# Privacy and security
clipmem is local-only by design. All clipboard data stays on your
machine, and there are multiple layers of control over what gets
captured and how long it's kept.
## No network, no telemetry
clipmem makes no network calls and sends no telemetry. Your clipboard
data never leaves your machine.
When OCR is enabled, image text recognition runs locally through Apple
Vision on macOS. clipmem doesn't send images or OCR text to any remote
service.
## Database location
The database lives at:
```
~/Library/Application Support/clipmem/clipmem.sqlite3
```
Logs are in the same directory under `logs/`.
## File permissions
clipmem enforces strict file permissions at runtime:
- Directory: `0700` (owner read/write/execute only)
- Database and logs: `0600` (owner read/write only)
These permissions are enforced by the managed service setup flow and
checked at runtime in `src/db.rs::harden_path_permissions`.
## Encryption
The database is not encrypted. Rely on FileVault (or similar
full-disk encryption) for at-rest protection.
## Blob storage
Blob payloads (images, PDFs, RTF, file URLs, and other clipboard
representations) are stored in their raw form so `clipmem restore`
can faithfully rehydrate them back onto the clipboard. Images and PDFs
are stored as-is unless you explicitly run image optimization; image
optimization converts eligible images to lossless WebP while
preserving exact decoded pixels. PDFs are not optimized.
This means the database can grow if you frequently copy large binary
content. Use `clipmem storage optimize-images` to reduce eligible image
payloads and return freed SQLite pages to the filesystem. Use
`clipmem storage compact` separately after purging history or when you
want to reclaim existing free SQLite pages.
## Controlling what gets captured
You have several options to limit what clipmem archives:
### Pause capture
Persistently pause all capture without stopping the watcher service:
```bash
clipmem settings pause on
clipmem settings pause off
```
### API key filter
Opt into a precision-biased secret guard that skips clipboard
snapshots matching API key or token patterns:
```bash
clipmem settings api-key-filter on
```
Matching snapshots are skipped entirely instead of being redacted —
no preview text, search text, or blob payloads are written. The filter
is heuristic and tuned to avoid false positives rather than catch every
possible secret.
### OCR
Opt into local OCR for image captures:
```bash
clipmem settings ocr on
clipmem settings ocr off
```
OCR is disabled by default. When enabled, new image captures are stored
immediately and OCR runs afterward. OCR failures don't block capture.
Completed OCR text and status are stored in SQLite and become
searchable by `search`, `recall`, `recent`, and `timeline`.
To process existing image snapshots, run:
```bash
clipmem ocr run
clipmem ocr status
```
Use the same privacy model for OCR text as for copied plain text:
any readable text inside copied images can become searchable in the
local database.
### Ignore list
Exclude specific apps from capture by their bundle ID:
```bash
clipmem settings ignore add com.apple.Passwords
clipmem settings ignore list
```
Matching is exact and case-insensitive.
### Retention
Automatically prune old snapshots after a set duration:
```bash
clipmem settings retention 30d
clipmem settings retention forever
```
Or manually prune on demand:
```bash
clipmem purge --older-than 30d
```
## Uninstall and full cleanup
To completely remove clipmem and all its data:
1. Stop and remove the managed background service:
```bash
clipmem service uninstall
```
2. Remove the OpenClaw skill if you installed it:
```bash
clipmem agents openclaw uninstall-skill
```
3. Delete the database and logs:
```bash
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/clipmem
```
4. Remove the binary:
```bash
# If installed via Cargo
cargo uninstall clipmem
# If installed manually
rm -f ~/.local/bin/clipmem
# If installed via Homebrew
brew uninstall clipmem
```
5. If you installed the menu bar app via Homebrew:
```bash
brew uninstall --cask clipmem-app
```
## Next steps
- [Managing your archive](managing-your-archive.md) — restore, delete,
and configure capture policy
- [Architecture](architecture.md) — understand how clipmem stores and
indexes your data
