How Your API Keys Stay Private
KeyRing AI stores provider credentials locally and decrypts them only for outbound provider requests. Here is what that means in practice.
API keys are the most sensitive thing most AI apps ever ask you to paste in. They deserve better handling than vague reassurance. In KeyRing AI, provider keys are stored locally through the system keyring where available, used locally for outbound provider requests, and never routed through KeyRing Labs infrastructure. That is what private key handling looks like when the runtime is actually local.
- Keys are stored locally through the system keyring where available
- Decrypted only in memory for outbound provider requests - never stored in plaintext
- KeyRing Labs never receives key material
Table of Contents
How API key encryption works
That is why key handling deserves its own explanation instead of a vague 'we take security seriously' sentence. A provider key is effectively delegated access to your account. If it is mishandled, the consequences are immediate and financial as well as technical. Good storage discipline is not a nice extra here; it is table stakes.
Provider API keys are sensitive because they authorize usage and billing on your provider accounts. When you add a key in KeyRing AI, it is kept local and stored through the system keyring where available. Legacy hardware-bound encrypted files are supported as a migration path for older installs, not the primary current custody model.
Keys are decrypted only in memory for outbound provider requests and are not relayed through KeyRing Labs cloud infrastructure.
If you uninstall, your local data remains under your control in your user directory until you choose to remove it. On a new machine, provider keys should be treated as a fresh local setup and regenerated from each provider dashboard as needed.
- Local system-keyring-backed storage where available - no KeyRing Labs server-side key custody
- Decrypted only in memory for outbound requests - no plaintext persistence
- Uninstalling KeyRing AI does not delete your local data
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