5.4 Privacy and permissions
Self-hosting gives you control over the runtime and the location of stored work data. When you use an external model, the context needed for the task is still sent to that provider.
Data that may leave the device
| Operation | What may be sent |
|---|---|
| Model inference | Your request, selected knowledge, relevant context and tool results |
| Web search or page retrieval | Search terms, URLs and request information required by the service |
| External tool calls | The tool's arguments, identity information and business data |
| Exporting or sharing a resource package | The content you selected for the package |
Understand the source and recipient before including sensitive material. A local database does not make the entire execution path offline.
Three separate decisions
- Standing access: grant a colleague specific tools or knowledge scopes.
- Action approval: decide whether a particular action is allowed.
- Acceptance of a result: decide whether content is ready to use or publish.
These decisions do not replace one another. The approval interface covers the execution paths actually integrated with it. Third-party tools and Harness behavior also need to be assessed.
Native and container execution
A native runtime executes tools on your computer. Access still depends on the working directory, tool grants, sandbox, and operating-system permissions. Installing software does not grant access to the entire disk, every application, or browser profiles.
Container execution uses the environment inside the container. An explicitly mounted directory may allow tools to change host files, depending on mount and tool permissions. Running in Docker does not make every action safe. A remote deployment still needs a separately configured connection to access a personal computer; remote computer control is outside the current npm installation plan.
Credentials and backups
Store credentials in their dedicated configuration source, not in group messages or skills. Backups may contain complete identities and work data. Keep them encrypted and restrict read access.
The personal Web Alpha does not provide enterprise multi-user security boundaries. A reverse proxy alone does not turn this local, single-user service into a multi-user SaaS product. See Editions and delivery options for enterprise identity, isolation, audit and private deployment plans.