Privacy Policy
How AIBuddy collects, uses, and protects your data
Effective Date: March 2, 2026 • Last Updated: March 2, 2026
1. Overview
AIBuddy (“we,” “us,” or “our”) provides an AI-powered coding agent available as a Visual Studio Code extension, a standalone desktop application for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your information when you use any AIBuddy product.
By using AIBuddy, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our products.
2. AI Service Data Sharing
Important: AIBuddy sends certain data to third-party AI providers to generate responses. This section discloses exactly what data is sent, who receives it, and how it is protected.
What data is sent to AI providers
- Chat messages — the text prompts you type in the chat interface
- Code snippets — code you paste or that the AI reads from your open files (when using autonomous agent features)
- Attached files — any images, documents, or code files you attach to a conversation
- Terminal output — command output shared as context when the AI runs terminal commands
Your AIBuddy API key is used for authentication with our servers only and is never sent to third-party AI providers.
Who receives your data
Depending on the complexity and type of your request, AIBuddy's smart routing system automatically sends your data to one of the following providers:
🧠
Anthropic (Claude)
Complex reasoning, debugging, architecture
Privacy Policy →
How your data is protected during transit
- All data is transmitted over HTTPS/TLS 1.2+ encryption
- Our backend gateway (AWS Lambda) processes requests in memory and does not persist conversation content to any database or log
- We use the enterprise/API tiers of each provider, which have contractual data protection commitments. Specifically: Anthropic, OpenAI, and DeepSeek do not use API customer data to train their models
Your consent
When you first launch AIBuddy (desktop app), a privacy consent screen clearly explains the above before any data is sent. You must actively click “I Understand — Continue” before the app functions. You can revoke consent at any time by removing the app.
3. What Data We Collect
Data you provide directly
- Account information: email address, username (when you purchase credits or create an account on aibuddy.life)
- API key: a unique key that authenticates your requests
- Payment information: processed by WooCommerce/Stripe — we do not store credit card numbers
- Chat messages and files: sent to AI providers as described above
Data collected automatically
- Usage analytics: button clicks, feature usage, session duration (via Amplitude). No message content is included.
- Error reports: crash and error data (via Sentry) including stack traces, device info, and OS version. No message content is included.
- API request metadata: timestamp, model used, token count, cost, response time — for billing and rate-limiting
Data we do NOT collect
- We do not store your chat conversations on our servers
- We do not store or log the content of your code files
- We do not use your data to train AI models
- We do not sell or share your personal data with data brokers
4. How We Use Your Data
- To provide the service: routing your requests to AI providers and returning responses
- To bill accurately: tracking token usage per request for credit deduction
- To improve reliability: monitoring errors and performance via Sentry
- To improve the product: analyzing aggregated, anonymized usage patterns (never individual message content)
- To communicate: sending transactional emails (purchase confirmations, credit alerts) via SendGrid
5. Third-Party AI Providers
AIBuddy uses the following third-party AI services to process your requests. Each provider operates under their own privacy policy and data protection terms:
- Anthropic (Claude) — anthropic.com/privacy. API data is not used for model training. Enterprise-grade data handling.
- OpenAI (GPT-4o, GPT-4.1) — openai.com/policies/privacy-policy. API data is not used for model training (per API terms). Data retained for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring, then deleted.
- DeepSeek — deepseek.com/privacy. Used for cost-efficient tasks. API data processed per their privacy terms.
All providers offer the same or equal protection of user data as described in this policy. We select providers that commit to not training on API customer data.
6. Data Storage & Security
Local storage (on your device)
- Chat history is stored locally on your device only using encrypted electron-store (desktop) or VS Code's built-in storage (extension)
- Your API key is stored locally and encrypted at rest
- Preferences, settings, and cached data remain on your device
Server-side storage
- Account data (email, credit balance) is stored on our WordPress/WooCommerce server hosted on SiteGround with SSL
- API request metadata (timestamp, model, cost) is stored for billing purposes
- Backend processing (AWS Lambda) is stateless — no conversation data is persisted
Security measures
- HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data in transit
- API keys validated on every request
- Rate limiting and abuse prevention
- macOS app is code-signed and notarized by Apple
- Regular security audits and dependency updates
7. Analytics & Telemetry
We use the following services for analytics and error tracking:
- Amplitude — anonymized product analytics (feature usage, session data). No message content.
- Sentry — error and crash reporting (stack traces, device info). No message content.
You can disable analytics via the Privacy settings in the AIBuddy extension or desktop app.
8. Your Rights
- Access: Request a copy of your personal data by contacting us
- Deletion: Delete all local data by removing the app. Request server-side account deletion by emailing us.
- Correction: Update your account information via your aibuddy.life account settings
- Portability: Export your chat history from the app at any time
- Opt-out: Disable analytics in the app settings. Uninstall the app to revoke all data sharing consent.
For GDPR, CCPA, or other privacy regulation requests, contact us at the address below.
9. Children’s Privacy
AIBuddy is not intended for use by children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected such information, please contact us immediately.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the “Last Updated” date. Continued use of AIBuddy after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.