Daozai Tutorial: Manage Music, Email, Calendars, and AI Quotas at the Top of Windows

What Is Daozai

Daozai is a desktop companion for Windows 10/11 x64. Built with Rust and egui, it does not depend on Electron. By default, it stays at the top of the screen and appears as a small notch when collapsed. It expands when the mouse approaches and collapses again when the mouse moves away.

Daozai is designed to show information when needed instead of continuously occupying desktop space. It brings together desktop tasks such as music, lyrics, email verification codes, calendars, to-dos, focus sessions, water tracking, temporary files, and AI quotas.

Core Features

• Desktop companion: Supports interactions such as blinking, napping, and drinking water, and can switch to minimalist mode.
• Music and lyrics: Reads Windows media sessions, controls playback, track changes, and progress, and displays one-line lyrics.
• Focus and water tracking: Uses focus/rest timers, records water intake, sets goals and reminder periods, and supports quick logging and undo.
• File shelf: Temporarily collects files, opens or locates the original files, and lets you drag files to other applications. Removing a file from the shelf does not delete the original.
• To-dos: Add, edit, and complete tasks, with optional date and time reminders.
• Email: Connects multiple email accounts, identifies verification-code sources, copies codes with a click, reads message content, and opens links in the default browser.
• Calendar: Views monthly calendars and daily schedules, combines work calendars with email invitations, and supports all-day, multi-day, recurring, one-time edited, and canceled events.
• AI quotas: Supports Codex, Claude, Kimi, Grok Bot, and Gemini. Manage multiple accounts, view reset times, and customize the persistent ring and colors.
• System indicators: Displays power, battery, network, volume, Caps Lock, input language, and Bluetooth device status.

Installing Daozai

Using the Installer

1. Open the latest Releases page.
2. Download the installer for the appropriate version: Daozai-Setup-v0.6.50-x64.exe. The exact filename may change with future releases.
3. Double-click the installer, choose an installation location, and decide whether to create a desktop shortcut and enable startup at boot.
4. Click “Install” and launch Daozai from the desktop shortcut or Start menu when installation is complete.
5. Open Settings from the tray menu and enable music, email, calendar, AI quotas, or other features as needed.

During the first installation, the desktop shortcut is selected by default, while startup at boot is disabled by default. The installer does not need to be extracted.

Using the Portable ZIP Package

If you do not want to use the installer, download a portable version such as Daozai-v0.6.50-windows-x64.zip, extract it completely, and run daozai.exe. Even with the portable version, the application saves its data in the current user's data directory by default.

System Requirements and Download Verification

Daozai currently provides Windows 10/11 x64 builds and requires a graphics driver with OpenGL support. No macOS, Linux, or ARM64 builds are currently provided. Compatibility may still vary across Windows 10 systems, graphics cards, and multi-monitor configurations.

The Releases page includes SHA256SUMS.txt. In PowerShell, use the following command to calculate the downloaded file's SHA-256 value:

Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 .\Daozai-Setup-v0.6.50-x64.exe

The current program is not signed with a commercial code-signing certificate, so Windows may display an unknown publisher warning. Before running it, verify the repository source and file checksum.

First Use: Start with the Top Panel

After startup, Daozai usually remains collapsed at the top of the screen. Move the mouse to the top area to expand the panel; it collapses again when the mouse leaves. Information appears at the top after the corresponding features are enabled.

Setting Focus and Water Goals

1. Open the focus feature in Settings or the top panel.
2. Start a focus session and switch between focus and rest phases.
3. Open the water panel and set the daily water goal and reminder period.
4. Record water intake using quick actions. If you log it by mistake, use Undo.

Managing To-Dos

1. Open the to-do panel and add a task.
2. When a reminder is needed, choose a date and time for the task.
3. Check the corresponding item when the task is complete.
4. Use the edit entry to change the task or reminder settings.

Using the File Shelf

After dragging files to the shelf, you can temporarily collect items that need attention later. You can open a file, locate the original, or drag it from the shelf to another application. Removing an item from the shelf removes only its record, not the original file on disk, so the shelf is intended for temporary collection rather than backup.

Controlling Music and Viewing Lyrics

When the music feature is enabled, Daozai reads Windows media sessions. From the top panel, you can control playback, pause, change tracks, and adjust playback progress. When supported, you can also view one-line lyrics. The desktop companion can pick up a microphone and show interactive effects that follow the music.

Connecting Email, Calendars, and AI Services

Configuring Email

Daozai supports email services including QQ, 163, 126, Tencent Exmail, iCloud, and Gmail through IMAP. Depending on the provider, you usually need to enter an authorization code or app-specific password instead of your web login password.

1. Open the email connection feature in Settings.
2. Select an email provider and add an account.
3. Enter the email address, server information, and authorization code or app-specific password required by the provider.
4. Save the settings and wait for Daozai to read the inbox.

Daozai can identify verification-code sources in emails. Click a code to copy it, or read the message and open its links in the default browser. The program reads the inbox but not the spam folder.

Configuring Work Calendars

Work calendars connect through CalDAV. Current entry points include Feishu, DingTalk, and WeCom. Installing the desktop client for one of these platforms does not mean that independent calendar-account authorization has been granted. You need the separate calendar account and password provided by the platform when connecting.

Official calendar invitations can be added to the schedule automatically. A date appearing in the body of a regular email does not automatically create an event. The same event from a work calendar and an email is deduplicated using its UID and start time, while preserving its source identifier.

If an email-based event should not be displayed, you can ignore it and restore it later from its details. Scrolling the schedule list only scrolls the list below; the large card keeps the current selection. The details switch only after you click another event.

Viewing AI Quotas

Daozai displays quotas for Codex, Claude, Kimi, Grok Bot, and Gemini. When collapsed, you can check quotas through the ring; when expanded, you can view accounts and reset times. You can also configure multiple accounts, choose which services remain visible, and customize their colors.

Connection methods, account types, and subscription availability may differ between services. Before use, complete authorization according to the local login status or independent connection method required by each service.

Updates, Uninstallation, and Data Retention

Updating In-App

1. Open “Settings → About.”
2. Click “Check for Updates.”
3. Review the latest stable version and release notes.
4. Choose “Download and Install,” “Download in Browser,” or “Later” as needed.

After the in-app download completes and passes verification, the application restarts to finish the update. You can also manually download a new version from the Releases page and install it again. Updates do not clear existing settings or records.

Uninstalling the Application

You can uninstall Daozai through Windows “Installed apps.” According to the project documentation, uninstallation also retains user data.

Understanding Local Data

Settings, to-dos, water records, shelf paths, and connection metadata are stored in %APPDATA%\Daozai. Email and calendar passwords are stored in Windows Credential Manager, while Gemini sessions are encrypted with Windows DPAPI.

When reading existing AI client login information, Daozai does not write back to the original client configuration. Do not upload authorization codes, cookies, or login JSON files to Issues. After email, calendar, or lyrics features are enabled, the program accesses the corresponding provider APIs, so it is not completely offline software.

Building from Source

If you want to contribute or compile the application yourself, prepare Rust stable, MSVC C++ build tools, and the Windows SDK. A recent stable Rust version and the Windows MSVC toolchain are recommended.

rustup default stable-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
cargo build --locked --release --bin daozai
.\target\release\daozai.exe

Running Tests and Packaging

cargo test --locked --all-targets --features record -- --test-threads=1
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\package.ps1

Tests should use a single thread to isolate data-directory tests that depend on the environment of related processes. On low-memory devices, you can set $env:CARGO_BUILD_JOBS = "1". Packaging requires NSIS 3. You can also use the -NsisCompiler parameter to specify makensis.exe.

The release script checks the application version and runtime dependencies, then generates a single-file EXE installer, a slim portable ZIP, and a SHA-256 checksum file. Refer to the development guide for the project structure, interface previews, and contribution process.

Usage Notes

• Start with basic features: Enable to-dos, focus, or music first, then connect email, calendars, and AI services as needed.
• Protect authorization information: Do not submit email authorization codes, cookies, or login JSON files to Issues or other public locations.
• Confirm service availability: Connection capabilities may vary across email providers, calendar platforms, AI accounts, and subscriptions. The support list in the repository does not mean every account can synchronize successfully.
• Check calendar sources: Official calendar invitations are added to the schedule, but dates in regular email bodies do not automatically create events.
• Distinguish the shelf from deletion: Removing an item from the file shelf removes only its record and does not delete the original file.
• Keep verification information before updating: When downloading a new version, verify the file source using the Releases page and SHA256SUMS.txt.

Summary

Daozai brings a desktop companion, music and lyrics, focus and water tracking, to-dos, temporary file storage, email, calendars, and AI quotas together at the top of the screen. Its collapsed and proximity-expanded design reduces distractions. After installing the Windows version, start with to-dos and focus, then connect email, calendars, and AI services as needed. For customization or development, you can also build from source with Rust and the Windows toolchain.

Before getting started, visit the latest version page to download the program, and refer to the user guide for more complete instructions.