Security & Privacy

Privacy & Indexing

ContextStream is designed with security-first principles. Your code is protected with enterprise-grade encryption, isolated per workspace, and you have full control over what gets indexed.

How Your Code is Protected

Encrypted in Transit (TLS 1.3)

All data between your machine and ContextStream uses TLS 1.3, the latest transport security standard. No older protocols, no weak ciphers, mandatory forward secrecy.

Encrypted at Rest (AES-256)

Your data is stored with AES-256 encryption, the same standard used by governments for classified information. The 2^256 key space makes brute-force attacks computationally impossible.

Workspace Isolation

Each workspace is completely isolated. There is no cross-tenant access - your data is only accessible to you and your team members.

You Control Your Data

Delete your data anytime from the dashboard. When you delete events, knowledge, or entire workspaces, the data is permanently removed.

Note: TLS 1.3 and AES-256 are the current gold standards for encryption. These are the same standards used by banks, healthcare systems, and government agencies.

What Gets Indexed

When you enable code indexing, ContextStream analyzes your codebase to provide semantic search and context-aware assistance. Here's what happens:

Source Code Files

Code files (*.ts, *.js, *.py, *.rs, *.go, etc.) are parsed to extract functions, classes, and their relationships. This enables semantic search like "where is authentication handled?"

Documentation & Comments

README files, docstrings, and comments are indexed to help the AI understand your codebase conventions and architecture decisions.

Configuration Files

Package.json, Cargo.toml, pyproject.toml, and similar files help ContextStream understand your project structure and dependencies.

Important: ContextStream never indexes .env files, secrets, or credentials by default. These patterns are excluded automatically. See "Default Exclusions" below.

Default Exclusions

The following patterns are always excluded from indexing, even without any configuration:

Built-in exclusions

# Always excluded by default (built into ContextStream)
node_modules/
.git/
dist/
build/
*.lock
package-lock.json
yarn.lock
pnpm-lock.yaml
*.min.js
*.min.css
__pycache__/
*.pyc
.venv/
venv/
target/          # Rust
.gradle/         # Java/Kotlin
*.class

These defaults ensure that large generated files, dependencies, and common sensitive patterns are never indexed. You cannot override these built-in exclusions.

Custom Exclusions with .contextstream/ignore

For extra-sensitive files or directories, create a .contextstream/ignore file in your project root. This uses the same syntax as .gitignore.

.contextstream/ignore

# .contextstream/ignore
# Patterns follow .gitignore syntax
# Your code is already encrypted (TLS 1.3 + AES-256) and workspace-isolated.
# This file is for extra-sensitive paths you prefer to keep completely off the index.

# Sensitive directories
customer-data/
secrets/
.env*

# Keys and certificates
*.pem
*.key
*.p12

# Large generated files
dist/
build/
node_modules/

# Vendor/third-party (often not useful to index)
vendor/
third-party/

# Project-specific exclusions
# my-secret-project/

Pattern Syntax

customer-data/

Exclude entire directory

*.pem

Exclude by extension

.env*

Wildcard patterns

!important.pem

Negate pattern (include)

Tip: The setup wizard can create a sample .contextstream/ignore file for you. Run npx -y @contextstream/mcp-server setup and follow the prompts.

Global vs Project Ignore

Project-level

.contextstream/ignore

Placed in your project root. Applies only to this project. Commit to version control to share with your team.

Global (user-level)

~/.contextstream/ignore

Placed in your home directory. Applies to all your projects. Useful for personal patterns like client work directories.

Both files are merged at runtime. Project-level patterns take precedence over global patterns.

AI Tool Hooks

ContextStream can install hooks that redirect local file searches (Glob, Grep) to use ContextStream's semantic search instead. This provides faster, more accurate results from the indexed codebase.

How Hooks Work

When Claude Code or another MCP client calls Glob/Grep
The hook intercepts the request
If the path is indexed, it redirects to ContextStream semantic search
If the path is in .contextstream/ignore, the local tool runs normally

Smart Scoping

Hooks respect your .contextstream/ignore patterns. Files you exclude from indexing will use local tools automatically, preventing infinite loops when searching unindexed directories.

Hook Configuration

Hooks are configured in your Claude Code settings. The setup wizard installs these automatically:

~/.claude/settings.json

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Glob|Grep",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "python3 ~/.contextstream/hooks/contextstream-redirect.py"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Note: If hooks cause issues, you can disable them in Claude Code settings or remove the hook configuration. ContextStream will still work - you'll just need to call search tools explicitly instead of relying on automatic redirection.

Disabling Code Indexing

Code indexing is optional. You can use ContextStream purely for memory (decisions, insights, lessons) without indexing any code.

Memory-Only Mode

Simply don't run project(action="ingest_local") or skip the indexing step in the setup wizard. ContextStream will still capture and recall your decisions, preferences, and insights without touching your code.

For projects where you want memory but not code search, this is the recommended approach. You get context continuity across sessions without any code leaving your machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete my indexed code?

Yes. Go to your project settings in the dashboard and use the "Delete Index" option. This removes all indexed code from ContextStream while keeping your memory events intact.

Is my code used to train AI models?

No. Your code is used only for search and retrieval within your own workspace. It is never used for training, shared with other users, or accessed outside your team.

What happens if I work on client projects?

Create separate workspaces for each client to maintain isolation. Use the global~/.contextstream/ignore to exclude sensitive client directories from ever being indexed.

Can team members see my indexed code?

Only if they're part of your workspace. Workspace access is controlled by you. Personal workspaces are private; team workspaces share access among invited members.