Specs & privacy
What’s true, what we prove, and the exact numbers.
Every claim we make, every exception, everything we can’t claim yet — and the technical detail behind it, on one page.
What is always true after setup
- Recording, transcription, note generation, and storage all happen on your Mac.
- Notes are stored encrypted on your Mac, and the key that unlocks them never leaves your Mac.
- There is no account, no cloud sync, and no analytics, tracking, or crash reporting of any kind.
- We never receive your audio or your notes — there is no server for them to reach.
What “Sealed” means
The badge in the app has three states, and it only shows the strongest one when it’s earned:
Sealed — nothing leaves your Mac
When the network seal is engaged and the note-writing AI is installed. This is the earned state, and the counter proves it.
Private — notes are written and stored on this Mac
When the app is unsealed. Your notes are still local — the app just can’t prove the stronger claim in this state.
Private — recording and storing on this Mac (setup in progress)
While the one-time download of the note-writing AI runs, the app already records, transcribes, and stores on your Mac. The download is the only thing in flight, and it carries no note content. “Sealed” appears once it finishes and the seal engages.
The named exceptions
Everything that leaves your Mac, or ever will. None of it carries your note content.
Download of the note-writing AI
Live today
The note-writing AI is a large file (several gigabytes) fetched from a third-party model host, at first setup — and again only if you choose to add, replace, or update a model. It carries no note content — it is the AI itself, coming to you.
Trial or license activation — and periodic validation on the monthly plan
When licensing launches — not live today
One connection will issue your license, sending a license key and a one-way fingerprint of your Mac (see the licensing spec below) — never your name, email, or content. Monthly licenses will revalidate on a schedule the same way; perpetual licenses won’t need to. The licensing service does not exist in the current version.
Software-update checks
Switched off in this version
The current build ships with update checking disabled and no update server configured — it makes no update-related requests. If we ever enable updates, this page and the Privacy Policy change first.
Links you choose to open
Live today
Help and support links open your own browser to NoteGenerator.com. The app sends nothing when you click one.
What we don’t claim yet
We do notclaim that audio never touches the disk — that needs a device-level proof we haven’t published. What we do claim: audio is handled in your Mac’s working memory during recording, and it never leaves your Mac.
The Seal Test, explained
One tap, and the app tries to open a network connection to itself — you watch the attempt die before it ever reaches the network. A check you run, not a badge we drew. Next to it: the session counter, reading 0 when sealed.
What if my Mac dies?
Make an encrypted backup and restore it on a new Mac with the passphrase alone. The key derives from your passphrase, so we hold no copy — lose the passphrase and the backup is gone. You hold the only key.
Tech specs
The precise version of everything the rest of the site says in plain words.
| Requirements | Apple silicon (M1 family or later) and 16 GB of unified memory, plus several gigabytes of free disk for the AI model files. |
|---|---|
| Note-writing AI (“the local writer”) | A 12-billion-parameter language model that runs fully on your Mac. Downloaded at first setup from a third-party model host (Hugging Face) over an encrypted connection — and again only if you choose to add, replace, or update a model. Once installed, note-writing works offline. |
| Transcription | On-device speech recognition (Whisper-family model). A base model ships inside the app; transcription runs offline. |
| Encryption at rest | AES-256-GCM, one encrypted file per note, a fresh random nonce on every write, authenticated so a tampered file fails to decrypt rather than displaying altered content. The key is generated on your Mac on first use and stored only in your macOS Keychain. |
| Audio path | Audio is decoded in memory during capture and is not retained after transcription. We do not yet claim audio never touches the disk — that claim is withheld pending device-level verification. |
| Backups | An encrypted archive whose key is derived from a passphrase you choose (passphrase-wrapped). We hold no copy of the archive or the passphrase; without the passphrase, recovery is impossible — by anyone. |
| Licensing (planned — not live today) | A cryptographically signed license file, verified offline. Activation will send a license key and a machine hint — a one-way, non-reversible device fingerprint derived from your Mac’s characteristics. It cannot reveal your content, but it is a persistent device identifier and we treat it as personal information. Two activations per license, self-service deactivation. |
| Seal Test | The app attempts a network connection to itself (a loopback connection); the network filter kills the attempt before a socket opens. The session connection counter reads 0 when sealed. |
| App protections | Runs inside the macOS App Sandbox with Apple’s hardened-runtime protections, code-signed. Distribution is a direct download — no App Store, no account. |
| This website | A static site: no third-party scripts, no cookies, no behavioral tracking. The waitlist form sends the email you type and which platform you asked about — only when you press the button — plus a hidden anti-bot field that stays empty for people. |
The fine print
The full statements of these facts live in the Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service — both published as drafts while attorney review finishes. For how this architecture compares to cloud notetakers, see the compare page.
First version
Not out yet. One email when it is.
This first version does one thing: turn what you said into a clean note, without your words leaving your Mac. It will get better — and what you tell us shapes what’s next.
One email when it ships. No marketing list, no drip campaign — and if you ask, we delete your address sooner. What we hold and why.
Requires a Mac with an Apple chip (M1 or later) and 16 GB of memory.
Not sure? Apple menu → About This Mac. You’re looking for an Apple chip (M1 or later) and 16 GB or more of memory.
The AI that writes your notes runs entirely on your Mac, and it is big. That’s why you need 16 GB — the cost of nothing leaving the machine.
Older Mac, or not a Mac at all? Tell us what you’re on — it’s how we decide what to build next.
No account, no App Store.