> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.burakov.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Accounts & privacy

> How Tidybook accounts work, what stays on your device, what reaches the cloud (and in what form), and the permissions the app asks for.

Tidybook is **offline-first and private by default**. Here's exactly what that means for your data.

## One account, passwordless

Tidybook uses the shared burakov account: sign in with your email and a one-time code — **no
password**. The same account works across every burakov app, but each app's data is separate; signing
in to Tidybook only ever touches your contacts.

You don't need an account to start: import, deduplicate and edit all work anonymously, and the book
you build is adopted into your account if and when you sign in.

## What stays on your device

Your canonical address book lives in local storage on each device and is the source of truth for
everything you see. Without the Sync plan, **nothing leaves your device** — Tidybook is a fully usable
single-device app.

## What reaches the cloud — and how

With **Sync** on, Tidybook uploads your contacts so your other devices can see them — but only as
**ciphertext**. The server stores and relays sealed data it cannot read; it never sees a name, number
or note. See [Sync & encryption](/tidybook/sync-and-encryption) for the two protection levels.

## Permissions

* **Contacts** — so Tidybook can import your device address book. Tidybook reads your phone's
  contacts to import them; it does **not** modify your phone's own address book.

Tidybook asks for a permission only when a feature needs it, and explains why at the moment it asks.

## Getting your data out

Export to vCard or CSV at any time (see [Cleanup, editing & your card](/tidybook/cleanup-and-editing)).
Your contacts are never locked inside Tidybook — the export is a plain file that belongs to you.

<Note>
  Deleting your account removes your data from the server. Your local book and any exports you've made
  stay on your own devices until you remove them.
</Note>