Is Freebuff safe to use on your code?
What a coding agent can touch on your machine, what Freebuff does with your prompts and code, and the habits that keep you in control.
In short
- Like every coding agent, Freebuff reads files and runs commands in the projects you open. Treat it like a capable collaborator with access to that folder.
- Freebuff does not scan your computer. Outside your projects it reads only a few things, such as files the agent reads in the conversation and your agent settings.
- Your prompts and code train general AI models only when a model or feature says so before you use it. Freebuff does use your data, including your recent messages, to personalize ads and to train the models that pick them.
- The CLI is open source, and the desktop installers are code-signed.
Any tool that edits your code deserves scrutiny, and a free one deserves a bit more. This guide covers what Freebuff can actually do on your machine, what happens to the code and prompts it sees, and a few habits that make any coding agent safer to use.
What the agent can do on your machine
A coding agent is useful because it can act: read your files, edit them and run commands such as tests and builds. Freebuff works in the project folder you open, and anything it reads becomes part of the conversation sent to AI model providers to complete your task.
Does Freebuff read files outside my project? No, with a few exceptions, such as files an agent reads in the conversation, files you share, and settings like your agent instructions and skills. See the Privacy Policy for details.
What happens to your prompts and code
Is my data used to train AI? Only when a model or feature says data may be used for AI training. Freebuff or the provider may then keep submissions to develop, train, test, evaluate, fine-tune, and improve AI models or products, and Freebuff may share or sell them to third parties. Separately, Freebuff may use your data to train the models that choose and measure ads.
How is my data used and stored? Freebuff uses your messages, agent traces, and files to run the service and respond to your requests. We may analyze this data, and how you use the app, to personalize ads and train ad models. We do not give separately uploaded files, project files, or connected repositories to advertising providers. Restricted partners may evaluate repositories you connect to Freebuff Cloud, but cannot otherwise use, broadly share, or train on them. See the Privacy Policy for details.
That is the trade for a free agent: ads pay for it, and the ads are chosen partly from what you work on. The privacy policy is the full, binding version, including your choices about targeted advertising where the law provides them.
Is the app itself safe to install?
- Get it from us. Download Freebuff from freebuff.com, or install the CLI with
npm install -g freebuff. Nothing else is official. - Signed installers. macOS builds are signed and notarized by Apple, and Windows builds carry an Authenticode signature.
- Readable source. The CLI, agents and SDK are open source under the Apache-2.0 license on GitHub.
- A security contact. Report issues to support@freebuff.com, also listed in our security.txt.
Habits that keep you in control
These apply to every coding agent, not just ours:
- Work in git. Commit before a big task so you can see and undo every change. Freebuff Desktop can run each thread in its own git worktree.
- Keep secrets out of reach. Keep keys in environment files your project ignores, and do not paste them into prompts. If an agent did read a secret, rotate it.
- Review the diff. Read what changed before you merge or deploy it, especially in code that handles money, logins or user data.
- Use sensitive code with care. If your employer or client restricts sharing code with AI providers, follow that rule here too.
- Pick the model knowingly. Models or features labeled "May use data for AI training" say so before you use them. Choose another model for code you would rather keep out of training.
Read the trust page
Who runs Freebuff, how it is free, and how to check us yourself.