Privacy and data
The short version
Section titled “The short version”Your notes never leave your Mac. They are not uploaded, synced, indexed or read by us. There is no account requirement to write notes, and no telemetry in the editor.
What does go online
Section titled “What does go online”One thing: an account token, sent to api.shadynotes.app to check whether
your plan is active.
That request carries the token and nothing else — no note content, no filenames, no vault paths, no usage statistics.
It happens when you sign in, and periodically afterwards. Between checks the app works offline for 14 days.
Two other network connections
Section titled “Two other network connections”- Update checks, once a day, to the release feed. A version request; nothing about you. → Updates
- Sign-in, which happens in your browser against our authentication provider. The app never sees your password.
Where things are stored
Section titled “Where things are stored”| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Notes and attachments | Your vault folder, as plain files |
| Account token | The macOS Keychain |
| Settings, workspaces, starred notes | macOS preferences |
| Revision history | A git repository on your Mac |
All local. Nothing is on a server.
If you never sign in
Section titled “If you never sign in”The app works. You get the free tier plus a 14-day trial, and the only network traffic is the daily update check.
Deleting your data
Section titled “Deleting your data”Notes are yours: delete the folder. Sign out to remove the token from the Keychain. Uninstalling removes the app and leaves your notes alone.
The site
Section titled “The site”The privacy policy covers shadynotes.app and account handling.
Documented against Shady Notes 4.1.19 · release notes