Privacy FAQ

OpenThunder is local-first. The app, the analysis, and the local server all run on your machine. This page states exactly what that means.

The short version

• OpenThunder Desktop runs on your computer. Repo analysis happens locally.
• The bundled server binds to 127.0.0.1:7700: loopback only, not reachable from the network.
• No source code leaves your machine by default.
• OpenThunder Cloud is opt-in. You choose if and when anything is published, and raw source code is not uploaded by default even then.
• The free web tool at /tools/review-diff is 100% client-side: the diff you paste never leaves the browser.

Questions

Does my code get uploaded?

No, not without explicit action from you. Scans, Lenses, missions, and context packs run locally. Publishing results to OpenThunder Cloud is a deliberate opt-in step, and it publishes scan results, not raw source.

Do I need an account?

No, not for local use. Download the app, open a repo, and use it with no sign-in. The interactive tools on this docs site run entirely in your browser. The site itself uses privacy-configured, anonymous Google Analytics (page views and downloads; IP anonymized, no ad tracking) so we can see what people find useful; it is never bundled into the app, CLI, or extension.

Do I need an AI API key?

Not to understand a repo. The Lenses and scans are deterministic and run with no AI key and no network egress. Keys come into play only when you want AI-driven change missions, and they stay on your machine.

What actually needs the cloud?

Team features: saved scan history and trends, shared results dashboards, and PR checks. All opt-in, all built so raw code stays local.

Troubleshooting

"Server unreachable"

The dashboard and the VS Code extension talk to the local server on 127.0.0.1:7700. If they report the server as unreachable, make sure OpenThunder Desktop is running; it starts the server for you.

Another process is using port 7700

Quit the other process, or start the server with a different port via the PORT environment variable and point your client at it.