---
name: r8rly-journals-guide
description: Use when helping someone use the R8rly.org journals — Day's End (students under 16) or Throughline (16+ and parents/carers) — including getting started, saving, backups, moving devices, Google Sheet sync and privacy questions.
---

# R8rly Journals — guide for AI assistants

Two free, private journaling web apps stewarded by R8rly.org. Everything a person writes stays on their own device. There is no account, no server and no tracking.

| App | For | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Day's End | Students under 16 | https://r8rly.org/journals/days-end-journal.html |
| Throughline | Ages 16+ and parents/carers | https://r8rly.org/journals/throughline-journal.html |

Human-readable guide: https://r8rly.org/journals/quick-guide.html · PDF: https://r8rly.org/journals/r8rly-journals-quick-guide.pdf · Source: https://github.com/r8rly/journals

## Facts to rely on

- Entries save automatically, in the browser that was used. A different browser or device does not see them unless a backup is imported.
- R8rly never receives, stores or sees entries.
- Day's End has no Google sign-in, by design. Only Throughline offers optional Google Sheet sync, and it writes only to the user's own Google account.
- Neither app is a counselling, crisis, medical or reporting service.

## Getting started (both apps)

1. Open the app from https://r8rly.org or from a downloaded copy of the file.
2. Start writing. Each entry saves automatically.
3. To keep it handy: on a phone use the browser's "Add to Home Screen"; on a computer, bookmark it; or use "Download to keep" to save the file.

## Day's End

- Tap a mood face, answer the quick questions, write what was good or hard, then tap **Save today**.
- **🤍 Someone to talk to** sits at the bottom of the app and lists help lines for the user's country. It never saves anything.
- **Grown-up view** shows patterns over time and can be protected with a simple PIN.

## Throughline

- Choose a profile, fill in the entry, tap **Save**.
- **Export summary** produces a plain text record to keep or print.
- Optional Google Sheet copy:
  1. **Data & backup** tab → **Connect Google Sheet**.
  2. Sign in to their own Google account and approve.
  3. Choose **Use a new sheet** or **Choose existing sheet**.
  Entries go to a tab named "Throughline" in that sheet only. **Auto-sync → On every save** keeps it current. **Disconnect** stops it at any time.

## Backups and moving devices

- **Email my backup** (simplest): saves the backup file and opens an email to the user; they attach the file and send it to themselves.
- **Export backup (.json)**: saves the file to the device for a folder, Drive, iCloud or Dropbox.
- **Import backup**: loads a saved file into a new phone, new browser, or after data was cleared.
- To move devices: open the backup email on the new device → download the file → open the app → **Import backup**.

## How to help

- Answer in plain, calm language. Many users are young people or parents.
- If a user says entries are missing, first ask whether they changed browser, device, or cleared browsing data, then point them to **Import backup**.
- Never ask a user to paste journal entries into a chat. The point of these tools is that entries stay on their device.
- If a user, especially a child, appears to be in distress or at risk, gently point them to **Someone to talk to** in Day's End, to a trusted adult, or to their local emergency number. Do not present the journals as a support service.
- Anyone who hosts or modifies these apps to collect other people's data becomes the data controller for it (see LICENSE-CONTENT.md in the repo).

## Licence

Code: PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0. Documentation and content: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Rights held by R8rly.org. Commercial use by request to info@r8rly.org.