End-to-End Encryption: Your Tasks, Your Eyes Only
We're building end-to-end encryption into Clairvoyant. Not as a premium add-on. Not as an optional toggle buried in settings. As the default for every user.
Here's what that means and why it matters.
The Problem With Most Task Apps
Your task manager knows a lot about you. What you're working on. What you're procrastinating on. Your deadlines, your goals, your daily habits. For most apps, all of that sits in plaintext on their servers.
That means the company can read it. Their employees can read it. If they get hacked, attackers can read it. If they get subpoenaed, governments can read it. Most apps ask you to trust them with this data. We think that's the wrong model.
What We're Building Instead
Clairvoyant uses zero-knowledge encryption. Your data is encrypted on your device before it ever reaches our servers. We store encrypted data we literally cannot read.
This isn't encryption theater. It's not "encrypted at rest" where we hold the keys. It's real end-to-end encryption where the decryption keys only exist on your devices.
How It Works
- When you create an account, your password generates a unique encryption key
- Every time you sync, your task content (titles, descriptions, notes) is encrypted before leaving your device
- Our server stores the encrypted data without being able to read it
- When you log in on another device, your password derives the same key and your data decrypts locally
The technical details: AES-256-GCM encryption with PBKDF2 key derivation (100,000 iterations). The same standard used by banks and governments.
Why Local-First Makes This Work
Most apps struggle with end-to-end encryption because they depend on the server for search, filtering, and other features. They'd have to give up functionality to gain privacy.
Clairvoyant is different. We're a local-first app. All your data already lives on your device. Search runs locally. Filtering runs locally. Even our AI features run against local data. The server is just a sync and backup target.
That means encrypting the sync layer costs us nothing in functionality. You get the same features with the added guarantee that your data is private even in the cloud.
Recovery Keys
There's an important trade-off with zero-knowledge encryption: we can't reset your password. If we could, that would mean we have access to your data, which defeats the purpose.
Instead, when you create your account you'll receive a 24-word recovery key. If you ever forget your password, this key is the only way to get your data back. Save it somewhere safe.
We know this adds friction to onboarding. We think it's worth it. Your data should be yours, even if that means a little more responsibility.
What Gets Encrypted
| Data | Encrypted |
|---|---|
| Task titles and descriptions | Yes |
| Notes | Yes |
| Due dates, status, priority | No (structural metadata, not content) |
| Email / username | No (needed for login) |
We encrypt the content that could reveal private information. Structural metadata (dates, completion status) stays unencrypted so sync works efficiently. This metadata reveals nothing about what your tasks actually contain.
No Competitor Does This
| App | End-to-End Encrypted |
|---|---|
| Todoist | No |
| Notion | No |
| TickTick | No |
| Google Tasks | No |
| Clairvoyant | Yes |
We believe productivity tools should respect your privacy as a baseline, not charge extra for it.
Open Source and Verifiable
We're not asking you to trust our marketing. Clairvoyant is open source. You can read the encryption implementation, verify it does what we claim, and audit the code yourself.
Coming Soon
End-to-end encryption is actively being built and will ship as the default experience for all new users. We'll share more details as we approach launch.
Your tasks are your business. We're making sure it stays that way.