Timers, timed logs and flows

The Flows surface contains three related tools. A quick timer counts down one period. A timed log measures an open-ended session with timestamped captures. A flow runs a reusable sequence of steps.

Use a quick timer for a break, a timed log for notes during a conversation, and a flow for a routine such as preparation, focused work and cleanup.

Start a quick timer#

Select the timer-shaped Flows tab. Its creation row has minute presets: 5, 10, 15, 25, 45 and 60.

Choose a preset. What's this timer for? asks for an optional title. Start begins the titled timer; Skip begins it without that title. Cancel closes the prompt without starting it.

Running quick timers have their own countdowns. They are distinct from the current step of a saved flow. Check which timer or run you are pausing, stopping or deleting when several are visible.

Finished sessions appear in recent timer history. History actions can create a canvas note or a list item from captured material. Those are additional items, so repeating a creation action can create another copy. The history's Delete action removes the selected history item rather than deleting every saved template.

Record a timed log#

Choose the stopwatch button in the creation row. In New Timed Log, enter an optional title and choose Start. The log records elapsed time rather than counting toward a preset end.

You can rename the active timed log and attach captures while it runs. Captures retain their offsets from the start, allowing a sequence such as “00:30 — opening question” and “12:10 — decision” to remain ordered.

The active log's Delete Timed Log action discards that log and its captures. Ending the log records the session for later inspection. A saved log has an editor for its title and captures, including an Add note action.

Where the capture review appears, read and correct its text before saving. It offers Save and Discard and can save after a short pause. Treat visible capture text as something to check, especially if it came from transcription. This guide does not assume the mobile voice-capture controls are available in the Mac layout.

Create a reusable flow#

Choose the grid button in the creation row to open New Flow. Enter Flow Name, use Add step, and configure each step. Save keeps the template; editing an existing template opens Edit Flow.

Each step has a label and a mode:

Timed steps expose Duration in minutes. Interval steps expose their nudge interval. Advance Trigger offers On Expiry, On Stop and Manual. On Expiry allows a timed step to advance when its countdown ends; choose a stopping or manual option when you want to decide when to continue.

Optional context fields can ask for information when you start a run. They belong to the run's context rather than changing the meaning of the step timer.

Control a run#

Start a saved flow with its play action. The active run shows the current step and its timing. Pause and resume affect that run. Next Step advances; on the last step the action becomes Review & Finish. The close control asks before abandoning a run.

You can add, edit and remove blurbs attached to a run. They are short records of what happened at a particular step. Optional spoken cues and macOS notification permissions affect what you hear or see when timing events occur.

A run keeps a snapshot of the steps it started with. Editing the reusable template is a change for subsequent use; do not rely on it to rewrite a running session's step history.

Review before finishing#

In the normal foreground finish path, Review before finishing shows the run's blurbs and Step timings. Edit a blurb, choose Save, or remove an unwanted blurb. Step timings are informational rather than editable fields.

Confirm & Finish completes that review and adds the finished run to its history and journal workflow. Discard entire run opens a separate confirmation, with Discard run and Keep reviewing. Dropping one blurb and discarding the whole run are different actions.

Do not treat this dialog as a universal approval barrier. In this beta, a timed flow that expires while the app is in the background can be finalised on return without the same review step. Inspect recent history and the journal after resuming if you need to check what was recorded.

Templates, history and notifications#

Deleting a flow template leaves its completed run history available. Deleting a recent run is a separate history action. Copying captured material to the canvas or list also creates an item with its own lifecycle.

Allow notifications in macOS if you want timer alerts outside the visible panel. A silent alert can be a permission or sound-setting issue; it does not by itself mean the timer stopped. Running on this Mac does not establish control of the same run from another client. See sync.