Kempt
Private by design, not by setting
- 01
No cloud. Not even a little.
Reading, OCR, naming, search, answers, voice and translation all happen on your Mac with Apple’s on-device model. There is no Kempt server, so there is nowhere for your documents to go.
- 02
Works with Wi-Fi off
Unplug from the internet and Kempt names, files, finds and answers exactly as before. Privacy you can test in ten seconds.
- 03
No account, ever
No sign-up, no email, no password. Kempt doesn’t know who you are, and it doesn’t need to.
- 04
No analytics, no trackers
No usage tracking, no crash reporters, no third-party SDKs. We considered analytics and said no. Your habits are your business.
- 05
Your voice stays in the room
The microphone listens only while the mic button is on. Speech is recognised and translated on your Mac, and never recorded to a server.
- 06
Nothing is ever deleted
Every move is written to a journal before it happens and can be undone, even after a crash. Clean Up only uses the Trash.
Why this matters more than any feature
Many AI file tools send your file’s text to a cloud model. Think about what that text is: a payslip has your salary and employer, a tax notice your income, a passport your identity, a bank statement every place you spent money. Kempt was designed so these never leave the machine they live on. Not to us, not to an AI company, not to anyone.
What Kempt can access, and why
macOS asks you before each of these. Kempt asks only for what a feature needs.
| Access | Why Kempt needs it | When |
|---|---|---|
| Downloads folder | To name and file what you download | You allow it on first launch |
| Desktop | To suggest where each file belongs | You allow it on first launch |
| Documents | To file tidied items into Documents › Kempt | You allow it on first launch |
| Microphone | To let you ask your files by voice | Only while the mic button is on |
| Speech recognition | To turn your voice into a search, on this Mac | When you first use voice |
| Notifications | To tell you when a dossier needs a newer paper | Asked once; turn off anytime |
Change any of these whenever you like in System Settings › Privacy & Security.
Where your data lives
Your files: in your own folders
Kempt files into Documents › Kempt, or anywhere you choose. They stay ordinary files that Finder, Time Machine and every other app can open. No proprietary vault, no lock-in.
~/Documents/KemptKempt’s memory: a folder on your disk
The search index, the history of moves and your rules are plain files on your Mac. Delete the folder and Kempt forgets everything.
~/Library/Application Support/KemptCopies anywhere else: none
Not on our servers, because we don’t have any. Not in a cloud backup we run, because we don’t run one.
Everything that touches the internet
The full list. It is short on purpose.
- Never
Your documents, names, searches, answers and voice
Kempt’s app contains no code that sends them anywhere.
- Once
Buying and activating your licence
Checkout and activation use online services, which receive your email address and a random installation ID. Never file contents, names or paths. After that, your licence is checked on your Mac, offline.
- Apple
Language files for voice and translation
To search by voice in a new language, macOS downloads Apple’s language files once, behind Apple’s own consent screen. That is Apple downloading to your Mac, not Kempt uploading from it.
Don’t trust us. Check.
Privacy claims are easy to write. These take a minute to verify.
Turn Wi-Fi off
Drop a file, ask a question, build a dossier. Everything works.
Open Activity Monitor
Go to the Network tab and watch Kempt while it works: nothing sent.
Use a network monitor
Tools like LuLu or Little Snitch show every connection an app makes. Kempt makes none while it works.
Made for confidential work
Lawyers, accountants, doctors, HR teams, consultants: if client documents must not go to third-party servers, Kempt keeps them where they belong. AI help with zero data transfer, and no subprocessor to declare for your documents. As always, check your own professional obligations.
Questions people ask
Does Kempt upload my documents?
No. Kempt reads, names, searches and answers on your Mac. There is no Kempt server, and the app contains no code that sends your documents anywhere.
Does Kempt use ChatGPT or another cloud AI?
No. Kempt uses Apple’s on-device model, built into macOS 26. No OpenAI, no API keys, no cloud AI of any kind.
Does Kempt work without internet?
Yes. Naming, filing, search, answers and voice all work with Wi-Fi off. The only online moments are buying and activating your licence, which share your email and a random installation ID, never anything about your files.
Does Kempt collect analytics or usage data?
No. No analytics, no crash reporting, no third-party SDKs. Kempt doesn’t know how you use it.
Can Kempt delete my files?
No. Kempt moves files and can undo every move, even after a crash. Clean Up only sends items to the Trash, with Undo.
What happens if I stop using Kempt?
Your files stay where they are, as ordinary files in your folders. To remove Kempt’s index, delete ~/Library/Application Support/Kempt.
Guides
- Private AI for your files: organizers that don’t upload your documentsWhich Mac file organizers send your documents to the cloud and which don’t. How Kempt uses Apple’s on-device Foundation Models: no upload, no account, no analytics.
- How to find a document on a Mac by what’s inside itSearch inside PDFs, scans and photos of paper on macOS: Spotlight tips, and how Kempt answers questions like “what’s my IBAN?” with the page cited.
- Rental application documents: the checklist, and how to send it fastWhat landlords usually ask for in a US rental application, how to gather it on a Mac, and how Kempt turns the landlord’s email into a ready checklist.
AI that works for you, not on you.
Every document named, filed and found, without a single page leaving your Mac.