Yes, more private than typical planning SaaS, though not local-only. Your vault stays on your computer as portable files we cannot read. When AI is on, only that request's prompt goes to the managed AI on Azure, not stored long-term, and you can switch AI off entirely.

Does asambl use the cloud?

Yes, for AI. Your vault stays on your machine, but when AI is on, the prompt for that one request goes to asambl's managed AI hosted on Azure and is not stored long-term. Semantic search runs locally on your device, and AI can be switched off.

Is asambl local-first or offline?

No. asambl is not local-first, offline, or no-cloud, because planning relies on cloud AI. The honest framing is that your vault stays local and AI is request-scoped, which is more private than typical SaaS, but it is a private cloud-AI planner, not a local-only one.

Does asambl upload my vault to its servers?

No. asambl never uploads your vault, and we do not have a copy of it. When AI is on, only the prompt for a single request, your question plus the small slice of notes needed to answer it, leaves your machine. The full vault is never sent.

Does asambl need API keys for AI?

No. asambl uses a single managed AI endpoint, so there are no API keys to set up and no provider to choose.

Can I export my data and leave asambl?

Yes. Your vault is already on your computer as plain markdown, JSON, and CSV files you can open, back up, and move at any time. There is no server copy to export. Calendar sync is reversible, and you can also export events as .ics.

Is asambl Private? How asambl Handles Your Data and AI

Q: Is AI on or off by default in asambl?

AI is on by default. You can switch it off entirely with the in-app control. With AI off, asambl still works: you get structured templates instead of auto-drafted plans, and you keep your vault, calendar, reviews, and files.

Q: How does the asambl Companion handle my data?

The Companion is a phone web app for quick capture. Captures are end-to-end encrypted on your phone and relayed to your linked desktop, where only your asambl app can read them; the relay holds only unreadable ciphertext. It reads your Google Calendar read-only and works once you have linked your laptop.

Where does your asambl vault live?

Your vault lives on your computer. asambl is a desktop app for macOS and Windows, and everything you put into it, your notes, priorities, plans, reviews, and outputs, is stored on your own machine as portable files you can read, back up, and move. The format is plain markdown, JSON, and CSV, so nothing is locked inside a proprietary database you cannot open.

We do not have a copy of your vault and we cannot read it. It is stored on your own machine under your user account, and you can back it up or move it like any other folder of files.

What happens when AI is on?

asambl uses AI to draft your week from your priorities, your calendar, and your energy. To do that, it has to send something to the AI. Here is exactly what, and where it goes.

When AI is on, only the prompt for that one request leaves your machine. That prompt is your question plus the small slice of notes needed to answer it, not your whole vault. It goes to asambl's managed AI endpoint, which is hosted by Microsoft on Azure, and it is not stored long-term. There are no API keys to manage and no provider to choose; asambl uses a single managed AI endpoint.

asambl never uploads your vault. The full set of your files is never sent in one go. Only request-level prompts travel, and only for the request you triggered.

Is AI on or off by default, and what do you get with it off?

AI is on by default, and you can switch it off entirely with the in-app control, which is always available. This is the opposite of an opt-in toggle: asambl ships ready to draft, and you choose to turn the intelligence off if you would rather it stay quiet.

With AI off, asambl still works. You get structured templates instead of auto-drafted plans, so you plan by hand using the same whole-life structure across your chosen areas. You keep your vault, your calendar, your reviews, and your files. What you lose is the automatic drafting, not the app.

Does semantic search send your notes to the cloud?

No. Search and matching run on your own device. asambl generates embeddings locally with an on-device model and stores the index locally in a small database on your machine. The semantic index never leaves the device.

So even the part of asambl that feels the most AI-like, finding the right note when you ask a vague question, happens locally. Only a generative request, when you ask asambl to draft or reason, reaches the managed AI.

How does the Companion handle your data?

The Companion is a phone web app at calendar.asambl.app that runs in your browser on iOS or Android. It is for quick capture on the go: notes, todos, reminders, voice, a day and week glance, and a workout log. It is included in your plan and works once you have linked your laptop.

Captures you make on your phone are end-to-end encrypted on your device and relayed to your linked desktop, where only your asambl app can read them. The relay only ever holds unreadable ciphertext, which auto-expires, so the relay itself can never read your notes. Calendar reads are read-only: the Companion reads your Google Calendar to show that day's events, and those events are never sent to us.

Is asambl local-first? The honest answer

No. asambl is not local-first, not offline, and not no-cloud. It would be easy to claim that, and some tools do, but it is not true for asambl, because planning relies on cloud AI. We would rather be accurate than flattering.

What is true is that asambl is more private than typical planning SaaS. Your vault is the primary copy and it stays on your computer. AI is request-scoped, so only the prompt for a single request leaves the machine rather than your whole life living on a company's servers. Semantic search runs locally, and AI has a real off switch. That is a meaningful privacy posture, just not a local-only one. The honest line is simple: your vault is yours and stays local; the AI is a tool you point at it, on a request-by-request basis, that you can turn off.

Do you own your data, and can you export it?

Yes. Because your vault is stored on your machine as plain markdown, JSON, and CSV, you already have everything: there is nothing to export from a server because there is no server copy. You can open, copy, back up, or move your files at any time without asking us.

Calendar sync is narrow and reversible. asambl connects the single Google Calendar you choose with two-way sync, plus .ics export, and you can disconnect at any time. If you ever stop using asambl, your plans and notes remain readable files on your own disk.