Where your notes actually go
Your notes and attachments are stored on your Mac. AI processing depends on the model you select. Here is what each route sends, how locked notes are handled, and what the separate licensing service receives.
Your data, at a glance
Local notes. Your choice of AI.
Your Mac
Your library lives here
- Notes
- Attachments
- Search index
- History
Locked notes stay out of AI
Excluded from context until you unlock them.
On your Mac
On-device AI
A supported Apple model processes your request on this Mac.
No request content leaves your Mac.
Your library stays local. The selected on-device model works with the content needed for your AI action.
Notes and attachments
Your library is stored in Hibiscus app data on your Mac. Notes use Markdown as their underlying format and can be exported as .md files. The working library is not a folder of loose .md files in Finder. Keep a full backup to preserve app organization and attachments as well as exported notes.
On-device AI
When the selected model runs on-device, the request stays on your Mac. No note content is sent anywhere for that action.
Ollama
Requests go to the Ollama runtime you configured. That is normally the same Mac, unless you have deliberately pointed Hibiscus at another machine.
Bring-your-own-key providers
When you explicitly select a cloud model, the content required for that request goes to that provider under your own configuration and key. Hibiscus does not become a storage server for your notes.
Locked notes
Locked content is excluded from AI context and other content-access paths — copy, export, attachments, dictation, and history — until you unlock it. The gate is structural.
No account required
You do not need a Hibiscus account to create, keep, edit, search, import, or export your notes. The seven-day trial starts without signing up or entering a payment card. If you buy a license, we use your purchase email to send your license key. Email verification for license or device management is separate from your local note library.
Trial, license, and purchase data
Starting a trial or activating a license contacts Hibiscus's licensing service with an installation identifier, device name, and app version. License checks use activation and installation identifiers to confirm access. These requests do not include note content or attachments. Purchases use your email for license delivery, and payment details are entered on Stripe's checkout. No account required does not mean that trial, license, or payment processing happens offline.
Export and deletion
Export a Markdown copy to use your writing in another compatible editor, or create a full Hibiscus backup for restoring the workspace. App-specific formatting may display differently in other editors. Deleting a note in the app does not remove copies you previously exported, backed up, or sent to a provider.
Every action, and where it happens
| Action | Where processing happens | What leaves the Mac | Who chose the route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write or edit a note | Your Mac | Nothing | — |
| Dictate with an on-device engine | Your Mac | Nothing | — |
| Search across notes | Your Mac | Nothing | — |
| AI edit with Apple on-device | Your Mac | Nothing | You |
| AI edit with Ollama | Your configured Ollama runtime | Nothing for a runtime on this Mac; request content for a remote runtime | You |
| AI edit with your own key | The provider you selected | Only the content that request needs | You |
| Any action on a locked note | Blocked at the access gate | Nothing | You |
| Export | Your Mac | Only where you save the file | You |
| Start a trial or activate a license | Hibiscus licensing service | Installation identifier, device name, app version, and license details when activating; no notes | You, when starting or activating |
| Check license status | Hibiscus licensing service | Activation and installation identifiers and app version; no notes | The app, to confirm license access |
| Purchase a license | Hibiscus licensing service and Stripe checkout | Purchase email and checkout information; payment details go to Stripe | You |
Hibiscus does not operate a server that stores your notes. Cloud providers are legitimate routes when you pick them — the difference is that you pick them, and the route is visible before use.
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