Privacy

Last reviewed June 2026.

Heya is a local-first tool. It runs on your machine, and it is built so your work stays with you. This page explains what that means for your data, and the terms of use.

Heya runs on your machine

Heya is a command-line program you install and run locally. It reads and writes files only in the folders you allow, and it runs commands only after you approve them. There is no Heya server, no account, and no sign-in.

What leaves your machine, and only when you ask

A few actions reach the network, and each one is something you set up or trigger:

• The AI model you configure. Your prompts, and any files or output you include, go to the model provider you chose, whether that is a cloud API you pointed Heya at or a model running on your own machine. That provider handles them under its own policy. Heya does not add a middleman.
• MCP servers you connect. If you add an MCP server, Heya talks to it the way you configured.
• Web search and web fetch. When you or the agent use these, the query or URL goes to that third party. Heya notes that the request is going out before it does.
• The update check. Once a day at most, Heya asks the public PyPI page whether a newer version exists. It sends no information about you, and you can turn it off with [update] check = false.

What Heya collects

Nothing. There is no telemetry, no analytics, no tracking, and no usage reporting. Heya does not phone home about you.

Where your data lives

Your settings, sessions, and memory live in ~/.config/heya on your own disk. API keys you paste are stored in a locked credentials file that only you can read (file mode 0600), and they are only ever sent to the provider you point them at. Your project files stay in your project.

Use development and staging sites

Heya can run real commands and change real files. When you use it with WordPress or any live system, point it at development or staging rather than production, and keep backups. You stay in control through the approval prompts.

Terms of use

Heya is open source under the MIT license, which governs your use of it. It is provided as is, without warranty of any kind. You are responsible for what you approve Heya to do, including any commands it runs and any changes it makes. See the license for the full terms.

Questions

Heya's source is public. Read the code or open an issue on GitHub.