Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 2025

Branch Bot is built for people who handle sensitive information — investigators, researchers, legal professionals. We take your privacy as seriously as you take your clients'.

What We Store (Almost Nothing)

On Your Computer (100% Local)

• All your notes, nodes, and graphs
• Uploaded files and images
• Project databases (SQLite format)
• Your settings and preferences

We have zero access to this data. It never touches our servers.

On Our Systems (License Only)

• Email address (for license activation)
• License key and plan type
• Purchase date and status

That's it. No content, no files, no research.

AI Features

When you use AI chat features, your messages are sent to Anthropic's Claude API to generate responses.

If you use our hosted AI credits:

• Messages route through our server to Anthropic
• We do NOT log or store message content
• We only track usage counts for billing

If you use BYOK (Bring Your Own Key):

• Messages go directly from your machine to Anthropic
• We never see your conversations
• You pay Anthropic directly

In both cases, Anthropic's privacy policy applies to AI interactions. We recommend reviewing it at anthropic.com/privacy.

Analytics

We use Microsoft Clarity to understand how people use Branch Bot. This helps us fix bugs and improve the interface.

What Clarity collects:

• Anonymous session recordings (mouse movements, clicks)
• Page views and feature usage
• Device type and browser info

What Clarity does NOT collect:

• Your notes, files, or research content
• API keys (automatically masked)
• Passwords (automatically masked)
• Personal content you type

You can opt out: Settings → Analytics → Disable anonymous usage analytics

Error Tracking

We use Sentry to catch crashes and bugs before they ruin your day.

What Sentry collects:

• Error messages and stack traces
• Browser/OS version
• Anonymous session ID

What Sentry does NOT collect:

• Your content or files
• API keys or credentials
• Personal information

What We Will Never Do

• Sell your data to anyone
• Share your information with advertisers
• Store your research content on our servers
• Track you across other websites
• Send you spam (only transactional emails)
• Make your data accessible to our employees

Third Parties

The only third parties involved are:

We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook pixels, or any advertising trackers.

Data Retention

• Your local data: Stays on your machine until you delete it. We can't touch it.
• License info: Kept while your account is active. Deleted upon request.
• Analytics: Microsoft Clarity retains data for 30 days.
• Error logs: Sentry retains data for 90 days.

Your Rights

You can:

• Export all your data anytime (JSON, HTML, or raw database)
• Delete your local data by removing the app
• Opt out of analytics in Settings
• Request deletion of license info by emailing us

Security

• API keys are encrypted before storage
• All network requests use HTTPS
• No cloud sync means no cloud vulnerabilities
• You control your own backups

Children

Branch Bot is not intended for users under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

Changes to This Policy

If we make significant changes, we'll notify you in the app and update the "Last updated" date above.

Branch Bot is built by a solo developer who believes privacy isn't a feature — it's a right. Your research is your business, not ours.