FAQ

Do I need a developer background to use this? No, but this preview does assume you’re comfortable installing a Python package (via pip) or running a Docker container, and reading a short error message. See install.

Where does my data actually live? In two places on your own disk: the vault (plain Markdown files) and the data directory (configuration, per-source state, logs). Neither is sent anywhere Maisnie doesn’t tell you about. See privacy.

Is there a Maisnie cloud, or an account I need to create with Maisnie itself? No. There’s no server run by Maisnie that your data passes through, and nothing to sign up for beyond the model provider or aggregator you choose to connect, if any.

Can I use this without connecting a model at all? Yes. “Decide later” is a legitimate choice on the model step — the box runs, and Home, Today, and Search all work without a model connected, and so does the scheduled sync that fills them in (it doesn’t call a model at all — see connect your accounts). Ask is the one thing here that does need a model: without one connected, it says so plainly (“Ask needs a connected AI model. Connect one in Setup.”) instead of pretending to answer. See choose a model.

Can I use a model that never sends anything off my machine? Yes — the local door, as long as you point it at a server actually running on your own machine (nothing you ask leaves it) or your own network (your prompts stay on that network, but do cross it — plain HTTP unless that server serves https://). Maisnie doesn’t check that the address you gave it is really local; that’s on you. Ollama, llama.cpp, and LM Studio all work. See choose a model.

What happens to my notes if I turn a source off? Nothing. They stay exactly where they are; only future syncing for that source stops (a run already under way when you flip the switch finishes normally). See turn on sources.

Can more than one person use the same box? Not in this release — one owner, one passphrase, one vault. If that changes, it’ll be a deliberate, documented change, not something that happens quietly underneath you.

Can I edit my vault with something other than Maisnie? Yes. It’s a folder of plain Markdown files; open it in any editor, sync it with any tool that copies files, read it with anything that reads text. Maisnie reads and writes the same files you’d be looking at directly.

What if I want to stop using Maisnie? Copy the vault folder somewhere else, or just keep using it where it already is. There’s no export step because there’s nothing locked away to export from.

Is my data encrypted? Your notes are plain text, and secrets (API keys, mail passwords, calendar links) are currently stored unencrypted, protected only by file permissions. See security before treating a backup casually.

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