Transparency
This page explains exactly what happens to your book's text depending on the mode you choose. No generalities: this is what happens, mode by mode.
How your data moves, by mode
| AI mode | What leaves your machine | Who receives it | What is logged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mode | Nothing. | Nobody. | Nothing. |
| Bring-your-own-key | Your book text and requests go directly to the provider you configured, under your own API key. | That provider. Their privacy policy applies to what you send them. | Termina logs nothing. |
| Termina Cloud | Your book text is sent to Termina's proxy and forwarded to the model provider. | Termina's proxy and the model provider. | The proxy logs metadata only: timestamps, token counts, request type. It never logs your text. |
When we say "never leaves your machine"
That claim is true in exactly two places: local mode, and zero-knowledge backups, which are encrypted on your device before upload, so Termina cannot read them. It is not true anywhere else. Any use of cloud AI, whether bring-your-own-key or Termina Cloud, sends your book text to a server outside your machine.
Unrestricted models
Unrestricted, low-refusal models are available only as local downloads that run entirely on your machine. Every cloud route, bring-your-own-key or Termina Cloud, is content-moderated by the model provider you're using.
Telemetry
Telemetry is opt-in and off by default. When you turn it on, Termina sends anonymous feature-usage data and crash reports, never your book text, file names, or personal information. The switch lives in Settings, and nothing is sent while it's off.
The writing assistant
The chat agent can read your book, your Codex, and your timeline, on your machine or through whichever AI mode you've chosen. It can propose additions to your Codex; those proposals follow the same review rules as automatic curation, are marked with their origin, and can be retired in one click. If a proposal contradicts something you already established, it becomes a conflict card for you to decide, not a silent change. The assistant cannot alter anything you wrote or established by hand without your say-so.