On your Mac. Connected when needed.
Merlin combines a desktop app with cloud services. Local files and desktop features work on your Mac, while information needed to carry out a request may be sent to Merlin’s services, AI providers, or the services you connect. Local storage does not mean that all processing happens offline.
Meeting audio is saved on the Mac that records it. To create a transcript, that audio is uploaded to our transcription service. Transcripts and notes are associated with your Merlin account; playing the original audio requires the Mac where it was recorded.
The information Merlin works with.
Merlin uses account information, such as your name and email address, to provide your account. Depending on the features you use, it also processes your conversations, instructions, files, meeting transcripts, and information from connected services.
When you connect your email, calendar, or another supported service, Merlin can access information covered by the permissions you grant, such as messages or calendar events. It uses that information to carry out your requests and routines.
You choose the access.
Companion has separate controls for selected text, screen capture, and the folder or browser tab you’re viewing. You can manage these in Merlin’s Companion settings and in macOS System Settings. Companion can still open with less context when you decline access.
Screen capture asks for approval by default. If you enable Always allow, Merlin can capture your screen when it needs context without asking each time. Tool approvals also depend on your settings: you can allow an action, decline it, or choose an ongoing permission where offered.
You can stop a browser task, pause a routine, and disconnect connected services. Disconnecting an account removes Merlin’s connection to it; it does not automatically delete routines that used that connection.
AI and service providers.
Merlin sends the context needed for AI requests to the providers handling the request. Meeting transcription is processed by a transcription service. Connected services process information when Merlin interacts with them on your behalf. These services have their own data-handling terms.
We do not sell your personal information. Information from connected services is used to provide Merlin’s features. For questions about a particular model provider’s retention or training terms, contact us.
Security, with care.
Merlin is SOC 2 compliant. Contact team@merlin.computer for information about the report and its scope.
Connected-service credentials are encrypted by Merlin’s backend. The desktop app uses the operating system’s protected storage for its sign-in token when that protection is available. These safeguards do not mean every file on your Mac is encrypted by Merlin.
Managing and deleting your data.
You can delete meetings, manage connected accounts, and delete your Merlin account from Settings. Deleting a meeting also removes its transcript and notes. Account deletion is a separate, permanent action.
Disconnecting a service is different from deleting your Merlin account or deleting information held by that service. Contact team@merlin.computer for help accessing, correcting, or deleting your information, or for details about retention and provider-held copies.
When you use this website.
The website uses analytics and advertising measurement services to understand website use and advertising performance. We use PostHog to measure page visits, referral sources, clicks, scrolling, downloads, FAQ request outcomes, and website performance. PostHog uses browser storage to recognize returning browsers and supports masked recordings of website interactions. Form inputs, FAQ questions, and generated FAQ answers are excluded from these recordings; we do not send FAQ question or answer text in analytics events. PostHog tracking respects your browser’s Do Not Track setting.
When you ask a question in the website FAQ, your question and Merlin’s help documentation are sent to an AI provider to generate an answer. The FAQ does not access your Merlin account, files, or connected apps. Its server code does not save questions to a database or log their text; hosting and AI providers may process request data under their own terms.
Questions about your privacy?
Merlin Labs, Inc. provides Merlin. Email team@merlin.computer with privacy questions or requests about your personal information.
We update this page as Merlin’s features and data handling change. The date above shows the latest revision.