Updated 15 October 2026

Privacy, in plain words.

Wattle Notes is a desktop Markdown notebook. Local writing does not need an account. The app has no application server, telemetry, advertising, or AI service that receives your notes.

On your computer

Notes, attachments, revision history and the search index are ordinary, unencrypted local files. Choosing a folder lets the desktop app read and write that notebook. Local encryption at rest is your device's responsibility; use disk encryption and independent backups where appropriate.

Optional Google Drive sync

If you connect Google Drive, the app sends you to Google in your normal browser. The app requests drive.file access for files it creates or that you make available to the app. It encrypts note contents, tags, attachment bytes and revision payloads before upload. Google can still see filenames, folder structure, object identities, sizes, timestamps and activity.

Authorization refresh tokens and optionally remembered encryption keys are stored in your operating system's credential store. The app does not send them to a Wattle Notes server. Disconnecting removes the saved refresh token; it does not delete notes on this device or in Drive. You can revoke access through your Google Account and manage stored files through Google Drive. Deleting app-managed remote history can prevent synchronization, so keep a separate backup.

Cloud sync is an alpha feature. The downloadable developer build is not preconfigured for public Google sign-in. Live account behavior and recovery still need validation before a supported public rollout.

Optional Nextcloud / WebDAV backup

You choose the HTTPS server and provide a username and app password. The password is stored in your device's credential store. The app sends encrypted full snapshots when you request a backup. This provider sees archive names, sizes, timestamps and activity; note paths and contents inside the snapshot are encrypted.

Disconnecting forgets the saved connection and password but leaves server backups intact. Backups are retained until you remove them on your server. Restoring makes a separate local folder with plaintext files. Nextcloud is optional and has not been tested against a live account in this alpha.

This website

This website runs on WordPress and is delivered through Cloudflare. No analytics, advertising scripts, tracking pixels, or third-party fonts have been added. The hosting provider and Cloudflare may process request metadata, including IP addresses and access logs, to deliver and protect the site. WordPress uses cookies for administrator sign-in. Ordinary visitors do not need an account.

Your choices

Use the desktop app entirely locally, leave cloud providers disconnected, or remove cloud authorization when you no longer want it. Local files remain under your control and can be exported or removed using normal filesystem tools. Keep your recovery key separate from your notes: Wattle Notes has no account service that can reset an encryption passphrase or recover a lost key.

The GitHub repository includes the security model, encrypted format, license, and build instructions for inspection. This alpha has not had an independent security audit.