# Privacy

V3Code is built local-first. The intelligence that makes it good — the index, the structural tools, your memory — runs on your machine, not in someone's cloud.

## What stays local

- **Your code.** The [semantic index](/editor/semantic-index) is built and stored on-device, and [Context Bridge](/editor/context-bridge) reads your files in-process. Nothing is uploaded to be indexed.
- **Your memory and notes.** Workspace notes live in `.v3code/notes.json` in your project; usage is tracked locally.
- **Your keys.** [BYOK](/models/byok) keys are stored locally, and with local models you can run fully offline.

## What leaves your machine, and when

The only traffic V3Code makes is the **model calls you choose**. On BYOK, that goes straight to your provider with your key. On a hosted plan, it goes to V3Code's inference. Cloud indexing (a paid feature, or a free fallback if your local index breaks) is the one case where indexed content is processed in the cloud — and it's opt-in by plan.