated from the Pali by The Amaravati Sangha. Source: Access to Insight. Shown in the app a couplet at a time (
src/utils/mettaSutta.js); the app shows this license too, under the setting's (i) button. License: ©1994 English Sangha Trust. You may copy, reformat, reprint, republish, and redistribute this work in any medium whatsoever, provided that: (1) you only make such copies, etc. available free of charge; (2) you clearly indicate that any derivatives of this work (including translations) are derived from this source document; and (3) you include the full text of this license in any copies or derivatives of this work. Otherwise, all rights reserved. From Chanting Book: Morning and Evening Puja and Reflections (Hemel Hempstead: Amaravati Publications, 1994). Used with permission of the English Sangha Trust, Ltd.
Contributions welcome - bug reports, ideas, audio recommendations and pull requests. Please run npm run lint, npm test and, for UI changes, npm run test:e2e before opening a PR; CI runs them too. Commit messages say why, for whoever reads them a year from now - see CLAUDE.md for how to write them and what goes in a PR description.
Built with ❤️ for mindful moments
Enjoy your meditation! 🧘♀️✨