Is Dayflow safe? What a screen-recording time tracker can and can't see

Short answer: yes, with one boundary worth stating clearly. Dayflow’s Mac client is open source under the MIT license, so its recording, local storage, and outbound network behavior are inspectable in the public source code (6,900+ stars on GitHub). Cloud-side deletion and retention are documented in the privacy policy, because the server implementation is not part of that public repository.

An app that records your screen deserves a skeptical look. Here is exactly what Dayflow does with what it sees.

Where the recordings live

Dayflow captures your screen at about one frame every 10 seconds and stores the full recordings, plus a local timeline database built from them, on your Mac. Dayflow Pro can sync timeline entries, summaries, and categories, but the full recordings remain on your Mac.

What leaves your Mac (and what never does)

The one nuance worth understanding is AI processing. Dayflow needs a language model to turn screen activity into readable summaries, and you choose where that model runs:

• Local mode (Ollama or LM Studio): screenshot analysis happens on your Mac, so selected screenshots do not go to Dayflow or an AI provider.
• Bring your own key (Gemini, ChatGPT, or Claude): selected screenshots are sent directly to that provider for analysis under your own API agreement with them. Full recordings still live only on your Mac.
• Dayflow Pro: selected screenshots are sent to Dayflow’s servers for AI analysis and deleted after processing under the privacy policy. The resulting timeline entries, summaries, and categories are retained so they can sync.

That choice is yours at setup and reversible at any time in settings.

What Dayflow can see - and what it can’t

With macOS screen-recording permission, Dayflow sees what is on your screen while it runs, which is what makes the timeline honest. It does not log keystrokes, does not read files, does not capture your camera or microphone, and stops seeing anything the moment you pause it or quit. Sensitive session? Pause it. It is your journal, not a compliance tool - there is no admin, no employer dashboard, and no one to report to. That difference is the entire subject of time tracking without surveillance.

How the client-side claims stay honest

Dayflow’s client architecture is inspectable: the recording pipeline, storage paths, and outbound network calls are all in the open repository, and a community of thousands of developers has eyes on it. The public client does not prove what happens after Pro data reaches Dayflow’s servers, so deletion and retention commitments remain governed by the privacy policy.

The practical footprint

Resource use depends on your Mac, capture workload, and analysis mode. Running a local model adds CPU, GPU, and memory demand beyond recording. We do not have a controlled battery benchmark to quote here. See the local and cloud processing guide before choosing an AI mode.

If your question was “is it safe to let this thing watch my screen,” the honest summary is: full recordings stay on your Mac; Local AI keeps screenshot analysis on-device, while BYO and Pro send selected screenshots for analysis; the public client shows when data leaves your Mac; and the privacy policy covers cloud retention.