Synchronization Modes

GuideMode Desktop offers three synchronization modes that give you complete control over what data (if any) gets synced to the cloud.

Overview

Mode	Local Data	Synced Data	Use Case
Nothing	Everything	Nothing	Maximum privacy, offline-only
Metrics Only	Transcripts & Code	Metrics & Summaries	Team analytics + privacy
Transcript & Metrics	None	Everything	Full team collaboration

Nothing (Default)

Complete local-only operation

What Happens

• All session data stays on your machine
• No cloud sync of any kind
• Offline operation - no internet required
• Maximum privacy - nothing ever leaves your machine

What’s Stored Locally

• Full conversation transcripts
• All code snippets
• File paths and names
• Commands executed
• Tool outputs
• Session metrics
• AI summaries (if configured)

Use This Mode When

• Working with proprietary/confidential code
• No need for team collaboration
• Prefer complete data ownership
• Don’t want any cloud dependencies
• Operating in air-gapped environments

Limitations

• No web access - Can’t view sessions on GuideMode web
• No team features - Can’t share with team
• No multi-device - Sessions only on this machine
• No cloud backup - Data only in local database

Metrics Only

Privacy-balanced team analytics

What Happens

• Metrics sync to GuideMode server
• Transcripts stay local on your machine
• Anonymized data for team insights
• Best of both worlds - privacy + collaboration

What Gets Synced

Session Metadata:

• Session start/end times
• Total duration
• Provider type (e.g., “claude-code”)
• Project name (if not sensitive)

Performance Metrics:

• Token count
• Completion time
• Memory usage (estimated)
• Response times

Usage Statistics:

• Number of commands executed
• Number of files accessed
• Tool usage counts
• Interaction count

Quality Indicators:

• AI-generated quality score
• Complexity assessment
• Best practices adherence
• Session rating (if you provided one)

AI Summaries (if configured):

• High-level summary of what was accomplished
• Key decisions made
• Technologies used
• No specific code or file names

What Stays Local

Complete Privacy For:

• Full conversation transcripts
• Code snippets and completions
• Specific file paths and names
• Exact commands run
• Tool outputs and results
• Error messages
• Debug information

Use This Mode When

• Want team visibility into productivity
• Need to share learnings without exposing code
• Working with sensitive/proprietary code
• Want cloud backup of metrics only
• Collaborating in privacy-conscious environment

Benefits

✅ Privacy: Sensitive code stays local ✅ Insights: Team sees usage patterns ✅ Backup: Metrics backed up to cloud ✅ Compliance: Easier to meet privacy requirements ✅ Collaboration: Share learnings safely

Example

What Team Sees:

“Session on 2024-01-15: Used Claude Code for 45 minutes, executed 12 commands, accessed 8 files. Quality score: 8/10. Summary: Implemented authentication flow using industry-standard patterns.”

What Stays Private:

• Actual auth code
• File names like auth-service.ts
• Specific commands like npm install jsonwebtoken
• Conversation about implementation details

Transcript & Metrics

Full team collaboration mode

What Happens

• Everything syncs to GuideMode server
• Complete transparency with team
• Full analytics and insights
• Advanced features enabled

What Gets Synced

All Data Including:

• Complete session transcripts
• All code snippets
• Full conversation history
• File paths and names
• Exact commands
• Tool outputs
• Error messages
• All metrics and metadata

Use This Mode When

• Working on open-source projects
• Team transparency is desired
• Need advanced analytics
• Want full conversation search
• Collaborating on shared codebase
• Training/learning scenarios

Benefits

✅ Full collaboration: Team sees everything ✅ Advanced search: Search through conversations ✅ Deep analytics: Detailed insights ✅ Learning: Review best practices from others ✅ Debugging: Team can help troubleshoot

Considerations

⚠️ Privacy: All code visible to team ⚠️ Security: Ensure no secrets in conversations ⚠️ Compliance: May not meet strict privacy requirements ⚠️ Storage: Uses more cloud storage

Changing Sync Modes

First-Time Enablement

When enabling sync (from “Nothing” to any other mode), you’ll see a confirmation:

For Metrics Only:

“This will upload only session metadata and metrics to the server. Your transcripts will remain completely private on your local machine. Historical and future metrics will be synced.”

For Transcript & Metrics:

“This will upload all historical and future transcripts and metrics to the server (they can be subsequently deleted there if you need to). Are you sure you want to enable this feature?”

Switching Modes

You can change modes anytime:

1. Navigate to Configuration
2. Find your provider card
3. Select new sync mode
4. Confirm if prompted

Effect on Historical Data

From	To	What Happens
Nothing	Metrics	Historical metrics synced if you choose
Nothing	Full	Historical sessions synced if you choose
Metrics	Full	Transcripts for already-synced sessions uploaded
Metrics	Nothing	Cloud metrics remain; new data stays local
Full	Metrics	Future transcripts stay local; metrics continue
Full	Nothing	Cloud data remains; new data stays local

Note: Changing to “Nothing” doesn’t delete already-synced data. Delete from web interface if needed.

Per-Provider Configuration

You can set different sync modes per provider:

Example Setup:

• Claude Code: “Metrics Only” (work projects)
• GitHub Copilot: “Nothing” (personal projects)
• OpenCode: “Transcript & Metrics” (open source)
• Codex: “Nothing” (experimental)

Historical Session Sync

After enabling sync, optionally sync historical sessions:

1. Scan for existing sessions
2. Review count and projects
3. Sync to upload historical data

Privacy Note: Only sessions from selected projects are included.

Data Security

Regardless of sync mode, all synced data is:

• Encrypted in transit (TLS/HTTPS)
• Encrypted at rest (database encryption)
• Access controlled (team-based permissions)
• Audit logged (who accessed what)
• Deletable (delete anytime from web)

Compliance Considerations

GDPR / Privacy Regulations

• Nothing: Fully compliant, no cloud data
• Metrics Only: Easier compliance, no PII in metrics
• Full: Requires data processing agreements

Industry-Specific

Healthcare / HIPAA:

• Use “Nothing” or “Metrics Only”
• Ensure no PHI in session data
• Review with compliance team

Financial / PCI:

• Use “Nothing” if handling payment data
• “Metrics Only” okay if no card data in code

Legal / Attorney-Client:

• “Nothing” mode only
• No sync of privileged information

Best Practices

For Individual Developers

• Personal projects: Nothing
• Open source: Transcript & Metrics
• Work projects: Metrics Only

For Teams

• Internal tools: Metrics Only
• Client projects: Nothing or Metrics Only
• Training: Transcript & Metrics

For Organizations

• Set policy: Define which mode for which projects
• Train users: Ensure understanding of privacy implications
• Review regularly: Audit sync configurations
• Monitor: Check what’s being synced

FAQ

Q: Can I delete synced data later? A: Yes, from the GuideMode web interface, you can delete individual sessions or all data.

Q: What if I accidentally sync sensitive data? A: Immediately go to the web interface and delete the session. Contact support if needed.

Q: Does “Metrics Only” include my code? A: No. Metrics Only explicitly excludes all code, transcripts, and specific identifiers.

Q: Can my team see my sync mode choice? A: Team admins may see that you’re using GuideMode, but not your specific sync mode.

Q: Can I export synced data? A: Yes, export options available in web interface.

Next Steps

• Privacy Explained - Detailed privacy information
• Historical Sync - Syncing past sessions
• Server Features - What you can do with synced data