dayGLANCE works with your Obsidian vault in two tiers:
Everything in this page applies to direct access unless it says plugin. The comparison table at the end lists the differences in one place.
Platform support (direct access): the desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux), the Mac, iPhone and iPad apps from the App Store, the Android app, and desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave). Mobile browsers and tablet PWA installs cannot reach the file system, and Firefox and Safari lack the required API. On iPhone and iPad the vault has to be a folder the Files app can grant access to, such as a folder on the device or in iCloud Drive.
Desktop app and Mac App Store app
The app reads and writes the vault folder directly. You pick the folder once in Settings.
Desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave)
The browser's File System Access API reads and writes files in your vault folder. You grant permission once via a folder picker; the handle is saved so later sessions only ask for a single click to re-confirm.
Android app
Android's Storage Access Framework, through a native bridge. You grant folder access once in the app.
iPhone and iPad apps
A folder bookmark granted through the Files picker. You grant it once in the app.
In every case Obsidian does not need to be open. The vault is a folder on disk, and dayGLANCE reads and writes it whether or not Obsidian is running.
With the Bridge plugin, dayGLANCE stops touching the vault files on its own. Edits that touch your notes travel as encrypted messages through your GLANCEvault server, and the plugin applies them inside Obsidian. The plugin reports what it sees in the vault the same way. The plugin never reads your operating system's file system directly and never talks to Obsidian Sync; it uses Obsidian's own APIs, so it runs on Obsidian mobile as well as desktop.
In a browser, if the saved vault handle can't be restored on a later page load you'll see Select Vault Folder again. One click re-confirms access; you don't navigate to the folder from scratch.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Daily notes folder | The folder inside your vault that holds daily notes. Leave empty for the vault root. dayGLANCE shows the full path it will write to, for example Daily/2026-10-04.md, so you can see the result before saving. |
| Filename pattern | The date pattern of your daily note filenames, without .md. Default yyyy-MM-dd; dd-MM-yyyy and MMMM dd, yyyy work too. |
| Task heading | The heading new tasks are placed under in a daily note (default ## Tasks). Created if missing. |
| New notes folder | Where notes created from dayGLANCE are saved (default dayGLANCE). Leave empty for the vault root. |
| Daily note template | Pre-filled when dayGLANCE has to create a daily note. {{date}} becomes the note's date. With the plugin, a template note configured in the plugin takes precedence. |
| Launch Obsidian after writes | After dayGLANCE writes to your vault, launch Obsidian so Obsidian Sync can push the change to your other devices. |
| Write completion dates to Obsidian | On completion, the task line gains ✅ 2026-01-15 when the Tasks plugin is enabled in the vault, or a [completed:: …] Dataview field otherwise. |
| Log completions to your daily notes | Every completed task is recorded as a permanent line in that day's note under the Completion log heading, with its time, project and tags. |
The nested-folder mistake. If you select your daily notes folder as the vault and then also enter its name in Daily notes folder, dayGLANCE would create a second folder of the same name inside it and a second copy of each day's note. Settings now warns you when the folder you picked is itself named like the daily notes folder. The fix is to select the vault's root folder, or leave the field empty.
dayGLANCE reads tasks from your daily notes. A task line is a markdown checkbox, - [ ], and only that: plain bullets, numbered lists and other list markers are not tasks, which is also the convention the Obsidian Tasks plugin uses.
The order is always: checkbox → date → time → title.
| Format | Example |
|---|---|
| Date + time | - [ ] 2026-02-21 09:00 Task title |
| Date + time range | - [ ] 2026-02-21 09:00-10:00 Task title |
| Date only (all-day) | - [ ] 2026-02-21 Task title |
| Time only, 24hr | - [ ] 09:00 Task title |
| Time range, 24hr | - [ ] 09:00-10:00 Task title |
| Time range, 12hr | - [ ] 9:00 AM-10:00 AM Task title |
| Time range, mixed AM/PM | - [ ] 9:00 AM-10:00 Task title |
| No date or time (inbox) | - [ ] Task title |
| Completed | - [x] 2026-02-21 09:00 Task title |
Key rules:
YYYY-MM-DD (ISO 8601)HH:MM (24hr) or H:MM AM/PM (12hr, case-insensitive)HH:MM-HH:MM) set the task's exact duration; resizing a task on the timeline writes the new range back#obsidian tag marks a task as living in your vault. It is added automatically to any task imported from the vault and tagging a task with it in dayGLANCE writes the task to today's daily note (see below). The tag is not configurable.-) are supported[x] or [X][[wikilinks]] in task titles link to notes in your vault (see Task notes below)Metadata dayGLANCE adds to lines it writes:
^dg- followed by eight characters. This is the task's identity: it survives retitles and moves between notes. Leave it alone. With the plugin, Live Preview hides it on every line but the one you are editing.[project:: Name] when the task belongs to a project. Editing that field in Obsidian reassigns the task; a task first seen with it imports under that project. For a project linked to a note the field is a wikilink to the note instead.Recurring tasks managed by the Tasks plugin show a hint in dayGLANCE: completing one here does not create the next instance; Obsidian does that.
Tag any task with #obsidian when creating it and it is written to today's daily note, creating the note from your template if it doesn't exist yet.
| Task type | Written format |
|---|---|
| Timed task on today | - [ ] 08:00-09:00 Vacuum floors ^dg-a1b2c3d4 |
| Timed task on another date | - [ ] 2026-03-29 08:00-09:00 Vacuum floors ^dg-a1b2c3d4 |
| All-day task | - [ ] 2026-03-29 Vacuum floors ^dg-a1b2c3d4 |
| Inbox task (no date or time) | - [ ] Vacuum floors ^dg-a1b2c3d4 |
Once the task is in the vault the ordinary sync picks it up: completing, rescheduling or renaming it in either app updates the other.
Tasks are kept chronologically sorted within their heading section.
Plugin: a task that belongs to a project linked to a note is written into that note's ## Tasks section instead of the daily note (see Project and goal notes).
Daily notes sync bidirectionally. Notes written in dayGLANCE appear in your vault's daily notes folder, and notes written in Obsidian appear in dayGLANCE. Configure the folder and filename pattern in Settings as above.
With Log completions to your daily notes on, every completed task adds a permanent line to that day's daily note under the configured heading, with the completion time, the project and tags. Entries stay even if you uncomplete the task. For a project linked to a note, the project is written as a wikilink to it, so the note's backlinks pane becomes the record of everything completed toward that project.
[[wikilinks]]A task title that contains [[Note name]] is linked to that note. The task gets a note icon, and opening the task's notes panel shows the note itself, editable, with Open in Obsidian beside it. Edits are written to the actual .md file, so they appear in Obsidian too.
[[Note name]] works with a bare name (dayGLANCE finds the note anywhere in the vault) or a path, [[Projects/Note name]].This works in both directions: tasks created in Obsidian sync into dayGLANCE with their links intact, and tasks created in dayGLANCE with a link write the link into the vault line.
Plugin: notes typed in the notes box of a task that belongs to a linked project are moved into a vault note of their own in the project's folder, and the link is added to the task title, automatically.
A dayGLANCE project or goal can be linked to one note in your vault, typically a hub or index note for that project. Once linked:
Linking without the plugin. Type the note's [[wikilink]] into the project or goal title and save. The link leaves the title (a title that was nothing but the link keeps the note's name) and the project is linked. You can also enter the note's path in the Obsidian note row of the project or goal form. A bare name and a path both work. If the note isn't found, the planner says so; check the name or create the note in Obsidian first.
Linking an existing note never creates or moves anything. To have dayGLANCE make the note for you, tick Create a note in Obsidian on a new project or goal, or press Create in Obsidian in the Obsidian note row of an existing one. Both need the plugin and are disabled without it; the plugin creates the note in your chosen layout and links it, and any notes in the box move into the note.
Plugin: the link is written into the note's frontmatter as a dayglance-id key, so it survives renames and moves (a link made without the plugin is given its key the first time the plugin sees it). A deleted note is reported as missing, with a relink offered. The plugin can create a project or goal note from dayGLANCE in your chosen layout (one note, a folder with an index note, or folders nested under the goal) from the default note or your own template, maintains a small dayglance: frontmatter map (kind, status, goal) for Dataview, and puts the project's tasks into the note's ## Tasks section.
AI assistants. An assistant connected through the desktop app's MCP server reads a linked project's or goal's description from the note and can edit that same section, under the same refuse-on-change rule. The rest of the note is never read or written over MCP. Daily notes are readable over MCP, not writable.
If you link your hub notes now and install the plugin later, three things change the first time the plugin sees each linked note: the dayglance-id key and the dayglance: map are added to its frontmatter, the project's task lines move out of your daily notes into the note's Tasks section, and notes you type on the project's tasks become notes in the project's folder rather than your New notes folder. Your own frontmatter, text and block IDs are untouched.
Obsidian sync runs automatically; you rarely need to trigger it manually.
| Trigger | When it runs |
|---|---|
| App open | On every page load, if a vault is already connected |
| Tab focus | Every time you switch back to the dayGLANCE tab |
| Interval | Every 5 minutes while the app is open |
| Plugin change | Within seconds of the plugin reporting a change, while the app is open; at most once every 20 seconds per device |
| Manual | Sync Now in the toolbar or in Settings → Obsidian |
The dayGLANCE Bridge plugin runs inside Obsidian, on desktop and mobile. It is not in Obsidian's community directory yet; its main.js and manifest.json ship as assets on each dayGLANCE GitHub release. The current version is 0.9.3.
Requirements
Install
main.js and manifest.json from the latest release's assets and copy them into <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/dayglance-bridge/. Or, with the BRAT plugin, add the krelltunez/dayGLANCE repository; BRAT installs and updates from those same assets.Pair
Once paired, Settings → Obsidian shows Bridge plugin active and dayGLANCE stops writing vault files directly on that device. Edits made while Obsidian is closed are queued and applied when it opens. The Copies of this vault list shows every Obsidian install on the vault with its plugin version and whether it is current; dayGLANCE says so on every device if a copy falls behind.
What the plugin adds
dayglance: map, and hold their project's tasks.| Direct access | Bridge plugin | |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements | A supported app or Chromium browser and a vault folder on the device | GLANCEvault plus a one-time pairing from a desktop with vault access |
| Obsidian running? | Not needed; dayGLANCE writes the files | Needed to apply changes; edits queue while it is closed |
| Tasks in daily notes, two-way | Yes | Yes |
| Tasks in other notes (folders, tags) | No | Yes |
| Daily note text, two-way | Yes | Yes |
| Create today's daily note from a template | Yes, the template in Settings | Yes, a template note with Templater, or the Settings template |
^dg- block IDs on task lines |
Yes | Yes, and hidden in Live Preview |
| Completion dates on lines | Yes | Yes |
| Completion log | Yes | Yes |
[project:: …] on task lines |
Yes | Yes |
Task notes by [[wikilink]]: open, edit, create |
Yes | Yes |
| Notes typed in a task's box become a vault note on their own | No | Yes, for tasks in a linked project |
| Link a project or goal to a note | Yes, by its wikilink in the title or its path | Yes, and the link follows renames and reports a deleted note |
| Notes box is the note's description section | Yes | Yes |
| Create a project or goal note from dayGLANCE, with layouts and templates | No | Yes |
| A project's tasks live in its note | No | Yes |
dayglance: frontmatter map for Dataview |
No | Yes |
| Agenda sidebar in Obsidian, completing from it | No | Yes |
| Several Obsidian installs on one vault | Each device syncs the folder it can reach | One writer at a time, with a fleet view of every copy |
| Phones and tablets | iPhone, iPad and Android apps with a local vault | Any device, once the vault is paired |
Direct access is complete and stays maintained, but new Obsidian features are built for the plugin. Where one extends to direct access at low cost, it does.
The vault folder picker isn't appearing
In a browser, make sure you're using Chrome, Edge or Brave on desktop. Firefox and Safari don't support the File System Access API. The desktop app and the native apps don't have this limit.
Sync stopped working after a page reload
Click Select Vault Folder in Settings → Obsidian. Browsers require a user gesture to re-confirm file system access after a reload; one click is all it takes.
My daily notes aren't appearing in dayGLANCE
Check Daily notes folder in Settings → Obsidian and the path preview under it. If the field is empty, dayGLANCE looks in the vault root. If your notes are in a subfolder, enter that folder name exactly.
dayGLANCE created a second daily notes folder inside my daily notes folder
You selected the daily notes folder as the vault and also entered its name in the setting. Select the vault's root folder instead, or clear the field. Settings warns about this combination now.
A task is duplicated between Obsidian and dayGLANCE
Delete the extra line in Obsidian. If you delete the task in dayGLANCE while its line is still in the vault, it comes back on the next sync with a note on it explaining why: the vault decides which tasks exist.
A linked project says its note was not found
The name or path in the link doesn't match a note in the vault. Check the spelling, or create the note in Obsidian first. Linking never creates a note.
Wikilink deep links aren't opening Obsidian on desktop
Obsidian must be running for obsidian:// links to work. Launch Obsidian first, then tap the icon.
"Create a note in Obsidian" or "Create in Obsidian" is greyed out
Both need the Bridge plugin paired with the vault. Without it, create the note in Obsidian and link it by typing its [[wikilink]] into the project or goal title.
I'm in a mobile browser and the integration isn't available
Mobile browsers and PWA installs can't reach the file system. Use the iPhone, iPad or Android app with a local vault, or pair the Bridge plugin once from a desktop and use it on any device.
"Vault changes are paused: the Obsidian bridge is rate limited"
Your GLANCEvault server answered a request with "too many requests", and dayGLANCE pauses vault traffic for a short while before trying again, starting at 30 seconds and doubling if it keeps happening. Nothing is lost; changes queue and sync when the pause ends. On a self-hosted server the limit is per address and defaults to 600 requests a minute, so a household of many devices behind one router can reach it. Raise GLANCEVAULT_RATE_LIMIT_MAX in the server's environment (or turn the limit off with GLANCEVAULT_RATE_LIMIT=false on a server only your devices reach) and restart it. If the server sits behind a proxy that is not on the same machine, also set GLANCEVAULT_TRUST_PROXY so clients are counted separately rather than as one.
Plugin: a copy of the vault is "on an older pairing"
That Obsidian install is holding a pairing older than the vault's and is not applying changes. Restart Obsidian on that machine so it reloads its settings; if it still says so, run Unpair there and let Obsidian Sync carry the current pairing to it, or pair again from a desktop.