How to Set Up OpenHuman for Maximum Privacy — Local-Only Guide

OpenHuman's local-first architecture already makes it one of the most private AI assistants available. But with the right configuration, you can achieve zero data exposure — no cloud APIs, no external services, everything running entirely on your machine.

Step 1: Use Local Models Only

The biggest privacy risk is sending your prompts to cloud API providers. Eliminate it by running local models with Ollama:

# Install Ollama curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh # Pull a model ollama pull llama3.2:3b

Configure OpenHuman to use only local models:

[models.ollama] provider = "openai" api_key = "ollama" base_url = "http://localhost:11434/v1" model = "llama3.2" [model_routing] reasoning_model = "ollama" fast_model = "ollama" vision_model = ""

Step 2: Encrypt Your Disk

OpenHuman stores all data locally. If your device is lost or stolen, encrypted disk is your last line of defense:

• macOS: Enable FileVault (System Settings → Privacy & Security → FileVault)
• Windows: Enable BitLocker (Control Panel → BitLocker Drive Encryption)
• Linux: Use LUKS via cryptsetup during installation

Step 3: Encrypt API Keys

If you do use cloud APIs, encrypt your API keys in config.toml:

[security] encrypt_api_keys = true master_password = "your-strong-password"

Step 4: Use Minimal OAuth Scopes

When connecting services, grant the minimum permissions needed:

• Gmail: Read-only access (not send/delete)
• GitHub: Read-only repo access
• Calendar: Read-only events
• Slack: Read-only channels

Step 5: Regular Backup with Encryption

Backup your Memory Tree with encryption:

tar czf openhuman-backup.tar.gz ~/.openhuman/memory_tree gpg -c openhuman-backup.tar.gz  # Encrypt with GPG

Step 6: Disable Network Features

For maximum isolation, run OpenHuman in offline mode:

[network] auto_update = false telemetry = false allow_web_search = false

Privacy Checklist

• ✅ Local models only (no API keys configured)
• ✅ Disk encryption enabled
• ✅ Minimal OAuth scopes
• ✅ Telemetry disabled
• ✅ Encrypted backups
• ✅ Firewall configured to block outbound connections

How Private Is OpenHuman vs Alternatives?