Obol · Stillcraft

What's inside

Everything Obol does.

Charon's gate

Open Reels and the gate appears over it: why do you want to cross, a few breaths, then 5, 15 or 30 minutes, the meter, or a free pass from Hermes' staff. The reel underneath is paused.

Only the feed costs

Reels and Shorts are paid; messages and the rest of the app stay free. Sites count in the browser too, down to a part like youtube.com/shorts.

A pantheon of your own

Calliope pays for reading, Hermes for languages, Athena for learning, Hestia for stillness, Nike for sport. Dedicate your own patron to guitar or code, with a symbol, a rate, a daily cap, apps and sites.

Time left and the mist

On the far shore a small plaque in the corner counts down the time you paid for. After five minutes a grey mist of Lethe creeps in from the edges of the screen.

Tariffs, debt and the oracle

Nyx's hour triples the fare, every crossing of the day costs half again, Hades lends at interest, and the oracle names a patron who pays double for two hours.

Temple, rites and the Styx

Save obols for a real reward or let the treasury grow each Monday. Earn by rites with the phone face down. Swear by the Styx, and the gate locks until the oath ends.

Screens

Captured in Obol.

Obol: The shore — **The shore**The purse, the oracle and today's potsherd.

Obol: The gate — **The gate**Charon asks why before you cross.

Obol: The fare — **The fare**Minutes, the meter or Hermes' staff.

Obol: Pantheon — **Pantheon**Pedestals grow with the hours.

Obol: Your own patron — **Your own patron**Name, symbol, rate, cap, apps, sites.

Obol: Lethe — **Lethe**Streams that cost obols.

Obol: Ledger — **Ledger**Four weeks and what was remembered.

Obol: Temple — **Temple**The treasury and vows.

Obol: A rite — **A rite**Time away from the phone.

What things cost on the far shore

Rule	When	Effect
Base fare	Any time	2 obols a minute for Instagram, 3 for TikTok, your choice for the rest
Nyx's hour	23:00–06:00	×3
Early morning	Until 09:00	×2
Rising fare	Each crossing after the first today	×1.5, ×2, up to ×3
Debt to Hades	When the purse is empty	Up to 30 obols, 20 % on the borrowed part
Hermes' staff	3 times a week	5 free minutes for real business

Get it

Get Obol.

Install

Version: v1.0.1
File: Obol.apk
Requires: Android 8.0 (API 26) or newer. No Google services needed.
Permissions: Accessibility, to see the app and site in front and draw the gate; a quiet notification that keeps Charon awake, and the oracle; device administrator only during an oath. No internet.
License: MIT

Download the APK on your phone and install it.
Open Obol, then switch it on in Settings → Accessibility.
Check your patrons and streams, then open a book instead of Reels.

On Xiaomi (MIUI / HyperOS), Huawei and some other phones, allow Autostart for Obol and remove battery limits, or the system will put Charon to sleep.

Download APK All releases

Build from source

JDK 17+ (Android Studio's bundled JBR works) and the Android SDK.

git clone https://github.com/bigdevwhale/obol.git
cd obol
./gradlew testDebugUnitTest     # unit tests
./gradlew assembleDebug         # debug APK
./gradlew installDebug -Pdemo   # app.obol.demo with four weeks of made-up history

Good to know

Questions people ask.

Why isn't it on Google Play?

Charon needs the accessibility service to see Reels inside Instagram and the address in a browser, and Google Play restricts that use. So Obol ships as an APK, like the other Stillcraft apps.

Does it read my messages?

No. Charon looks at which app is in front, the browser's address bar and the names of screen elements that mark Reels or Shorts. Nothing is stored except the ledger lines, and the app has no internet access at all.

Can I cheat by leaving Duolingo open?

Not for long. A patron counts only while you touch, scroll or type, and past its daily cap the rate halves.

What if I really need Instagram right now?

Turn on "only the endless feed": messages stay free. For a link from a friend there are three free 5-minute passes a week.