How ClueDay stores progress, measures simple site activity, and studies how the game is played.
ClueDay stores your puzzle progress and preferences in your browser so a refresh does not wipe your run. That includes your game results, stats, clues used, guesses, settings (such as dark mode), and which puzzles you have attempted.
It also stores an anonymous ID so your leaderboard entries belong to you, and so your finished games can be counted together over time. It is created automatically, it is not linked to your name or email, and you never sign in to get one.
If you finish a case, your detective name, the number of clues you used and your time are posted to that case's leaderboard, which anyone who plays that case can see. Your detective name is generated for you and you can change it at any time on the home page. Nothing else you do is visible to other players.
ClueDay uses Vercel Analytics to understand visits, rough traffic patterns, and site performance. This helps track whether the site is loading properly and how much it is being used. Vercel Analytics does not collect personally identifiable information.
ClueDay is also a research project. When you finish a case, the game records what happened in that game: which case it was, whether you solved it, how many clues you needed, how long it took, the words you guessed, and whether you were on a phone or a computer. It is linked to the anonymous ID above, not to your name or email.
This is used to study how people solve word puzzles, and what is learned may be written up and published in academic papers or shared as anonymised data. Anything published describes patterns across many players. No individual player is named or identified, and your email address and anything you send in the feedback form are never used for research.
The site is hosted by Vercel. Leaderboard entries, recorded games, word submissions and feedback are stored with Supabase. Both are service providers acting for ClueDay, and neither is given your data for their own purposes. Everything else lives in your own browser.
ClueDay does not require an account and does not ask for payment details. You never need to share your name or email address to play. Optional features, like word submissions and the feedback form, ask for details only when you choose to take part.
The feedback form is optional, and so is the email address on it. If you leave one, it is used only to reply to you or to arrange a chat if you asked for one. Feedback is never publicly visible, and leaving an email here does not sign you up for anything.
Clearing your browser data for clueday.com removes everything stored on your device, including your stats, your streak and your anonymous ID. That leaves you playing as a new visitor.
To have a leaderboard entry, a word submission or a piece of feedback removed from the database, email helloclueday@gmail.com and say which one. Mentioning your detective name and the case makes it quicker to find.
Questions about ClueDay can be sent to helloclueday@gmail.com.