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miniCycle User Manual

Getting Started

miniCycle welcome screen showing the onboarding modal with a wave emoji greeting, the miniCycle logo, and Next and Skip buttons.

Welcome to miniCycle! This user manual will guide you through the features and functionalities of the app.

miniCycle is a routine manager that handles your repeatable tasks differently than traditional to-do apps. Most task managers treat each task as a one-off item and collect your personal data. miniCycle is different — it's a privacy-focused workflow tool that organizes your tasks into routines. When you complete all your tasks, the cycle is completed and they automatically reset so you can tackle them again. It's perfect for daily routines, weekly goals, and recurring habits.

miniCycle main view showing a Getting Started routine with sample tasks including Tap here to complete this task, and other onboarding tasks. The interface displays the + button, Auto Cycle mode selector, folder icon, and an Undo button at the bottom.

Managing Tasks

Adding Tasks

The task input field shown at the top of the task list with an Enter a task placeholder text and a red Add button.

Tap the + button and select "Add Task" from the menu. Enter your task name and it will appear at the bottom of your list.

Completing Tasks

Getting Started routine with 2 tasks checked off showing green checkmarks and a progress bar partially filled, indicating cycle progress.

Tap the checkbox next to a task to mark it as complete. You can also undo a completion by tapping the checkbox again. Undo/redo is available for recent actions.

Cycle Complete

Cycle complete animation showing a large green checkmark overlay on the task list, indicating all tasks have been completed and the cycle is done.

When all tasks are completed, a cycle complete animation plays and your tasks reset automatically (in Auto Cycle mode). Your cycle count increases with each completion.

Reordering Tasks

Drag and drop tasks to reorder them, or use the move arrows if enabled in Settings. Your preferred order is saved automatically.

Task Options

A task with option buttons visible below it, showing customize (-/+), priority, edit, delete, and recurring icons.

Long-press a task (or use the three-dots menu) to reveal task option buttons. Available buttons include customize (-/+), priority, edit, delete, recurring, due date, reminders, and marked for removal. You can choose which buttons appear using the Customize Task Options panel.

High Priority Tasks

A task with a red left border indicating high priority. A green notification banner confirms Priority enabled.

Mark important tasks with the priority button. Priority tasks display a red left border to help you focus on what matters most.

Editing Tasks

The Edit Task Name dialog showing a text input field with the current task name and Save and Cancel buttons.

Tap the edit button in task options to rename a task. Press Save to confirm or Cancel to discard changes.

Due Dates

Tap the calendar icon in task options to set a due date. The date picker appears inline on the task. Due dates must be enabled in Customize Task Options first.

Marked for Removal

The ❌ button in task options marks a task for automatic deletion. When enabled, the task is removed when the cycle resets (in Auto/Manual Cycle mode) or when tasks are cleared (in To-Do Mode). This is useful for temporary tasks you only need for one cycle. The button must be enabled in Customize Task Options.

Reminders

The Reminders and Notifications modal with Enable Reminders checked, showing a Task reminders enabled notification. Options include Remind Indefinitely, Number of Times, and interval set to every 30 minutes.

Enable reminders to get browser notifications about pending tasks. Make sure your browser allows notifications from miniCycle.

Recurring Tasks

A recurring task detail popup showing a task set to repeat daily indefinitely, with a Change Settings button and recurring icon visible.

Set up tasks that repeat automatically:

The Recurring Tasks panel showing Add Task to Recurring, repeat frequency set to Daily, with Show Advanced Options button and Apply/Cancel buttons.

Access recurring task settings through the hamburger menu (☰) → Recurring, or through task option buttons on individual tasks.

Completed Tasks

In Settings, you can choose to collapse completed tasks into a separate section at the bottom of your task list. This keeps your active tasks front and center while still showing what you've accomplished.

Cycle Modes

miniCycle offers three different modes for how your routines behave:

The cycle mode selector dropdown showing three options: Auto Cycle with a circular arrow icon, Manual Cycle with a hand icon, and To-Do Mode with a checkbox icon.

Auto Cycle Mode

When enabled, all tasks automatically reset to incomplete once you finish everything. This is perfect for daily routines and recurring habits. Your cycle count increases with each completion.

Manual Cycle Mode

Manual Cycle Mode interface showing a green Complete Cycle button at the bottom. A blue banner explains that tasks will only reset when you manually press the complete button.

Tasks only reset when you manually tap the "Complete Cycle" button. You can press it at any time — it will complete any remaining tasks, increment your cycle count, and reset all tasks to incomplete. This gives you full control over when a new cycle begins.

To-Do Mode

To-Do Mode interface showing completed tasks with green checkmarks and a green Clear Completed Tasks button. A blue banner explains that completed tasks are removed when you tap Clear.

Completed tasks are removed instead of reset. Works like a traditional to-do list — perfect for one-time tasks, shopping lists, or projects.

Cleared Tasks

To-Do Mode showing 2 tasks cleared notification with a broom sweep animation, confirming tasks have been removed from the list.

In To-Do Mode, tasks that are cleared aren't gone forever. You can view your cleared tasks history and restore any task you need back into your routine. See History for how to view and recreate cleared tasks.

Managing Routines

Create different routines for different areas of your life:

Routine Switcher

The Open Routine modal displaying 4 saved routines including Weeknight Chicken Stir-Fry, Daily Programming Workflow, 150 Task Stress Test, and Getting Started, each showing storage size. Sort options for A-Z, Recent, and Size are shown, along with Import From External button and a storage bar showing 201 KB of 9.52 MB used.

Access the routine switcher through the folder icon or hamburger menu (☰) → "Open Existing Routine":

Creating New Routines

The Create New Routine dialog showing a text input with placeholder text e.g. Daily Routine, and Cancel and Create buttons.

Tap the + button and select "Create New Routine", or use the hamburger menu (☰) → "New Routine". Give your routine a name and start adding tasks.

Duplicating Routines

Create a copy of any routine using the hamburger menu (☰) → Routine Actions → "Duplicate", or by tapping the copy icon in the routine switcher. The duplicate is created with the same tasks and settings as the original.

Bulk Task Actions

Access bulk operations through the hamburger menu (☰) → Task Actions & Features:

Importing Routines

Import .mcyc files from other devices or users using the hamburger menu (☰) → Routine Actions → "Import", or the "Import From External" button in the routine switcher. You can also drag and drop .mcyc files directly into the app window.

If miniCycle is installed as a PWA (see below), you can open .mcyc files directly from your device's file manager and they will be imported automatically.

Installing as a PWA

miniCycle can be installed to your home screen or desktop for a native app-like experience. To install:

A notification may also appear after using the app for a short time, prompting you to install. Once installed, miniCycle works offline and can open .mcyc files directly.

Statistics & Achievements

The Stats panel showing Milestone Rewards section collapsed and Achievement Badges row with 5 badge circles: Making Waves in teal (unlocked), Diamond, Radiant, Stellar, and Crowned. Below shows All Routines: 11 Cycles / 12 Cleared Tasks with a progress bar.

Performance Tracking

Milestone Badges

Earn badges by completing cycles or clearing tasks — whichever milestone you reach first unlocks the badge:

Badge detail popup for Making Waves in light mode showing the wave emoji badge icon with drag to spin text, 5 cycles or 5 cleared tasks requirement, Unlocked Feb 17 2026 via cycles, and Reward: Dark Ocean Theme.

Achievements Page

The Achievements page showing summary counters for Cycles, Cleared Tasks, and Unlocked badges. Making Waves is listed under Unlocked with its reward. Diamond and Radiant appear under Upcoming with progress indicators showing cycles and cleared tasks toward each goal.

Tap any badge in the Stats Panel to view the full Achievements page. This shows all tiers, your progress toward each, and which rewards you've unlocked.

Theme Unlocks

Reaching milestones unlocks vocabulary themes — specialized label sets that give a routine its own personality. The Fitness theme relabels tasks as workouts, Scholar uses study-focused language, Cleaning uses housework terms, and so on. Assign a vocabulary theme to any routine using the 🎨 button in the routine switcher. Check the Stats Panel to see your current theme and your progress toward the next unlock.

Mini-Game

Reaching the final milestone (Crowned — 100 cycles or 500 cleared tasks) unlocks a bonus mini-game accessible from the hamburger menu (☰) → Rewards & Extras.

Customization

Dark Mode

miniCycle in dark mode showing dark gray backgrounds with white text and lighter gray task cards. A notification shows 2 completed tasks cleared. The sun icon in the lower right corner indicates dark mode is active.

Toggle dark mode using the moon/sun icon in the lower right corner, or through Settings. Each theme has its own dark mode variant.

Themes

Vocabulary themes change the language and icons used throughout a routine. Once you've earned your first milestone (Habit Tracker at 5 cycles or 5 cleared tasks), a Themes option appears in the hamburger menu (☰) → Rewards & Extras → "Themes". You can also assign a theme to a specific routine using the 🎨 button in the routine switcher. Available themes: Classic (always available), Habit Tracker (5 cycles), Fitness (25 cycles), Scholar (50 cycles), and Cleaning (75 cycles). See Statistics & Achievements for milestone details.

Personalization

The Personalization panel showing a Live Preview section with sample tasks, Quick Themes with Saved Presets area for importing and saving color schemes, Undo and Reset All buttons, and a Close button.

For deeper customization, open the hamburger menu (☰) → "Personalization" to access the color picker panel. This lets you:

Custom colors only apply when using the Default theme.

Task Option Buttons

The Customize Task Options modal showing checkboxes for available task buttons including Set Due Date, Task Reminders, and Marked for Removal, with a Global section and Option Details area.

Customize which buttons appear on your tasks through the Customize (-/+) button or hamburger menu (☰) → Task Options. Available per-routine options:

Global options (apply to all routines):

Settings

The Settings modal showing collapsible sections: Display, Behavior, Data Management, Reset Options, and Advanced. The version number v1.916 appears at the bottom with a Close button.

Access Settings from the hamburger menu (☰) → Settings & Personalization → Settings. Options are organized into collapsible sections:

Display:

Behavior:

Data Management:

Reset Options:

Advanced:

Responsive Design

miniCycle works seamlessly across devices — phone, tablet, or desktop. Your experience adapts to whatever screen you're using.

Data Management

Privacy & Local Storage

All your data stays on your device. Nothing is sent to external servers, so your tasks and information remain completely private.

What is Local Storage?
Local storage is a feature built into your web browser that allows websites and apps to save data directly on your device. Unlike cloud-based apps that store your information on remote servers, miniCycle keeps everything in your browser's local storage — similar to how a native app stores data on your phone. This means:

Monitoring Storage Usage
You can check how much storage your routines are using in two ways:

Storage Limits
Most browsers provide between 5-10 MB of local storage per website. miniCycle routines are lightweight (typically 1-5 KB each), so you can create hundreds of routines before approaching any limits. If you're concerned about storage, you can export routines as .mcyc files and delete ones you no longer need.

Download & Backup

Import & Restore

Factory Reset

Clear all data and start completely fresh if needed. This removes all routines, settings, achievements, undo/redo history, cached data, and IndexedDB databases. This action cannot be undone, so make sure to backup anything important first.

Advanced Features

Undo/Redo

Made a mistake? Use the undo button to reverse recent actions, or use Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z on your keyboard. Redo with Ctrl+Y / Cmd+Y. Your undo history is preserved per routine.

Search & Filter

The search tasks field active at the top of the task list, with the keyboard open for typing a search query to filter tasks by name.

Use the search icon to filter tasks by name. A red indicator shows when a filter is active.

History

The History panel showing the Events tab with entries for Tasks Cleared, Achievement Unlocked Making Waves, and Cycle Completed events with timestamps. A Reset Routine Progress link appears at the bottom.

View your routine history from the Stats Panel by tapping the History button. The History panel has two tabs:

The History panel showing the Cleared Tasks tab with 2 tasks selected via checkboxes. A Recreate Selected button at the bottom allows restoring chosen tasks back to the routine. One task shows a High Priority label.

You can also reset your routine progress (cycle count and history) from the bottom of the History panel.

About

The About miniCycle modal showing the app logo, version number v1.916, tagline Turn your routine into progress, links to Changelog and About miniCycle, developer credit for sparkinCreations, and cache version.

View app version and information through the hamburger menu (☰) → "About miniCycle".

App Diagnostics

Run app health checks, verify data integrity, and view debug information through Settings → Open App Diagnostics & Testing. This includes tools for backup management, data repair, and generating debug reports if you need to troubleshoot an issue.

Keyboard Shortcuts

miniCycle is fully keyboard-accessible. Here are the available shortcuts:

General

Tasks

Task Options

Routine Switcher

Settings & Menus

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I rename a routine?

Tap on the routine title at the top of the task list, or use the rename option in the routine switcher.

What happens if I delete a routine?

Deleted routines cannot be recovered unless you have an exported backup file (.mcyc).

Can I use miniCycle offline?

Yes! miniCycle is a Progressive Web App (PWA) that works completely offline since all data is stored locally on your device.

How do I set up recurring tasks?

Long-press a task (or use three-dots menu) and tap the recurring icon. Choose your frequency and optional time settings.

Why aren't my notifications working?

Ensure that reminders are enabled for the task, and that your browser/device allows notifications from miniCycle.

How do I backup my data?

Use Settings → Backup All Routines to create a complete backup, or use the hamburger menu → Download Routine for individual routines.

Can I sync data between devices?

Not automatically — miniCycle is privacy-focused with no cloud sync. However, you can export from one device and import to another using .mcyc files.

What's the difference between priority and due dates?

Priority marks important tasks with a visual indicator (red border). Due dates set a specific deadline and can trigger reminders.

What's the difference between routines and cycles?

A routine is the persistent checklist you create. A cycle is one complete run-through of that routine. Your cycle count tracks how many times you've completed the routine.

Where did my cleared tasks go?

In To-Do Mode, cleared tasks are saved in a history. You can view and restore them from the cleared tasks panel.

How do I reset the onboarding tutorial?

Go to Settings → Reset Onboarding to see the welcome tutorial again.