Screen Time access got turned off

If the Home screen shows:

Guard inactive Screen Time access is off, so nothing is being guarded.

then the permission Tollgate runs on has been revoked. This can happen if you (or someone with your passcode) toggled it in iOS Settings, if you turned Screen Time itself off and on, or occasionally after a major iOS update reshuffles permissions.

Tollgate checks for this every single time it opens or returns to the foreground, which is why the state appears promptly and honestly. While it shows, nothing is guarded. No counting, no shields, no gates. Your stats, streak, apps, and settings are all safely intact and waiting.

The fix

1. Tap Fix this on the Home screen. It takes you to the right place.
2. Or manually: open iOS Settings → Screen Time, scroll to the apps with Screen Time access, and re-enable Tollgate.
3. Return to Tollgate. It detects the change on its own, re-arms the guard, and the status flips back to “Guard active.” A fresh allowance block starts from that moment.

Turning it off on purpose

Also fine. Revoking Screen Time access is a legitimate off switch, and Tollgate responds by telling you the guard is down rather than nagging. If you just want a lighter touch, though, consider Pause for today instead. It switches itself back on at midnight, which is exactly the kind of decision your better self would appreciate having pre-made.