The short version
- Your save files never leave your computer. All parsing and analysis happens locally.
- We don't have accounts, and we don't track you. No analytics, no telemetry, no ads in the app.
- You bring your own API key. We never see it. It's encrypted on your machine and sent directly to Google.
- The only data that leaves your machine is what you explicitly choose to send: game briefings to Gemini (via your key), Discord relay messages (if you connect Discord), and feedback reports (if you submit one).
Stellaris Companion Desktop App
This section covers the desktop application available on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
1. Data that stays on your device
The vast majority of data Stellaris Companion works with never leaves your computer. This includes:
- Stellaris save files — read directly from your Stellaris save directory. We never copy or upload them.
- Game history and session data — snapshots, events, briefings, and chronicle narratives stored in a local SQLite database.
- App settings — window state, preferences, onboarding status, and your save directory path.
- Application logs — diagnostic logs stored locally with a maximum size of ~20 MB, automatically rotated.
All of this data is stored in your operating system's standard application data directory and is removed when you uninstall the app (behavior may vary by platform).
2. Your API key
Stellaris Companion uses a bring-your-own-key (BYOK) model. You provide your own Google Gemini API key.
- Your API key is encrypted at rest using your operating system's secure credential storage (macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, or Linux secret service).
- It is sent only to Google's Gemini API over HTTPS. We never receive, store, or have access to your key on any server.
- You can delete your key at any time from the Settings page.
3. Data transmitted to external services
The following data is sent outside your device when you use specific features. Each is detailed below.
Google Gemini API
When you ask the advisor a question or generate a chronicle, a structured briefing of your current game state (economy, military, diplomacy, etc.) and your question are sent to the Google Gemini API using your API key. This happens over HTTPS.
Google's use of this data is governed by the Google AI Terms of Service. We do not control how Google processes data sent to their API.
Discord (optional)
If you choose to connect Discord, we request access to your basic profile information (user ID, username) and server list. Authentication uses the OAuth2 PKCE flow — we never see or store your Discord password.
When you use the Discord bot to ask questions, your question is relayed through a Cloudflare Worker to your running desktop app, and the response is relayed back. No game data is stored on the relay server. Relay sessions expire after 7 days of inactivity.
You can disconnect Discord at any time from Settings. This immediately deletes all stored tokens and metadata.
Feedback reports (optional)
If you choose to submit a feedback report, the following is always included: an anonymous install ID (a random identifier with no personal information), your description of the issue, app version, platform, and Electron version.
You may optionally attach additional diagnostics (game info, logs, a screenshot, error details, or LLM context). Every optional attachment is off by default and requires you to explicitly enable it before submitting.
Feedback reports are submitted to a Cloudflare Worker, which creates a GitHub issue on our public repository. Your IP address is used only for rate limiting (10 reports per day) and is not stored beyond a 24-hour window.
Auto-updater & announcements
The app periodically checks GitHub Releases for updates and fetches an announcements file from our GitHub repository. These are passive GET requests — no user data is sent during these checks.
4. What we don't do
Stellaris Companion does not:
- Collect analytics or telemetry of any kind
- Use crash reporting services (no Sentry, Bugsnag, etc.)
- Run A/B tests or feature experiments
- Track your behavior, record your session, or use heatmaps
- Include any third-party tracking scripts, ads, or ad networks
- Use cookies, localStorage, or device fingerprinting
- Require an account to use
5. Third-party services
The app interacts with the following third-party services. Each has its own privacy practices:
| Service | Purpose | Privacy policy |
|---|---|---|
| Google Gemini | AI analysis (via your API key) | Google AI Terms |
| Discord | Optional bot integration | Discord Privacy Policy |
| Cloudflare | Discord relay & feedback processing | Cloudflare Privacy Policy |
| GitHub | Feedback issues, updates, announcements | GitHub Privacy Statement |
6. Data retention
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Local database, settings, and logs | Until you uninstall the app |
| Discord tokens | Until you disconnect Discord or uninstall |
| Feedback rate-limit records | 24 hours (auto-expires) |
| Discord relay sessions | 7 days of inactivity (auto-expires) |
| Feedback reports (GitHub issues) | Permanent (public GitHub repository) |
7. Your controls
- Delete your API key — Settings → clear the key field → Apply Changes.
- Disconnect Discord — Settings → Disconnect Discord. All tokens and metadata are immediately deleted.
- Control feedback data — every optional diagnostic toggle defaults to off. You choose what to include each time.
- Delete all local data — uninstall the app. This removes the database, logs, settings, and encrypted credentials.
- Request deletion of a feedback report — contact us (see below) with the GitHub issue number, and we will close and remove it.
8. Children's privacy
Stellaris Companion is not directed at children under the age of 13. Stellaris itself is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB and PEGI 12. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information through the feedback system, please contact us so we can remove it.
This Website
This section covers the Stellaris Companion marketing website you are currently viewing.
Analytics
This website uses Google Analytics to understand how visitors find and use the site. Google Analytics collects information such as:
- Pages you visit and how long you spend on them
- How you arrived at the site (search engine, direct link, etc.)
- General location (country/region level, not precise location)
- Device type, browser, and operating system
This data is collected using cookies placed by Google Analytics. It is used solely to improve the website and understand which content is useful. We do not use this data to identify individual visitors or build advertising profiles.
Google's use of analytics data is governed by the Google Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Cookies
This website uses cookies only for Google Analytics. We do not use cookies for advertising, personalization, or any other purpose. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings.
Hosting
This website is hosted on Cloudflare Pages. Cloudflare may process standard web server logs (IP addresses, request metadata) as part of their hosting service. See the Cloudflare Privacy Policy for details.
Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date at the top. Because Stellaris Companion is open source, all changes to the app's data practices are visible in our public GitHub repository.
Contact
If you have questions about this privacy policy or want to request deletion of a feedback report, you can reach us by opening an issue on our GitHub repository or through our Discord server.
Open source · MIT License · Your data, your machine