Free local-first work journal

A private notebook for the work between the work.

DailyDispatch is a single HTML file that becomes your daily feed, markdown notebook, task board, meeting companion, and backup-friendly archive. No sign-in. No sync service. No one else's server sitting between you and your thoughts.

Download DailyDispatch See what it does

~880 KB · Open in any modern browser · Use and modify however you want

Current release

DailyDispatch v3.16.2

Updated May 11, 2026

Gallery upgrade: browse images and PDFs with type filters, live search, previews, and downloads.

Markdown portability: export readable Markdown ZIPs with image/PDF attachments and additive imports.

Settings cleanup: clearer Data, Organization, Editor & Interface, and Advanced sections.

Help refresh: docs now cover Gallery, Markdown import/export, backups, and current settings.

1 fileNo installer, account, build step, or app store gatekeeping.

LocalYour journal lives in browser storage on your machine.

MarkdownNotes round-trip cleanly into other writing tools.

FreeDownload it, inspect it, fork it, and make it yours.

Product tour

The whole system, not a blank canvas.

DailyDispatch has opinions so you do not have to build a personal knowledge system from scratch. The feed is the center, notes are first-class, tasks stay close to the thinking that created them, and every important piece can be backed up.

Daily screen

The homepage is your capture pad, task triage, and timeline.

This render now follows the real DailyDispatch homepage: hot-pink active state, left navigation, calendar, saved sections, top tab strip, large capture composer, task block, summary prompt, and the daily feed below.

Capture a thought at the top without choosing a folder first.
Tasks stay visible in Today before the feed pulls you into deeper context.
Sections are saved filters that keep updating as your journal grows.

⌂ Home

◷ Today

▣ Tasks

Realized we need mock

Morning standup: @Alex

☼

What's happening? (log a quick #idea, remember a key #decision, take some notes, paste a screenshot)

⌘Enter Add

Tasks 5 · 1 overdue · 3 starred

Review @Alex PR for typographic scale MEDoverdue 2d

Plan Q2 sprint themes HIGH15 Apr

Record demo video for landing page HIGHIn Progress

📋 Generate daily summary for today

Sunday — April 12, 2026

9 PM1 PM11 AM9 AM

9:47 PM

Summary — Yesterday — Daily Summary stats: 5 entries, 2 quick captures, 3 notes.

#daily-summary

1:00 PM

Realized we need mock data for testing import/merge. Building a full PM dataset for realistic examples.

#idea

11:00 AM

Q2 Sprint Themes #planning #roadmap — Product Hunt launch materials and calendar polish.

#planning#roadmap

9:00 AM

Merged @Alex's PR: unified button styles and backup copy cleanup.

#shipped

Markdown and tables

Write like a power user without giving up structure.

Markdown is the source of truth for text. Headings, lists, code, quotes, links, and task syntax stay portable. Tables are there when work needs a real grid instead of prose pretending to be organized.

Use slash commands like /table, /task, /date, and /template.
Download individual notes as Markdown when you want to move them elsewhere.
Keep meeting artifacts, status notes, and decision logs in readable form.

Markdown note

Raw markdown

# Beta launch readout **Goal:** ship a quiet, useful first release. - [x] Publish free download - [ ] Add backup walkthrough - [ ] Collect power-user feedback | Area | Owner | Status | | --- | --- | --- | | Onboarding | Mira | Draft | | Tasks | Jonah | Ready | | Backup | Sam | Review | > Principle: capture stays sacred.

Rendered note

Beta launch readout

Goal: ship a quiet, useful first release.

Publish free download
Add backup walkthrough
Collect power-user feedback

Area	Owner	Status
Onboarding	Mira	Draft
Tasks	Jonah	Ready
Backup	Sam	Review

Principle: capture stays sacred.

Notes with tasks

Tasks stay connected to the note that made them necessary.

A task manager is useful, but work rarely begins as a perfect task. DailyDispatch lets notes contain checkboxes, priorities, dates, and status so the action item remains attached to the context.

Turn meeting follow-ups into trackable tasks.
Use notes as project briefs, decision logs, or scratchpads.
Keep checklists readable even outside DailyDispatch.

Project note

Customer research synthesis

#research@nadiaIn progress

Interview pattern: people want a journal that feels structured without becoming another dashboard to administer.

Follow-ups

Pull quotes from three beta callsDone

Draft import copy for markdown usersHigh

Record backup GIF for help sectionFri

"I do not want another cloud account just to remember what I decided."

Task views

Kanban when planning, calendar when scheduling, list when executing.

Tasks can be viewed three ways without becoming the whole product. Use Kanban for flow, calendar for dates, and list view for the fastest path through what needs doing.

Drag cards through Todo, Doing, and Done.
See due work on a calendar-style scan.
Filter down to today, priority, or project context.

Tasks

KanbanCalendarList

Todo

Write backup guideSettings copy + screenshots

HighFri

Polish landing tourFeature mockups

Doing

Beta release notesKeep language human

Today

Done

Publish free downloadRoot file ready

Done

Calendar scan

1234567891011121314

List view

Write backup guide Fri

Beta release notes Today

Publish free download Done

Floating window

The hero workflow: take notes while the meeting is still happening.

Pop a note into a small separate window and keep it over a video call, research tab, or design review. You can keep typing without losing the main app, and the note syncs back when you close it.

This is the feature built for the moment every knowledge worker knows: someone is talking, the screen is full, and the important thought will vanish unless capture is instant.

Video call + floating note

Mira

Jonah

Sam

Alex

Launch retro

Meeting notes

- Users trust local storage when backup is explained clearly.

- Add a "first 5 minutes" setup guide.

- Question: should Smart Lists ship with examples?

Saved back to DailyDispatch

Smart Lists

Saved searches live in the sidebar and inside your notes.

Smart Lists are reusable filters for the way you actually think: blockers, decisions, people, tags, open questions, launch work, or anything else you keep coming back to. Pin them in the sidebar for navigation, or embed them directly inside a note when a project brief needs live context.

Sidebar Smart Lists act like always-updating sections.
Note Smart Lists turn a static doc into a live dashboard.
Use queries like #blocker, @alex, #decision, or combined filters.

Smart Lists in notes and sidebar

Launch control note

This note holds the plan, but the Smart List below stays live as new matching dispatches and tasks appear.

Live Smart List: Launch blockers#launch AND #blocker

Search input blocks task filteringToday

Backup copy needs clearer restore warningApr 12

Calendar view polish before betaApr 10

Backup and restore

Local-first only works if leaving is easy.

Settings make data ownership explicit. Export a full JSON backup, restore from a previous backup, and download individual notes as Markdown. Your journal should be easy to protect, move, inspect, and walk away with.

Back up entries, notes, tasks, Smart Lists, tags, themes, and settings.
Restore from JSON if you change browsers or machines.
No cloud sync requirement, authentication, or hidden account state.

Settings / Data

Backup & Restore

Export a complete local backup whenever you want. Restore it in another browser or keep it with your normal files.

Export JSON BackupImport Backup

Last backup: today at 2:14 PM

What is included

Entries, notes, tasks, Smart Lists, people, tags, images, theme, floating note settings, and open tabs.

Download note.mdView changelog

Themes

Switch between warm light palettes and focused dark themes without leaving your local file.

Creator support

DailyDispatch is free. If it becomes part of your workflow, there is a local QR block for Buy Me a Coffee.

Open QR

Feature breakdown

Small enough to understand. Useful enough to keep open all day.

The point is not to replace every tool. The point is to give your thinking a dependable local home with just enough structure to stay searchable later.

Feed-first journal

Every dispatch lands in a chronological feed so your work has a memory. It is less brittle than folders and easier to review than a pile of loose files.

Smart Lists everywhere

Create focused views for #client, @person, open questions, or decisions. Keep them in the sidebar, or embed them inside notes as live context.

Command palette

Find notes, jump around, and execute common actions quickly. The app is designed for people who already think with a keyboard.

Slash commands

Insert tables, tasks, dates, status markers, code blocks, templates, and Smart Lists without hunting through menus.

Task board

Tasks can live inside notes and also roll up into Kanban, calendar, and list views when you need execution mode.

Portable data

Back up JSON, download Markdown, keep copies in git or iCloud, and avoid the quiet lock-in of cloud-only note systems.

Who it is for

You have tried the alternatives.

You liked Obsidian's local files but did not want to design a whole operating system for your notes. You liked Notion's structure but not the cloud dependency. You liked Apple Notes until your work needed better search, markdown, and task context.

DailyDispatch is for engineers, PMs, designers, researchers, consultants, founders, and other people whose work is mostly thinking and typing. It gives you a working system on day one, then stays simple enough that you can understand, modify, and back up the whole thing.

By design

What you do not get.

Every note app wants something from you. DailyDispatch tries very hard not to.

No account to create
No subscription to manage
No cloud sync to configure
No Electron app to install
No build step or dependencies
No terms of service over your journal
No one reading your notes but you
No data lock-in, ever

Keyboard-first

Built for people who do not reach for the mouse.

Every common action has a shortcut. Open the command palette, find any note, create a task, submit an entry, or pop out a floating note without breaking flow.

Find anythingCmd+Shift+O

SearchCmd+K

New noteCmd+;

Submit entryCmd+Enter

Close tabCmd+D

Floating noteCmd+Shift+F

The fine print

Specs

Works inChrome, Edge, Arc, Brave, Safari, Firefox

Runs onmacOS, Windows, Linux

File size~880 KB, single HTML file

StorageBrowser IndexedDB, local and persistent

ExportFull JSON backup, per-note Markdown

LicenseFree to download, use, and modify for your own workflow

Your journal should be as private as your thoughts.

Free to download, use, and modify. No strings attached.

Download DailyDispatch

If you remix it, patch it, or bend it into something useful, send a note to dailydispatch@torgcrafted.com. I'd genuinely love to see what you made and borrow inspiration for improving the tool.

Buy Me a Coffee

Scan the QR code to support DailyDispatch. Click the code to enlarge it for easy scanning.