CHATDA — Privacy Policy

Version 1.3 · Effective 2026-09-05

1. In one line

CHATDA collects no personal data. All indexing and searching happens on your own computer, and nothing is transmitted anywhere.

2. What is processed

CHATDA indexes the file names, folder structure, file sizes and modification times of the folders you point it at, plus text extracted from documents if content search is enabled. This index exists only in your computer's memory and local storage. The index file that is saved (%LOCALAPPDATA%\chatda\index-<config hash>.chatda) holds file names, paths, sizes and modification times together with excerpts of the document text; it is stored so that only your own account can read it (the ACL of %LOCALAPPDATA% on Windows, mode 0600 on Unix), and it disappears when you remove the program or delete that file.

Learning record. CHATDA learns which results you actually opened and uses that to rank future searches. What is written to this learning file (behavior.bin) is only 64-bit hashes of the path and of the query, plus counts and timestamps — this file never contains the path text or the query text. The file lives at %LOCALAPPDATA%\chatda\behavior.bin on your own computer and never leaves it. You can delete it any time with scripts\RESET_LEARNING.ps1, or prevent it entirely by setting the CHATDA_NO_LEARNING environment variable. The excludes.txt (exclusion rules) and searches.tsv (saved searches) files in the same folder are likewise settings that stay on your computer; you can open, edit or delete them at any time. A usage.tsv file in the same folder records the queries you typed and how many results they returned (a search that never returns anything is the only signal showing where search breaks down, so the admin view lists them). It likewise never leaves your computer, and the admin view's "Clear search history" removes it at any time.

3. What "no transmission" means

• CHATDA sends your index, search terms, file paths and usage statistics to no server at all.
• There is no update check, no remote crash reporting and no advertising identifier.
• The local web interface (--http) accepts connections on 127.0.0.1 only. Other devices on your network cannot reach it.

4. When connected to an AI tool

In --mcp mode, connected to Claude Desktop or a similar tool, the search results and document text that tool requests are passed to it, as are your search history and your saved searches. What happens afterwards is governed by that tool provider's own privacy policy. CHATDA never reads outside the folders you name with --root. The AI-tool mode (--mcp) is read-only: it has no ability to write, delete or execute anything.

Optional file actions (off by default). Only when the local web UI (--http) is started with --allow-write can you copy, move, rename or zip the results you selected. Those actions (1) work only inside the folders given with --root, (2) always show a preview of what would change before running, and (3) do not include deleting files. Opening a file with its default program (--allow-open) is likewise off by default.

5. Retention and deletion

The index is stored on your computer and disappears when you remove the program or delete the index file. We hold no copy, so there is no deletion request to make.

6. Children's data

CHATDA collects no personal data, and therefore collects none from children.

7. Contact

Data protection contact · Project Team For You — [email protected]

Business information

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CHATDA — Terms of Use

Version 1.3 · Effective 2026-09-05

1. Purpose

These terms govern use of the software "CHATDA" (the "Software").

2. Licence

You are granted a non-exclusive right to use the Software for personal and commercial purposes. You may not reverse engineer it, remove copyright notices, or redistribute it while impersonating the provider.

3. Your responsibilities

• You must hold lawful access rights to any file you index or search with the Software.
• You decide which folders to expose when connecting an AI tool, and you are responsible for what is consequently passed to that tool.
• Before exposing folders containing confidential or personal data, check your organisation's policy.

4. Disclaimer of warranty

The Software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. Completeness and accuracy of search results are not warranted.

5. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the provider is not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages (including data loss, business interruption or lost profits) arising from use of or inability to use the Software.

6. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Korea; jurisdiction is determined in accordance with the Korean Civil Procedure Act.

7. Changes

Changed terms are published with a new version number and effective date in the distribution. Continued use after a change constitutes acceptance.

8. Contact

[email protected]