# Daily Log

> Daily Log is a free desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux that turns speech into notes. Hold a global shortcut in any app, say what is on your mind, and let go: it is transcribed on your computer with Whisper and saved as a timestamped log in your own categories, such as work, groceries or ideas. Audio never leaves your computer. Optional AI summaries and transcript clean-up work with OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Ollama, LM Studio or any OpenAI-compatible API.

Say it aloud before you forget it. A thought pops up and is gone before you open a notes app. Daily Log catches it the moment you say it.

## How it works

1. Hold the shortcut: From any app. Daily Log never steals focus, so you stay where you were.
2. Say it: A small pill shows it is listening. Up to five minutes per log.
3. Let go: It is transcribed on your computer and saved with the time and category.

Default shortcut: Control + Shift + Space on macOS, Ctrl + Alt + Space on Windows and Linux.

## What people log

- Work you finished: "Finished the retry logic for the sync worker and added backoff tests."
- Things to buy: "Oat milk, eggs, coffee beans and something for Sunday’s dinner."
- Ideas in passing: "App idea: a playlist that matches the length of my commute."
- Random thoughts: "Ask Mia which book she recommended at lunch."

## Features

- Private by design: Speech is transcribed by whisper.cpp on your machine. Your audio never leaves it.
- Your own categories: Pick where voice logs go from the sidebar or the tray. Drag a log onto a category to move it.
- Organise by voice: Optionally start with a category name, like “Groceries, oat milk”, to file it there, or say “Add category” to create one.
- Edit anything: Fix a log’s text, category or time, or type one by hand when you cannot talk out loud.
- Lives in your tray: Always one click away in the menu bar or system tray, out of the way the rest of the time.
- Your data, on disk: Logs are kept in SQLite in your user folder. API keys go in the system keychain.
- AI summaries: summarise any date range into Markdown bullets, with OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Ollama, LM Studio or any OpenAI-compatible API. Optional.
- Clean transcripts: filler words are removed on the device; optional AI enhancement fixes grammar and keeps the original.

## Platforms and price

- macOS 11 or later, Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux.
- Free. No account, no subscription.
- Download: https://dailylog.jaries.dev/#download

## FAQ

### Is it really free?

Yes. Daily Log is free to download and use. There is no account and no subscription.

### Does my voice leave my computer?

No. Transcription runs locally with Whisper. Only if you turn on AI summaries or AI enhancement are the log texts being summarised or enhanced sent to the provider you choose, and that can be a local model through Ollama or LM Studio.

### Do I need an AI subscription?

No. Recording, transcription, categories, editing and filler-word removal all work without AI. Summaries and AI enhancement are optional extras.

### Why does my system warn me when I install it?

The installers are not code signed yet. On macOS, right-click the app and choose Open the first time. On Windows, choose More info, then Run anyway.

### Does it work on Linux?

Yes, as an AppImage, .deb or .rpm. Global shortcuts need an X11 session, because most Wayland desktops do not let apps register them.

## Pages

- [Home](https://dailylog.jaries.dev/): overview, screenshots and downloads