Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-06-19

GitDesktop is a desktop Git client. This policy explains the limited, anonymous data it collects to improve the app, the third-party services your activity can reach, and your choices. It is not legal advice.

Who we are

Evan Goldberg (“we”) is the data controller for the analytics described here. Contact: thebguy.github@gmail.com.

What we collect

GitDesktop is built to never collect your code, file contents, file names, repository paths, branch names, commit message text, secrets, or environment variables. It does not read or transmit the contents of your repositories to us.

When usage analytics is enabled (see Your choices and rights), we collect:

• Anonymous usage events — content-free signals such as which screen you viewed, that a commit or pull request was created (counts and booleans only, no text), and which features were used.
• Crash / error reports — the error type and a scrubbed, length-capped message, with absolute paths and secret-shaped strings redacted.
• A random device identifier — a UUID generated on your device. It is not linked to your name, email, GitHub account, or any personal identifier.
• Technical metadata added by our processor, including your IP address (used for coarse, country-level context and abuse prevention) and the app version.

When session recording is enabled (off by default — opt-in), we additionally collect a recording of your interactions in which all text is masked and the diff viewer, file content, blame view, AI review output, and text editors are fully blocked (recorded as blank regions). Recordings are designed so they never reveal the content you are working on.

We do not build user profiles and do not capture network request contents.

How we use it and our legal basis

We use this data solely to understand usage and fix problems, in order to improve GitDesktop. Our legal basis is our legitimate interest in improving the product for anonymous usage analytics, and your consent for session recording (which is why it is off until you opt in).

Analytics processor

We use PostHog as our analytics processor. Data is stored in PostHog’s EU region under a Data Processing Agreement.

Third-party services your activity reaches

Some features connect directly to services you choose. These receive data under their own privacy policies, not ours:

• GitHub. All GitHub features — pull requests, issues, Actions, releases, and so on — run through the GitHub CLI (gh) using your own GitHub authentication; the corresponding API requests, and your IP address, reach GitHub. Update checks and downloads are fetched from GitHub Releases.
• AI providers (only if you enable AI features). When you use an AI feature, GitDesktop sends the context needed for that action — for example a diff or an issue’s text — to the AI provider you have configured (such as Anthropic, OpenAI, or OpenRouter). With a local Ollama model or the local Claude Code / Codex CLI agents, this stays on your machine. We never receive or store this content; it is governed by your chosen provider’s terms.

Retention

Analytics data is retained for 12 months, after which it is deleted or further anonymized.

Your choices and rights

• Opt out of analytics at any time in Settings → General (“Send anonymous usage data”).
• Session recording is off by default (“Allow masked session recordings”); enable it only if you choose to.
• Reset your identifier with “Reset analytics identity” in Settings, so future data can’t be linked to past data.
• You may request access to or deletion of the data associated with your device identifier by emailing thebguy.github@gmail.com. Because the data is anonymous, we may need that device identifier to locate it.

Children

GitDesktop is not directed to children under 16.

Changes

We may update this policy; material changes will be noted in-app or in the release notes.