Features
Accountability partners
Add a trusted person who can see your milestones and approve Time Vault unlocks. You control exactly what they see.
Quick answer
A partner can be a friend, family member, therapist, sponsor, or recovery group buddy. The point is shared visibility into your progress — not surveillance, and not a control mechanism.
What a partner can see
You pick this when you invite them. Each option is independent:
- Check-in summaries — daily or weekly digest of mood and streak. Not the underlying triggers, coping strategies, or notes.
- Time Vault unlock approvals — they're notified when you request an early unlock and can approve or deny.
- Streak milestones — they get a notification at 7/30/100/365 days etc.
- Encouragement messages — they can send you short notes that appear in your dashboard.
What a partner never sees
- Journal entries.
- Dawn conversation content.
- Specific triggers or coping strategies you've logged.
- Detailed check-in numbers (just summary level).
- Account/billing info.
Set up a partner
Open partner settings
Click 'Invite a partner'
Enter their email address.
Pick visibility
Toggle each of the four sharing options. Be conservative on the first invite — you can always expand later.
Send the invitation
They receive an email with a link to accept. If they don't already have a Daybreak account, the link starts with sign-up (free).
Wait for them to accept
Sharing doesn't activate until they confirm. You can see pending invitations at the same settings page.
Time Vault integration
When a partner is set as a Time Vault approver:
You request an early unlock
From the Time Vault dashboard, on a vault that's currently locked.
Partner gets notified
Push and email. They see what's being requested (which vault) and can approve or deny.
If approved, the vault unlocks immediately
No cooldown.
If denied, the vault stays locked
Until the next scheduled unlock window.
This is the friction layer that makes Time Vault meaningful for content you can't trust yourself with at certain hours.
Manage permissions
You stay in control. From the same settings page:
- Adjust visibility — change what the partner sees, any time.
- Pause sharing — stop sending updates without removing them. Useful for a temporary break.
- Remove a partner — instantly revoke all access. They can no longer approve unlocks or see your data.
Tips for choosing a partner
- Trust matters more than expertise. A close friend is often a better partner than a distant therapist.
- Set expectations up front. "I want you to know if I miss a week, but you don't need to message me about it" is a real conversation worth having on day one.
- Be honest with them. The value of accountability comes from transparency. If you're hiding things from your partner, the arrangement isn't working.
- Re-evaluate quarterly. Not every partnership stays useful. Check in with each other every few months.
Common pitfalls
Picking a partner who doesn't actually want to be one
Verbal "yes I'd love to" is not the same as someone who'll respond to vault-unlock requests at 11pm. Test with a low-stakes share first (just milestones) before granting unlock approval.
Treating the partner as the recovery
An accountability partner supplements the work; they don't replace it. If you find you're checking in with them but not yourself (no daily check-ins, no journal), the partnership has become a substitute rather than a support.
Privacy
- All partner data flows through Daybreak; no direct connection between you.
- Partners are encrypted-in-transit and the visibility scope is enforced server-side (a partner who isn't authorized for journals can't read journals — it's not a UI hide).
- Removing a partner revokes all in-flight access immediately.
Next steps
- Set up Time Vault — partner approval is one of its strongest features.
- Build a safety plan and consider sharing it with your partner.
Still need help?
Pick whichever way of getting help works best for you.
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