Help improve Mahfouz

What it is Since 0.13.0

Mahfouz sends error reports, how long common tasks take, and counts of the features you use, so bugs and slow spots can be found and fixed. It’s on by default and never includes your notes. Turn it off in Settings → General → Help improve Mahfouz; its What’s sent link lists what it sends and never sends.

The switch is stored on this computer only, not in the vault, so a collaborator can’t turn it on or off for you. It covers the desktop app and the web app in that browser.

What’s sent

• Errors. The kind of error (for example FsError), its code when it has one (for example EACCES), and where in the app’s code it happened, as function and file names from the app itself. The error’s message is left out, because messages can name a note or a path.
• Crashes of the desktop app. Where in the app’s code it stopped, the app version, operating system and CPU architecture, sent the next time you open Mahfouz. A report saved while the switch was on is still sent once, even if you turn the switch off before then; the switch’s description in Settings → General says so while it’s off. Since 0.13.0
• Timings. How long it takes to open the app, sync a vault, save a note, commit and push, in milliseconds.
• Counts. That something happened, from a fixed list, such as “a note was created from the sidebar” or “a GitHub vault was opened”.
• A random id for this computer, so reports from one computer can be told apart. It isn’t tied to your GitHub account, and turning the switch off deletes it: turning it back on starts a new one.

Each of these is built from a fixed list in the app’s code: anything that isn’t on the list is dropped before it’s sent.

What’s never sent

• Note text, titles, attributes or comments
• File paths, or vault and repository names
• Tags, people, tasks or commit messages
• The plaintext of encrypted notes
• Your GitHub account, email address or tokens
• Screen recordings: Mahfouz never records the screen

Where it goes

Reports go to Datadog, in the United States, which stores them for Influpert LLC. See the privacy policy.

Mahfouz’s servers

The switch covers the apps. Mahfouz’s servers, which run the web app and published pages, also log their own errors and how long each request takes, whatever the switch is set to. Those logs record the kind of request (for example “a published page” or “a sync with GitHub”), never its address, so a page’s title or a repository’s name isn’t logged.