Privacy policy

Last updated: September 30, 2026

The privacy of your data matters to us, and it is your data, not ours. This policy explains:

• what we collect and why;
• how your data is handled and who processes it;
• your rights with respect to it.

We never sell your data: never have, never will.

This policy covers AiChat (aichat.cinderworks.ai) and the cinderworks.ai website, run by Tripp Cashel, trading as Cinderworks ("we", "us"). It applies to site visitors and to people who use AiChat ("you").

What we collect and why

Our guiding principle is to collect only what we need to run the service.

Identity and access

When you create an account or sign in, we keep your email address and a display name. If you sign in with GitHub or Google, we receive your name, email address, profile picture and the provider's account ID. The provider's access tokens are stored encrypted, and we don't use them for anything beyond signing you in.

If you set a password, we store only a one-way hash of it, never the password itself.

For each signed-in session we keep the session's IP address and browser user agent, for security. They're removed when you sign out or the session expires.

If you create access tokens for local agents, such as Claude Code, we store only a hash of each token, along with its name and when it was last used.

Your content

AiChat stores the content you create or upload so the product works as intended:

• conversations and messages;
• files and datasets you upload, and the search index built from them;
• memories the assistant saves when memory is turned on;
• CAD projects: source, revisions, models and imports;
• group rooms;
• agents you configure.

We keep this content while your account is active. You can delete conversations, files, agents, group rooms, and saved parts and materials in the app. To remove CAD projects, email us.

If you add your own OpenRouter API key, it's stored encrypted and used only to make model calls on your behalf.

Usage and billing records

We record the cost and token usage of each model call and sandbox run on your account. We use these records to enforce daily limits, show you your usage, and understand how the service is used. AiChat doesn't take payments today. If that changes, card details will go directly to a payment processor and never touch our servers.

Website interactions

The cinderworks.ai website uses no analytics or tracking scripts.

AiChat keeps basic request logs, which may include IP addresses, for security, abuse prevention and debugging. It also rate-limits sign-in attempts by IP address, in memory.

Cookies

We use only the cookies the service needs:

• a session cookie that keeps you signed in;
• short-lived cookies used during GitHub or Google sign-in;
• a few first-party preference cookies, such as your last-used model.

Our hosting network, Cloudflare in front of DigitalOcean, may set a security cookie that separates people from bots.

We use no advertising cookies and no third-party trackers.

Voluntary correspondence

When you email us, we keep that correspondence, including your email address, so we have a history to refer to if you get in touch again.

When we access or disclose your information

To provide the service. We use these service providers (subprocessors) to run AiChat:

Model providers handle requests under their own terms and policies. Choosing a model in AiChat means your request goes to that model's provider.

At your direction. If you connect a local agent with an access token, that agent can read and change your CAD projects as the token allows. You can revoke a token at any time in Settings.

No human looks at your content except with your permission, for example to help with a support request, or when an error stops an automated process and needs manual intervention. We may also access data if the law requires it (see below).

To investigate, prevent or act on abuse of the service. We treat access to an account as a last resort.

Aggregated and de-identified data. We may use aggregated or de-identified usage information, such as total model costs, to run and improve the service.

When required by law. We're based in the US and our infrastructure is in the US.

• We disclose user data only when compelled by valid legal process, such as a warrant, subpoena or court order, or in a genuine emergency.
• Unless the law prohibits it, we'll notify affected users before disclosing their data.

If Cinderworks is ever acquired, which we don't plan, we'll notify you before your personal information is transferred or becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Your rights with respect to your information

We try to give everyone the same data rights, wherever they live:

• Right to know and access: what we collect about you, and a copy of it.
• Right to correction: fixing inaccurate information. You can update much of it yourself in Settings.
• Right to erasure: deleting your account and personal information, subject to legal limits. Deleting your account ends your use of the service.
• Right to restrict or object: limiting or objecting to how your information is processed. We don't sell data, so there's nothing to opt out of there.
• Right to portability: receiving your data in a usable format.
• Right to non-discrimination: exercising these rights won't change how we treat you.
• Right to complain: to your local data protection authority.

AiChat doesn't have self-serve account deletion or export yet. Email us and we'll handle your request. We may need to confirm you own the account first, for example by asking you to email us from its address.

How we secure your data

All traffic between your browser and AiChat is encrypted with TLS. We also protect data at rest:

• Passwords are stored as one-way hashes.
• Access tokens are stored as hashes.
• Sign-in provider tokens and your own API keys are encrypted.
• Sessions use secure, HTTP-only cookies that can be revoked.
• Code and CAD builds run in isolated sandboxes, not on our servers.

Data retention and deletion

• Content you delete in the app is removed from our database straight away. Copies may stay in our database backups for a limited time, normally 7 days.
• Accounts deleted at your request are removed within 30 days, including from backups.
• Everything else we keep only as long as we need it for the purposes above, or as required by law.

Location of data

AiChat runs in the United States, in DigitalOcean's New York region. If you're outside the US, please be aware that information you provide is transferred to and stored in the United States. Model providers may process requests in other locations under their own terms.

Changes and questions

We may update this policy to reflect new features, practices or legal requirements. When we make a significant change, we'll update the date at the top of this page.

Questions about this policy, your data or your rights? Email [email protected].

Adapted from the Basecamp open-source policies / CC BY 4.0.