Privacy and safety
CookDex runs on your server and does not include telemetry or analytics. This page is the practical side; the CookDex privacy policy is the full statement.
What’s stored where
Section titled “What’s stored where”Everything CookDex keeps is in the volumes you mount (see Install):
| Volume | What’s in it |
|---|---|
./cache |
The state database (taxonomy, settings, run history, schedules), the encryption key, and the TLS certificate |
./logs |
Task run log files |
./reports |
Audit and maintenance reports |
- Credentials are stored locally and encrypted at rest, using an auto-generated key stored in
./cache(see Install). - Session cookies are used only for authentication.
- The web UI keeps the most recent 500 runs; see Run history.
What CookDex connects to
Section titled “What CookDex connects to”- Your Mealie instance, at the address and with the token you enter in Settings.
- The recipe sites you add in Recipe Sources for the Recipe Dredger.
- Mealie’s database, only if you set up Direct DB.
- Your AI provider, only if you enable AI categorization. Only the recipe text needed for that task is sent.
- GitHub, for the update check below.
Tasks run with a minimal environment instead of inheriting all host variables.
Turn off the update check
Section titled “Turn off the update check”On startup and about once a day, CookDex asks GitHub whether there’s a newer release, sending only the version number; GitHub sees the server’s network address. To stop it, turn off Check for Updates (UPDATE_CHECK_ENABLED) in Settings.
Preview first
Section titled “Preview first”Preview mode is the default for write-capable tasks. See Safety policies.
Delete CookDex data
Section titled “Delete CookDex data”Stop the container and remove the cache, logs and reports volumes or folders. Your recipes stay in Mealie unless you delete them there.