Reference06/06
Security and data
OpenDesigner is files in your repository plus a small engine that runs on your own computer. There is no hosted service, no account and no server that receives your design. This page lists what runs where and what can leave your machine, so a security or platform team can check it before a pilot.
What runs where
| Part | Where it runs | Network |
|---|---|---|
The engine (engine.py) | On your computer, with Python 3.10 or newer and only the standard library | None. It makes no network calls |
| The skills (instructions) | Inside the AI tool you already use | Your chat goes to that tool's AI provider, as any prompt does |
| The Claude app | The engine runs in Claude's code-execution sandbox | Whatever that sandbox allows |
The illustration skill (opendesigner-illustrate) | On your computer | Searches and fetches open-licence art sites over HTTPS, only when you use it |
The review skill (opendesigner-review) | On your computer | review.py serve listens on 127.0.0.1 only while you run it. The optional capture.py drives a browser to local addresses only and needs Playwright, which is installed only after you say yes |
The paint skill (opendesigner-paint) | On your computer | Its painting engine is installed with npm only after you say yes, and renders locally |
Everything OpenDesigner writes stays in your project, except taste poll screens, which are kept in ~/.opendesigner/: opendesigner/ (tokens, exports, the decision log), DESIGN.md and PRODUCT.md. Read The files it writes for the full list.
What can leave your computer
- Your conversation with your AI tool. OpenDesigner adds instructions to it. Where that conversation goes is set by the tool you chose, not by OpenDesigner.
- Illustration searches, when you ask for illustrations and say yes to the search.
- Package downloads for the paint engine (npm and a browser for rendering), only after you say yes. Nothing about your project is sent.
- Taste poll screens, if your AI tool is connected to Mobbin and the poll needs more. They are saved in
~/.opendesigner/on your computer. Nothing about your project is sent. - Nothing else by default. The journey log and shared reports below are both off until you say yes.
The journey log and shared reports
These are two separate choices, and both start switched off.
- The journey log is a private diary of the steps you take, kept in
opendesigner/in your project and out of git. It is never sent. Turn it off and delete it withjourney/ journey.py consent off --forget. - Shared reports are an anonymous summary for the OpenDesigner team: which questions came up, how long each took, skips and help requests, the version, the AI tool and the week. They never include your answers, names, colors, brand, files, paths or anything you typed, and carry no ID tied to you or your device.
- No server collects reports yet. Until one exists, reports wait in your project files and nothing is sent. Before you agree,
journey.py share --dry-runshows exactly what a report contains.
The full wording of both questions is in docs/PRIVACY.md.
Access and accounts
There are no OpenDesigner accounts, roles or SSO. Who can change the design system is whoever can change the repository, so your repository host's access control, branch protection and review rules apply. Locked decisions add one more guard: the skills refuse to change a locked value without the owner's consent (For enterprise design-system teams).
Report a vulnerability
Report security problems privately, never in a public issue:
- Open the repository's Security tab.
- Choose Report a vulnerability (GitHub private vulnerability reporting).
- Describe the problem, the affected files and how to reproduce it.
You should get a first reply within 7 days. What counts, and how secrets are kept out of the repository, is in SECURITY.md.
Release and maintenance status
- No tagged release yet. Version 0.1.0 is planned, and security fixes land on
main. - One maintainer. There is no support agreement.
- No continuous integration runs are recorded yet. The engine's tests pass on the maintainer's computer.
- Licence: MIT for code, skills and data; CC BY 4.0 for the docs.
The repository was created on 2026-09-23. Treat it as early software, and pin the commit you adopt.