Preserve the working notebook
For an individual keeping daily habits, the deliverable is a recoverable notebook plus a separately approved sharing copy, not a medical assessment or cloud synchronization service. Record browser, local date, habit start dates and the year and habit selected in the heatmap. Export JSON before clearing site data, changing devices or testing imports. Local storage can be lost and is not encrypted; extensions, same-origin scripts or other people using the browser may access it. Keep the backup in an appropriately protected location outside browser storage.
Separate syntax from application validity
The tracker opens an independent page without site analytics, ads or login scripts and does not send records through the tool API. This guarantee does not extend to generic helpers: use synthetic or explicitly redacted copies there, not confidential originals. JSON formatting checks parsing, not valid references, dates or recoverability. The current importer limits files to 2 MB, 30 habits and 20,000 entries and rejects unknown fields, duplicate habit/date pairs, future dates and orphan entries. Do not silently delete failing records; investigate the original and document a deliberate repair.
Restore without risking the only copy
Prepare an isolated browser profile with no valuable records, and save its baseline if it is not empty. Import the original locally only after reading the replacement confirmation; this is not a merge. Export restored JSON and compare locally, using sanitized copies with text diff if needed. Whitespace and ordering differences can be harmless, while changed dates or completion flags are not. Check habit IDs, start dates, entries and meaningful notes. Empty unfinished entries can be normalized away. Record the local date: timezone changes can affect which dates are considered future. Test representative checked, unchecked and noted days, then reopen to verify persistence.
Review CSV and PNG separately
CSV contains recorded entries, not a complete calendar or full restore model. A missing row is not proof that a day was missed. Today is not in the completion-rate denominator until checked in; statistics begin at the habit start date. Inspect names and notes, then remove sensitive columns or values from a sharing copy without modifying the backup. CSV validation checks structure only. Spreadsheet-safe apostrophe prefixes and quoted fields may affect display; do not strip protections blindly. Inspect the exact PNG for selected year, habit filter, labels and revealing patterns. An image is neither editable evidence nor a backup.
Record a bounded recovery result
Record source and restored counts, explained differences, local date, tester and the exact backup location. Hash a final approved copy, or use a trusted local hashing utility for confidential originals; never upload a secret file just to obtain a checksum. Hash equality identifies bytes, not encryption, authenticity or recovery success. Keep backup and sharing files separate. Use the general archive restore workflow for ZIP recovery, and tabular cleanup for substantial CSV transformations; neither replaces this application's restore test.