Your manuscript lives on your computer. Not ours.
Inkloom runs locally. Your manuscript lives in a local database. The only thing that leaves your machine is what you explicitly send to your own AI provider. And if you never add a key, nothing leaves at all.
How Inkloom protects your work.
No jargon. No fine print. Four principles, each one explained in plain English.
Local-first storage
Your manuscript, your Blueprint, your Outline, your Canon, and all version history live in a local database on your computer. They do not sync to our servers. They do not live in the cloud. When you close Inkloom, your book stays where you put it: on your machine.
Bring your own key
AI generation uses your own OpenRouter API key. You create the key. You store it. You can revoke it at any time. Inkloom never resells AI access and never adds a markup. The key is stored locally on your machine and used only to call your chosen provider.
Privacy Lock
Privacy Lock is a setting that keeps your manuscript entirely local even when an API key is stored. When enabled, no manuscript content leaves your computer for AI generation. The key is present but dormant. You unlock when you want AI, and lock again when you do not.
Useful without AI
Inkloom is a complete writing environment with or without an API key. The editor, outlining, Blueprint, Canon, continuity tracking, typography, Cover Studio, and all export formats work without AI. AI is a tool inside the workshop, not a requirement to enter it.
What leaves your machine, and what never does.
What can leave
- Text you explicitly send to your OpenRouter account for generation or analysis
- The context items Inkloom assembles for a generation request: relevant canon, the chapter brief, voice rules
- Your API key, sent only to OpenRouter to authenticate the request
What never leaves
- Your full manuscript database, stored locally
- Your version history and every edit you have ever made
- Your Blueprint, Outline, and Chapter Briefs
- Your Canon, continuity records, and conflict resolutions
- Your Voice Profile and Project Rules
- Your cover designs and typography settings
You own the pipe to the model.
Inkloom does not resell AI. You bring your own OpenRouter key, store it locally, and pay your provider directly. Inkloom uses the key only to call your provider on your behalf.
- Your key is stored locally on your machine, not on our servers
- The key is used only to authenticate requests to your chosen provider
- You can revoke the key at any time from your provider dashboard
- Inkloom takes no cut and adds no markup to your AI spend
- Without a key, no AI calls are made. Period.
A switch between local and AI.
Privacy Lock lets you keep an API key configured but prevent any manuscript content from leaving your machine. Flip it on when you want total privacy. Flip it off when you want AI assistance.
Lock on
No manuscript content is sent to any model. Your API key stays stored but dormant. All local features continue to work: editing, outlining, canon, typography, cover design, and export.
Lock off
AI features are available. Generation requests send only the relevant context to your chosen provider via your key. Context Trace records what was sent so you can always review it later.
Privacy, without the jargon.
What does local-first mean?
It means your manuscript lives in a file on your computer, the same way a document lives on your desktop. You do not need an internet connection to write, edit, or export. Your book is not stored on a company's server. If Inkloom disappeared tomorrow, your manuscript would still be on your machine.
What does BYOK mean?
BYOK stands for Bring Your Own Key. Instead of paying Inkloom for AI usage, you create an account with an AI provider (we recommend OpenRouter), generate an API key, and paste it into Inkloom's Settings. You pay the provider directly for what you use. Inkloom never sees your key beyond using it to call the provider on your behalf.
What is Privacy Lock?
Privacy Lock is a toggle in Settings. When it is on, Inkloom will not send any manuscript content to any AI model, even if your API key is present. This is useful if you want to keep an API key configured but temporarily prevent any data from leaving your machine. Turn it off when you want AI assistance again.
Can I use Inkloom without any AI at all?
Yes. Every core feature works without an API key. You can plan your book, write chapters in a full rich-text editor, track continuity manually, choose typography, design covers, and export to every format. AI features simply remain dormant until you add and enable a key.
Does Inkloom collect analytics or telemetry?
Inkloom does not collect manuscript content, usage analytics, or telemetry from your local installation. The application runs on your computer. What you write is yours.
Your manuscript lives on your computer. Not ours.
Inkloom runs locally. Your manuscript lives in a local database. The only thing that leaves your machine is what you explicitly send to your own OpenRouter account for generation. A privacy lock can keep your manuscript entirely local even when a key is stored.
Read the privacy explainer ->Your book is yours. Keep it that way.
Inkloom is local-first, BYOK, and works without AI. $299 once. No subscription. No server holding your only copy.
Your book is bigger than a prompt.
Give it a memory.
Inkloom helps you plan, write, remember, check, polish, typeset, cover, and publish a coherent book from one integrated local-first environment.
$299 one-time purchase. Buy once. It is yours.