How-to

How to keep prompts private on a Mac

Last updated 2026-06-18 · Outlier v1.11.469

What you need first for “how to keep prompts private on a mac”

Apple Silicon Mac, macOS 12 or later, the unified-memory minimum that the chosen tier requires (6 GB for Nano, 12 GB for Lite, 24 GB for Core / Code / Vision, 32 GB for Plus). Internet is required only for the one-time model download.

Steps

1. Install Outlier. Apple-signed and notarized; bundle includes the entire inference stack.
2. Disable web search. In Settings, toggle Search off. Without it, the only network traffic is one-time model pulls.
3. Use Little Snitch or LuLu to verify. The chat path makes no outbound requests once the model is downloaded.
4. Audit the bundle. The signed binary is reproducible from the public commit on GitHub.

What is the specific thing to know about this guide?

The chat path in v1.11.469 calls only http://127.0.0.1:8766 — the FastAPI sidecar bound to localhost. The Tauri Content Security Policy in tauri.conf.json denies remote connect-src origins by default.

What can go wrong with this guide?

• If web search is left enabled, the search backend (DDG with Wikipedia fallback) reaches the network even though chat itself does not.
• Telemetry: Plausible analytics on the website and the Tauri auto-updater both make external calls; turn the auto-updater off if you want strict no-network.

How does this guide differ from the cloud equivalent?

The cloud privacy story is ‘trust the provider’. The Outlier privacy story is ‘packets do not leave the device’, which is verifiable with a network monitor.

The chat path in v1.11.469 calls only http://127.0.0.1:8766 — the FastAPI sidecar bound to localhost. The Tauri Content Security Policy in tauri.conf.json denies remote connect-src origins by default.

What does this guide not claim about “how to keep prompts private on a mac”?

The chat path in v1.11.469 calls only http://127.0.0.1:8766 — the FastAPI sidecar bound to localhost. The Tauri Content Security Policy in tauri.conf.json denies remote connect-src origins by default.

This guide does not claim feature parity with cloud-side workflows for “how to keep prompts private on a mac”. Specifically, the product surface in v1.11.469 covers chat, file attachment, the local agent loop, project scoping, and the model picker. Cross-device sync, team workspaces, and shared session history are out of scope and are not on the v1.9 backlog either.

How can I prove no prompt is leaving the device?

Run Outlier with the network monitor of your choice (Little Snitch, LuLu, pktap). Once the model is downloaded, send a chat message with web search disabled. The expected packet count to any non-loopback destination is zero. The loopback traffic on 127.0.0.1:8766 is the front end speaking to the local FastAPI sidecar; that is the entire chat path.

Where does this guide fit in the rest of the lineup?

If your threat model excludes even outbound HTTPS, disable the auto-updater (Settings > General > Updates) and avoid the web-search toggle. Once both are off, the running app touches only loopback for the chat path.

One unique number

4 steps, zero network requests after the model is downloaded. Disabling search drops outbound traffic to zero on the chat path; the only remaining network is the model-download check, which can be paused.

Download Outlier for Mac

Requires Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, or M4) — Intel Macs are not supported. macOS 12+.