Last updated: October 2026
Short version: CouncilAI has no servers, no account system, and no backend of its own. Your API keys are stored only on your device. When you send a message, it goes directly from your device to whichever provider (Claude, GPT, Grok, or OpenRouter) you've connected, the same as if you called that provider's API yourself. We never see it.
CouncilAI does not operate any backend, server, or cloud infrastructure of its own. There is no CouncilAI database, no analytics pipeline, and no way for us to see your conversations even if we wanted to. There's simply nowhere for that data to go on our end. The app runs entirely on your device.
When you send a message in CouncilAI, it's sent directly from your device to whichever AI provider you've connected for that request. Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT), xAI (Grok), or OpenRouter (which itself routes to whichever model you've selected there). This is a direct connection between your device and that provider, using your own API key. CouncilAI does not intercept, log, or relay this traffic through any server of ours.
Once your message reaches a provider, that provider's own privacy policy and data handling practices apply, the same as if you'd used their website or app directly. We don't control what they do with it, and we'd encourage reading their policies if that matters to you:
The following is stored locally on your computer and never sent to us:
All local data is stored at %LOCALAPPDATA%\CouncilAI\ on Windows.
You can delete this folder at any time to remove all CouncilAI data from your machine.
CouncilAI does not require an account, login, registration, or email address to use. There is no CouncilAI account system. You bring your own API keys directly from each provider.
CouncilAI does not collect usage statistics, crash reports, error logs, or any other telemetry data about how you use the app. Nothing about your usage is sent to us. The only request CouncilAI itself makes to us is the update check described in section 6a.
Unlike CouncilAI's original local-only beta, the current version requires an internet connection to function. Every message is answered by a real cloud AI provider using your API key. CouncilAI itself makes no other network requests beyond what's needed to reach the providers you've connected, optionally fetch OpenRouter's live model list, and check for updates (see section 6a).
When CouncilAI starts, it requests one small public file (https://councilai.ca/version.json)
to see whether a newer version exists. This is an ordinary web request: it contains no account,
no identifier, no API key, no conversation, and no information about your computer or usage.
Like any website, our host can see your IP address in its standard server logs; we do not use it
to identify you. CouncilAI never downloads or installs anything by itself; updates come through
the Microsoft Store. You can turn this check off at any time in Settings → Updates.
CouncilAI is sold through the Microsoft Store. Payment processing and purchase data (name, email, payment details) are handled entirely by Microsoft and are subject to Microsoft's Privacy Statement. CouncilAI does not receive or store your payment information.
CouncilAI includes an optional in-app feedback button that opens a Microsoft Forms page in your browser. Submitting feedback is entirely voluntary. Any information you choose to submit through that form is subject to Microsoft's privacy policy. CouncilAI does not automatically send any feedback data, it only opens the form if you click the button.
CouncilAI does not knowingly collect any data from anyone, including children, on our end. Because every request is sent using the user's own API key directly to their chosen provider, that provider's own age requirements and policies apply to use of their service through CouncilAI.
If this privacy policy changes, the updated version will be posted at councilai.ca/privacy with a new "last updated" date.
Questions about this privacy policy can be sent to contact@councilai.ca.