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Daylight Docs

Getting Started

Daylight is a local-first task manager that stores your tasks as plain Markdown files. No account required, no cloud dependency—your data stays on your devices.

Why it matters

Section titled “Why it matters”
  • You own your data. Tasks are readable Markdown files you can open in any text editor.
  • Works offline. No server means no downtime, no sync delays, no account lockouts.
  • Syncs your way. Use Syncthing, Dropbox, or any file sync tool you trust.

Quick start

Section titled “Quick start”

1. Install Daylight

Section titled “1. Install Daylight”

Linux (AppImage)

Terminal window
wget https://github.com/daylight-app/daylight/releases/latest/download/daylight.AppImage
chmod +x daylight.AppImage
./daylight.AppImage

Android Download the APK from the releases page and install it. You’ll need to allow installation from unknown sources.

2. Choose your task folder

Section titled “2. Choose your task folder”

On first launch, Daylight asks where to store tasks. Pick any folder—but if you want to sync across devices, choose a folder inside your Syncthing or Dropbox directory.

Recommended paths:

  • Linux: ~/Sync/Tasks/ (if using Syncthing)
  • Android: /storage/emulated/0/syncthing/Tasks/

[!note] On Android 11+, Daylight needs the “All files access” permission to read folders outside its app directory. You’ll see a prompt in Settings if this is needed.

3. Create your first task

Section titled “3. Create your first task”

Tap the + button or use the quick-add bar. Enter a title and optionally set a scheduled date.

That’s it. Daylight creates a Markdown file like this:

---
title: Buy groceries
status: active
created: 2026-01-28
scheduled: 2026-01-28
---


Don't forget the oat milk.

How tasks are organized

Section titled “How tasks are organized”

Daylight groups tasks by their relationship to today:

GroupWhat shows here
PastScheduled before today, not yet completed
NowScheduled for today (or no date)
UpcomingScheduled for future dates
WrappedCompleted today

Tasks without a scheduled date appear in Now by default.

Setting up sync (optional)

Section titled “Setting up sync (optional)”

For multi-device sync, we recommend Syncthing—it’s free, open-source, and doesn’t require a server.

  1. Install Syncthing on all your devices
  2. Share your task folder between devices
  3. Point Daylight to that folder on each device

[!warning] Don’t edit the same task on two devices simultaneously. Syncthing will create a conflict file, and you’ll need to manually merge changes. See Sync & Conflicts for details.

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Tasks don’t appear after selecting a folder

  • Check that the folder contains .md files with valid YAML frontmatter
  • On Android, ensure you’ve granted storage permissions in Settings
  • Try restarting the app after changing the data path

Wrong folder selected

  • Go to Settings and change the data path
  • Restart the app for changes to take effect

Permission denied on Android

  • Open Daylight Settings
  • Tap “Request Storage Permission”
  • Enable “All files access” in the system settings that opens

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”