Privacy Policy

Effective Date: September 27, 2026

StashWhisper ("StashWhisper", "we", "us", or "our") is a local-first desktop application designed to record audio, generate transcripts, and help you turn those transcripts into AI-assisted study notes. This Privacy Policy explains what information StashWhisper processes and how that information is handled.

1. Local-First Processing

StashWhisper is designed to process and store your core application data locally on your Windows computer. This includes your audio recordings, transcripts, course and session information, and application settings.

Audio recording and speech-to-text transcription are performed entirely on your device using whisper.cpp, a locally installed speech-recognition engine. Your audio recordings and transcripts are never uploaded to a StashWhisper server — we do not operate one for transcription.

StashWhisper does not include a built-in AI model that writes study notes for you. If you want AI-generated study notes, you use the optional Smart Prompt Export feature described in Section 3 below, which relies on a third-party AI service of your choosing.

2. No Automatic Cloud Uploads

StashWhisper does not operate a cloud-based audio transcription service, and it does not automatically transmit your audio recordings or transcripts anywhere. Your locally stored files remain on your computer unless you choose to copy, export, synchronize, or otherwise share them yourself — including through the feature described in the next section.

3. AI Study Notes (Smart Prompt Export)

StashWhisper includes a one-click "Export AI Prompt" feature. When you use it, the application writes a plain-text (.txt) file to a location you choose, containing a formatted prompt built from your transcript.

If you choose to upload that file to a third-party AI chat service — such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any other service you pick — that upload is an action you take yourself, outside the StashWhisper application, at your own initiative and using your own account with that service.

StashWhisper has no integration with, and does not automatically connect to, transmit data to, or authenticate with, any AI chat provider. Once you upload the exported file to a third-party service, that service's own privacy policy and terms of service govern how it handles your transcript. We encourage you to review those policies before uploading any content you consider sensitive. When you copy the AI's response back into StashWhisper's "AI Study Notes" tab, that step is a local clipboard paste and does not involve any network transmission by StashWhisper.

4. Information Used for the Free Trial

To keep track of your 3-session free trial and make it harder to reset by deleting just one copy of the application's local data, StashWhisper stores a small amount of information locally on your computer:

This information is stored in two local places that are kept in sync: your local application data folder (%APPDATA%\StashWhisper) and the Windows Registry, under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\StashWhisper. We store it in both places, rather than hiding it, because the purpose is limited and disclosed here — not to conceal it from you.

Because StashWhisper is distributed through the Microsoft Store, this data is stored inside the Store's per-app package data area. Windows normally clears that area when you uninstall the app, so uninstalling and reinstalling StashWhisper can reset your free-session count — this protection is mainly effective while the app stays installed, not across an uninstall. Your Pro license, if you've purchased one, is not affected by this: it is verified separately through your Microsoft account and the Microsoft Store, described in Section 5 below, and survives uninstalling and reinstalling the app.

This information never leaves your computer: StashWhisper does not transmit it, or any part of it, to us or to any third party over a network. It does not contain your audio recordings, transcripts, or AI-generated notes, and it is not designed to directly identify you as a person — only to recognize that the same Windows installation has previously used the free trial.

5. Payment and License Verification (Microsoft Store)

StashWhisper is distributed exclusively through the Microsoft Store, and a Pro license purchase is processed entirely by Microsoft as part of Microsoft Store commerce. We do not receive, process, or store your payment card details, billing address, or other checkout information — Microsoft handles billing directly with you.

Microsoft also determines and verifies your Pro license entitlement through its own Store licensing system. StashWhisper checks that entitlement locally through the Store's own API rather than through a separately issued license key that we generate or see. This is separate from, and does not replace, the local free-trial information described in Section 4 above. For how Microsoft handles the personal and payment data involved in a Store purchase, see Microsoft's own Privacy Statement, which governs that transaction — not this Privacy Policy.

6. Data Stored on Your Computer

Depending on how you use StashWhisper, your computer may contain recorded audio files, transcript files, AI study notes you've pasted in, course/session metadata, application settings, and trial or license-related information as described above. You are responsible for maintaining appropriate backups and protecting access to your computer and local files.

7. Internet Connectivity

Core StashWhisper functionality — recording and transcription — is designed to work without an internet connection. Internet connectivity is required for installing or updating the app through the Microsoft Store, for purchasing or verifying a Pro license (Section 5), and, if you choose to use it, for uploading an exported prompt to a third-party AI service (Section 3).

8. Third-Party Services

Sections 3 and 5 above describe the two cases where StashWhisper is designed to involve a third party — an AI chat service you choose, and Microsoft for Store purchases and license verification. Separately, if you independently use other applications, cloud storage, or synchronization services to copy or share your StashWhisper files, those services operate under their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices.

9. Children's and Students' Data

StashWhisper may be used by students and other individuals for educational purposes. Because StashWhisper is designed for local processing, users generally retain direct control over the recordings and notes created by the application. Users should comply with applicable laws, school policies, recording-consent requirements, and any other rules governing the recording of lectures, meetings, classes, or conversations.

10. Security

We design StashWhisper to minimize unnecessary transmission of personal content by keeping core processing local. However, no software or computer system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You are responsible for maintaining reasonable security practices on your device, including operating-system updates, account security, disk protection, and access controls.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If material changes are made, the updated version will be published on this page with a revised effective date.

12. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy: [email protected]