Frequently Asked Questions

Clevernotes is available on macOS and iOS, with a Chrome extension for saving web pages. On iOS, you can also capture photos, scan documents, and share web pages from any browser. Android and Windows apps are in development using Kotlin Multiplatform.

Yes. Clevernotes is currently free during the beta period with no feature limits. We may introduce paid plans in the future, but you will never be charged without your explicit consent. We'll provide advance notice before any pricing changes.

Beta means the app is feature-complete enough for daily use but still under active development. Features may change, and you might encounter occasional bugs. We use the beta period to gather feedback and improve the experience before a full public launch.

Sparks are AI-generated suggestions that appear after every capture. When you record a voice note, type a thought, or snap a photo, AI analyzes the content and suggests concrete next steps: tasks to create, items to add to lists, reminders to set, or events to schedule. You review each Spark and accept or dismiss it with a single tap.

Say you record a voice note: "Had lunch with Sarah. She recommended that new Thai place on Elm Street. I need to send her the project brief by Wednesday." Sparks might suggest: add "Thai place on Elm Street" to your Restaurants to Try list, create a task "Send project brief to Sarah" due Wednesday, and set a reminder to follow up.

No. While capture is the starting point, Clevernotes also includes projects, tasks with priorities and due dates, recurring reminders, curated lists (restaurants, books, gift ideas, etc.), and a calendar with agenda view. The idea is that your captures feed directly into the tools you use to manage your life — with AI bridging the gap through Sparks.

AI chat isn't just for asking questions about your notes. You can ask it to find and remove duplicate tasks, move items between projects, plan your week, draft follow-ups from meeting notes, or clean up your task list. It knows your context, projects, and history — so it can act on your behalf, not just answer questions.

Clevernotes uses the Google Gemini API (via the Firebase AI SDK) for transcription, image analysis, summarization, memory extraction, semantic search, and conversational AI. Some features like local search indexing run entirely on your device.

No. Your content is not used to train AI models. Google's Gemini API paid-tier data processing terms ensure that your data is processed for your request only and is not retained for model training. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

When you capture content, relevant data is sent to Google Gemini for processing: audio for transcription, images for vision analysis, text for summarization and insight extraction. We minimize what's sent by only transmitting the specific content needed for each operation. Processed results (transcripts, summaries, insights) are stored in your account.

Semantic search uses vector embeddings to understand the meaning of your query, not just the keywords. When you search for "that restaurant Sarah recommended," it finds notes that match the concept even if the word "restaurant" never appears. This works alongside traditional keyword search.

The memory system is a structured knowledge base that grows as you use the app. AI extracts facts, preferences, relationships, and context from your notes over time. This helps the AI give you more relevant, personalized answers and surface connections across your entire collection.

Your data is stored locally on your device first (local-first architecture). Cloud sync via Google Firebase stores an encrypted copy in the us-central1 region (United States) for cross-device access and backup. All data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256).

Yes. Because of the local-first architecture, you can capture and browse your notes offline. AI features that require the Gemini API (like transcription and image analysis) need an internet connection, but local search and note creation work without one. Changes sync automatically when you reconnect.

Yes. You can export all your content at any time from within the app. You can also request a full copy of your stored data by contacting us at privacy@clevernotes.ai.

Yes. You can delete your account and all associated cloud data from the app settings at any time. Cloud data is permanently deleted within 30 days. Local data on your devices is not affected — uninstall the app to remove it.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, and others access external tools and data sources. Clevernotes implements an MCP server, which means you can connect your notes to any MCP-compatible AI and give it access to your knowledge base.

No. MCP is entirely opt-in. No external AI assistant can access your data unless you explicitly configure and authorize the connection. You choose which assistants connect and can revoke access at any time.

With MCP connected, an AI assistant can search your notes, create and manage todos, set reminders, organize projects and lists, access calendar events, and use AI-powered search to answer questions about your knowledge base. There are 18 tools available in total.

Download the app for macOS or iOS and sign in with your Google account or create an account with your email. There's no separate signup process — your account is created when you first sign in.

The Clevernotes Chrome extension is available from the Chrome Web Store. Once installed, sign in with the same account you use in the app. You can then save any webpage with one click.

For privacy and data questions, email privacy@clevernotes.ai. For general support and feedback, email hello@clevernotes.ai. We'd love to hear from you.