Private mode is the default: everything runs on the device, with no network and no account needed. Boosted mode is optional. It uses a frontier cloud model on your own API key, entered on the device, and it's used only when you enable it.
What leaves the box on a Boosted answer
The trade is stated on screen, not buried. On a Boosted answer, these go to your model provider and are billed to you:
- your question
- the memories and document excerpts pulled in as context
- your name and language
- the recent turns of the conversation
What stays local, always
Memory filing, voice, documents and search. Open loops never travel to Boosted mode.
How you'll know
- Every answer is labelled with the brain that produced it.
- You can check it on the wire. Run tcpdump during a Boosted answer and you'll see an encrypted connection to your provider. Switch back to Private and the wire goes quiet again. How to check →
- Delete the key and it's gone from the box.
Still stuck?
Email [email protected] with your serial (it's on the back of the business card). You get the person who built your unit, not a queue.