Local-first: your data stays on your disk
Gezel is built on one stubborn idea: your work belongs to you, on your machine, in files you can read.
What that means in practice
No gezel account. There is no sign-up, no gezel server holding your chats. The app talks directly from your computer to the AI provider you configured — and to no one else.
Files all the way down. Gezels, their characters, their memories, your projects, your chat history — all ordinary files in one folder. Back it up, sync it, move it to a new machine, grep it. The Where files live article gives the map.
Local models mean local everything. Run a model on your own hardware and your words never leave the machine at all — no provider, no network, no exceptions.
What does leave your machine
When you use a cloud provider, the text of your conversation (and any files a gezel reads for you in that conversation) goes to that provider to generate the response — the same as using their product directly, under their terms. You choose the provider; gezel adds no middleman of its own.
Credentials
Provider keys are stored in gezel's config file on your disk and sent only to that provider. The background service on your machine is protected by a token that rotates every start, so other software on the computer can't quietly borrow your crew.