Privacy Policy

Effective date: 2026-05-29 · Last updated: 2026-05-29

Overview

Keel is a local-first desktop app. The files you create live on your machine. Keel does not operate a server that stores your personal information, does not include analytics or telemetry, and does not sell your data.

This page tells you exactly what data Keel touches, where it lives, and how to delete it.

What we collect

Nothing reaches a Keel-operated server. Your chat sessions, captures, notes, settings, and workspace files are stored locally on your machine. If you have configured AI provider API keys (Claude, OpenAI, OpenRouter, etc.), your messages go to whichever provider you picked — see their privacy policies, linked below.

What we don't collect

• No analytics or telemetry from the desktop app. There is no SDK that phones home.
• No advertising identifiers. No IDFA, no Google Analytics, no Facebook Pixel, no Mixpanel.
• No location data.
• No contacts, photos, microphone, or camera data.
• No browsing history.
• We do not sell your data. We do not share it with advertisers or data brokers. We do not use your captures to train AI models.

Where data lives

Your workspace folder (typically ~/Keel) holds your captures, notes, and chat database. Settings live at:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Keel/settings.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%/Keel/settings.json
• Linux: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/keel/settings.json

API keys you configure (Claude, OpenAI, etc.) are stored in your settings file in plaintext. They are never sent to Keel.

Retention

You decide when data is deleted. Delete files in your workspace folder to remove captures and notes. Delete the entire ~/Keel folder to remove all data. There is no Keel account to delete because everything is local.

Your rights

Whether or not you're in a jurisdiction with a specific privacy law, you have these rights with Keel:

• Access & portability. Your captures are plain text files. Your chat history lives in a local SQLite database. Both are readable in any editor and movable anywhere.
• Export. The entire workspace folder is your export. Copy it, zip it, move it.
• Correction. Edit any file directly.
• Deletion. Delete your workspace folder. There is no "Keel account" tied to it.
• Revoke third-party access. If you connected a Google account for Calendar or Docs, you can revoke it any time in your Google account settings.

Third parties

If you use AI features, your chat messages go to whichever provider you configured:

• Anthropic (Claude)
• OpenAI
• OpenRouter
• Ollama — runs locally on your machine, no data leaves

If you connect a Google account for Calendar or Docs, requests go to Google on demand. Keel does not store or sync your Google content beyond the duration of the request.

Google API Limited Use compliance

Keel's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

In particular, data obtained from Google Calendar or Google Docs is never used:

• To train, develop, or improve generalized AI/ML models.
• For advertising or to build user profiles for advertising.
• By humans, except for security purposes, to comply with applicable law, or with your explicit consent for support you've requested.
• For purposes unrelated to providing or improving the user-facing features of Keel.

Architectural enforcement. Keel lets you choose which LLM provider processes your chat (Claude, OpenAI, OpenRouter, or local Ollama). To honor the Limited Use restriction, Keel only allows a Google account to be connected when the active LLM provider is on an allowlist of providers whose API terms disclaim training on submitted data (Anthropic's Claude API, OpenAI's API, and local Ollama). OpenRouter is not on the allowlist because its terms reserve broader rights, so Keel will refuse to connect Google while OpenRouter is the active provider, and will refuse to switch to OpenRouter while Google is connected. This invariant is enforced in code (src/core/googlePolicy.ts) and covered by tests.

Children

Keel is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13.

Changes to this policy

Keel is early. As the product evolves, this policy may need updates. Material changes (new data types collected, new third parties, changes to retention) will be reflected here with an updated "Last updated" date.

Contact

Questions, requests, or concerns about your privacy:

• Email: support@keel-labs.org
• GitHub: Keel issues
• Feedback board: keel.fider.io