Privacy-First
Privacy-first is one of the main reasons teams choose Knotic.
In practice, it means Knotic is designed to keep project knowledge and operational control closer to the team and the repository, instead of treating privacy as a promise hidden behind a vendor backend.
Privacy-first does not mean that every flow is automatically offline. It means the team can decide where context lives, which provider handles requests, and how much of the workflow remains inside its own perimeter.
What Privacy-First Means In Knotic
Knotic keeps core project memory inside the workspace under .knotic/.
The most important files are:
.knotic/brain.loom.knotic/<chatId>.knot.knotic/skills/<slug>/SKILL.md.knotic/spec/<slug>.spec.md
This matters because the project's reusable memory and workflow assets stay with the repository instead of living only inside a remote chat product.
Why It Matters
For teams working on real client or company code, privacy is usually tied to one of these concerns:
- source code sensitivity
- customer NDA obligations
- internal IP protection
- compliance or regulated environments
- the need to control which provider sees what
Knotic addresses this by combining repository-local memory, local provider support, and explicit control over provider selection.
What Stays Local
Knotic stores project context locally in the workspace and related user-data storage.
- project knowledge and session context are stored under
.knotic/ - large artifacts can be stored in Knotic's user data storage instead of being kept as oversized prompt text
- operational visibility is available inside the product through HQ rather than being hidden from the user
How Provider Choice Affects Privacy
Privacy-first does not mean every request is automatically offline.
It means you can choose the tradeoff.
- If you use a cloud provider, the request goes to that provider.
- If you use a local endpoint, you can keep inference inside your own perimeter.
- If you want more context control before sending anything, use Context Lens.
This is why privacy-first in Knotic is strongly connected to Multi-Provider.
How To Use Knotic In A More Privacy-Conscious Way
- Prefer local mode for the most sensitive workflows.
- Use Context Lens to inspect what is about to be sent.
- Keep reusable knowledge in
.knotic/so the project memory stays repository-local. - Use HQ to inspect the operational environment around your setup.
Product Value
Privacy-first is not only a technical detail. It is a product lever because it makes Knotic easier to adopt in environments where generic cloud AI tools are blocked or heavily restricted.