The canonical, always-current version of this document is hosted at legal.aetherassembly.org/driftleaf/privacy.html.
This copy is provided for convenience when browsing the repository and may lag behind the hosted version.
Driftleaf is a local-first, encrypted-by-default notes application for desktop. It is designed so that your notes never leave your device: there are no accounts, no cloud storage, and no server operated by AetherAssembly that your data passes through.
Driftleaf is developed and maintained by AetherAssembly. For privacy-related questions, contact us at support@aetherassembly.org or via the contact form.
Driftleaf stores the following information locally on your device, inside the branch folder you choose. The app's internal API and storage format still use the term "vault" for this same branch.
.driftleaf/manifest.enc) recording note titles, folders, timestamps, and installed extension code and permissions. Note files use opaque IDs rather than titles in their filesystem paths.userData directoryBranch contents remain on your device. The app also makes update-check requests to GitHub when automatic update checks are enabled, or when you manually choose Check for updates. These requests are for public release metadata; they do not include notes, branch contents, the passphrase, or an account identifier. GitHub receives the ordinary network request metadata (such as your IP address). Update downloads are user-initiated. Disable automatic checks in Settings → Updates to skip startup checks. Extensions run with network access disabled by the app. When you open or refresh Extensions → Community gallery, Driftleaf requests public release metadata from GitHub for the AetherAssembly/Driftleaf-Extensions and AetherAssembly/Driftleaf-Templates repositories. Previewing or installing an item downloads its public release asset from GitHub. These requests do not include branch data or an account identifier; GitHub receives ordinary network request metadata such as your IP address. Community items are optional, and the app remains usable offline.
Driftleaf does not include user accounts, built-in analytics or tracking, advertising identifiers, crash reporting, or remote telemetry of any kind sent by the application itself.
Apart from the GitHub release checks, community catalog requests, and user-initiated downloads described above, Driftleaf does not sync, phone home, or transmit branch data. Extensions run in isolated windows with network access disabled by the app. The application remains usable offline; release catalog requests simply fail until a network connection is available.
If other networked features — such as optional device sync — are added in a future release, they will be off by default, and this policy will be updated to describe exactly what is sent and where before that release ships.
Your branch is encrypted with a key derived from your passphrase using scrypt. Your passphrase is never transmitted anywhere and is not stored by Driftleaf or AetherAssembly in any recoverable form. This also means AetherAssembly cannot reset your passphrase or recover your notes if it is lost.
Driftleaf does not sell, rent, or share your notes or any other local data with third parties, because it has no mechanism to transmit that data in the first place.
Your data remains on your device, in the branch folder you chose, until you delete it yourself. Uninstalling the application does not delete your branch or Electron's local settings directory — you are responsible for removing those manually if desired.
Because this project is open source, anyone can inspect the code to verify how data is handled. If you build modified versions yourself or install builds from third parties, their behavior may differ from official AetherAssembly releases.
For privacy-related questions, contact AetherAssembly at support@aetherassembly.org or via the contact form.
Also see: Terms of Service · Code of Conduct