Jul 3, 2026
Saved on device is a product decision
Michael Ryaboy1 min readThe cleanest private chat history is the one that never becomes a server feature. garlic.ai has two modes for that reason. Saved chat keeps completed turns in this browser's storage. Vanish chat keeps the transcript in the tab and drops it when the tab closes.
That sounds less magical than cross-device sync, but the constraint is the feature. If history does not leave the device, there is no server history table to search, subpoena, leak, migrate, or forget to delete.
Privacy should be visible in the workflow
The interface labels the current retention mode because retention is not a footnote. If a chat is saved, it says this device only. If vanish is on, it says nothing is kept once the tab closes. The user should not need to read a policy to understand the local behavior.
- Saved mode is useful for everyday work because the browser can keep recent threads.
- Vanish mode is useful when the safest history is no history.
- Switching modes acts on the whole current transcript so the label matches reality.
This is not a claim that local storage is encrypted vault storage. It is a product boundary: garlic.ai is not building a server-side transcript system as the default path. If the user's device is compromised, the device is still the device. The point is to avoid making the company another holder of readable history.
The product test
A user should be able to reload the app and know exactly which chats can come back, and why.