Redcast Privacy and data
What stays on your Mac, which features send data, and where histories are stored.
Redcast has no product account or telemetry. It stores application data on your Mac. Features you explicitly connect, such as an AI provider or a Raycast extension, can make their own network requests.
Network boundaries
| Feature | What may leave the Mac |
|---|---|
| Cloud AI | The submitted messages, instructions, attachments and tool results needed for the request |
| Web search | Search queries and requests to source pages |
| Cloud dictation | Completed audio recordings and the context level you approved |
| Ask by Voice | Audio, captured window text and an optional screenshot |
| ACP agents and installed providers | Data handled by the chosen command and its own configuration |
| Extensions and MCP | Requests made by the third-party code or server you enabled |
| Calendar | Events are read locally by the built-in feature; joining opens the meeting service |
| Currency conversion | Exchange-rate refreshes |
A local model keeps inference local, but web tools and remote MCP servers still make requests. Turning a model connection off removes it from pickers without deleting its saved credentials.
Where data lives
For the installed Redcast build:
| Location | Purpose |
|---|---|
~/Library/Application Support/io.redcast.app/ | Persistent feature data and histories |
~/Library/Preferences/io.redcast.app.plist | App preferences and bindings |
~/Library/Caches/io.redcast.app/ | Regenerable caches |
~/.config/redcast/settings.json | Optional settings mirror |
| Login Keychain, scoped to the bundle ID | AI keys, headers, relevant tokens and tool variables |
Notes and snippets can use a folder you choose instead of their default Application Support location. The Debug build uses its own com.tinycast.app.dev identity and separate data.
Useful files under Application Support include ai-chats.sqlite3, ai-chat-workspace.json, dictation-history.jsonl, dictation-failed-audio/ and ai-usage.tsv. Do not edit an active SQLite database with a text editor; use the app's export and deletion controls.
Histories and retention
- AI conversations: choose the retention period in AI settings. Archive hides a chat from active lists; Recently Deleted is recoverable for 60 days unless another retention/deletion action removes it first.
- Dictation text: 30 days by default, with Off through Forever choices.
- Voice answers and edits: recorded in Dictation History only through their separate opt-in.
- Failed dictation audio: up to 20 recordings, seven days and 100 MB, and only while retention is enabled.
- Numeric usage log: roughly 400–430 days; it contains no prompts or answers.
- Clipboard: configure retention, excluded apps and clearing in Clipboard settings.
See AI Chat, Dictation History and Clipboard for the respective controls.
Credentials
API connections bind keys to their saved endpoint, so changing an endpoint does not forward an old key to the new host. Supported credentials can travel in an encrypted backup only when you opt in.
ChatGPT-plan tokens never travel in backups. Some extension OAuth or preference data belongs to the extension runtime's local storage rather than Keychain; do not assume every third-party extension uses the same storage protection.
Backups are personal data
The encrypted-secrets option encrypts secrets, not every part of a .tinycast archive. Notes, clipboard contents, settings and selected chat history can remain readable to someone with the backup. Store and share it accordingly.
Import does not grant macOS permissions, activate disabled capabilities or silently trust extensions. Backup and restore lists what is included and what is deliberately left off.
A diagnostic report
When reporting a problem, include the Redcast version, macOS version, affected feature, provider or extension name, and steps to reproduce. Remove keys, authorization headers, private transcripts and unrelated file contents. A screenshot of a provider error is usually more useful than a full credential file.