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Privacy & Transparency

Let's talk about AI and your data. With all these AI apps out there, it's often unclear where your data goes, who sees it, and what happens to it. I get it - it's frustrating and honestly a bit scary.

Here's what I'm trying to do: tell you what Axl does with your data, where it goes, and how you can control it. No vague terms, no corporate speak, just straight talk.

TL;DR

Your screenshots and audio are stored locally on your PC in %LocalAppData%\Roaster. I send data to AI services (Claude, ElevenLabs) and Discord only when needed to make Axl work. I track anonymous usage stats to improve the app. I don't sell your data.

  • ✓ Screenshots and audio stay on your PC
  • ✓ I don't access your screenshots, audio, or Discord messages
  • ✓ I don't sell your data
  • ✓ Voice recognition happens locally (Vosk)

Where Your Data Goes

To make Axl work, I send your data to these AI services. Here's what gets sent to each one:

💡 Anthropic (Claude AI)

What I send: Your gameplay screenshots, conversation history (what Axl said before), and the companion's personality prompt.

Why: So Claude can analyze what's happening in your game and generate relevant commentary.

What I DON'T send: Your Discord messages, voice chat audio, or any personal info.

Check their privacy policy at anthropic.com/privacy

🔊 ElevenLabs (Text-to-Speech)

What I send: Only the text of Axl's commentary (what Claude generated).

Why: To convert the text into Axl's voice.

What I DON'T send: Your screenshots, game info, or anything else. Just the commentary text.

Check their privacy policy at elevenlabs.io/privacy

💬 Discord (Voice Playback)

What goes through: Only the audio file of Axl's voice.

Why: To play it in your Discord voice channel.

Note: Axl uses your Discord server - she doesn't read messages or access any Discord data.

Check their privacy policy at discord.com/privacy

What I Actually Collect

I use Google Analytics to understand how people use Axl. This helps me fix bugs and know which features to build next.

Essential (always collected):
  • • App starts
  • • API call performance (response times)
Optional (you can disable this):
  • • Feature usage (screenshots captured, voice commands used, etc.)
  • • Which settings you change (but not the actual values!)
  • • Crashes and errors (stack traces are hashed for privacy)
What I DON'T track:
  • • Your screenshots or what games you play
  • • Your API keys or any credentials
  • • Your Discord server info or messages
  • • What Axl says (the actual commentary)
  • • Your personally identifiable information

Each installation gets a random ID so I can count users without knowing who you are. It's like a "User #12345" situation.

Why I Need This

As a solo dev, analytics help me make Axl better without bothering you with surveys. I can see:

  • • Is anyone actually using this? (nothing's sadder than building features nobody uses)
  • • Which features are popular? (so I can make them even better)
  • • What's breaking? (crashes and errors I need to fix)
  • • How's performance? (if API calls are taking forever, I need to know)

Your Rights

You're in control. Here's what you can do:

Delete your local data:

Just uninstall Axl and delete the %LocalAppData%\Roaster folder. That's it. All your local settings and data are gone.

Your Analytics ID:

Each installation gets a unique ID for anonymous analytics. You can find yours in the app settings.

Note: Google Analytics doesn't offer a self-service data deletion API. If you want your analytics data deleted, email me with your ID and I'll manually remove it from GA4.

Questions?

Open an issue on GitHub (github.com/rblaurent/axl) or DM me.

Made with love and coffee
Axl uses AI to chat and hang out in your Discord voice channels, and AI-generated profile pictures too.
Privacy & Transparency • Terms of Service • Who is Axl? • How to Use •

Last updated: October 2025