# What Perch stores and which permissions it needs

Canonical: https://perched.fyi/guides/privacy-and-permissions/
Updated: 2026-10-23

Perch receives activity through local agent hooks. It does not need to scan your screen or keep a transcript to tell you that an agent is working or has finished.

## Status and content follow different paths


How Perch handles local data

| Data | Handling |
| --- | --- |
| Session status | Saved locally: IDs, project folder, state, times, host app, terminal or tmux pane and tool names |
| Pending answer request | Held in memory over a private local socket, then discarded |
| Prompts, commands, diffs and transcripts | Not saved as Perch session history |
| Sticky notes | Saved locally on your Mac |
| Claude desktop Code titles | Read from local metadata and kept in memory |

## Permissions for monitoring

Perch asks for no microphone, screen recording or Accessibility access. It uses events from the agents you connect, rather than watching the contents of your terminal.

Optional Go to the exact tab can ask macOS for Automation permission for Terminal or iTerm2. That permission lets Perch select and focus the relevant tab. It never types into a terminal or reads what is in it.


## Settings changes are reviewable

Before connecting an agent, Perch shows the exact hook change and backs up the settings. Remove takes out Perch’s own entries. You do not need to replace all your agent settings to disconnect it.

Status and notes live under ~/Library/Application Support/Perch. Preferences use macOS user defaults. The privacy policy describes clearing sessions, removing hooks and deleting local app data.


## Perch and your providers are separate

The Perch app has no account, no server and no network requests. This does not make a cloud-connected coding agent run offline or change what that provider processes.

Website launch-list data, hosting, analytics and future payments have their own handling, described in the privacy policy. The app’s local-only claim should not be applied to every service linked from this website.


[Read the full privacy policy](https://perched.fyi/privacy/)

## Common questions

### Does local monitoring make my coding agent offline?

No. Perch and the agent provider are separate. The agent may still need its own network connection.

### Can I use monitoring without optional tab permissions?

Yes. Exact-tab jumping is optional and separate from basic monitoring.

## Related reading
- [What does local-first mean for Perch?](https://perched.fyi/glossary/local-first/)
- [Why an agent status monitor does not need your transcripts](https://perched.fyi/blog/status-without-transcripts/)
- [Get started with Perch on your Mac](https://perched.fyi/guides/getting-started/)