Before you run the compass — what you're agreeing to, what we store, and what we won't do. Plain language. No buried terms.
What you're entering into
Eight commitments. Read them once. They don't change without notice.
Storage
Nothing stored without sign-in
Training
Input never trains a model
Autonomy
You decide. ARCS doesn't.
Source
Repo is public and forkable
§ 01
What we store and what we don't
Anonymous sessions: nothing is stored. Your question and the bearing live only in your browser tab and disappear when you close it. Want to keep one? Sign in and save it — the write happens only after you authenticate. If you sign in, your receipts are stored so you can return to them. System logs don't contain your decision content — only request metadata (timestamps, response codes).Sharing an anonymous bearing: if you create a one-time share link, the bearing is encoded inside the link itself (in the URL fragment, which browsers never send to a server) — still nothing on ours. The link opens once on the recipient's device, then becomes a sign-in page. Because the content rides in the link, treat it like any message you send: anyone you give it to can read it.Repair seam (2026-07-13), kept visible on purpose: until this date, a defect stored anonymous receipts server-side, contrary to this section — 48 existed when found. Fixed the same day (commit 8b486e8; the repo is public, so this is verifiable, not just claimed). The pre-fix receipts were kept rather than deleted because shared receipt links reference them; they carry no account identity. Sign in from the same browser to claim yours, or request deletion via the inquiry link below.
§ 02
We don't train on your input
ARCS runs through the Anthropic API. Per Anthropic's API terms, inputs are not used to train models. Your questions are not data collection — they're compass queries.
§ 03
Export and delete
Delete: request within 30 days, one-way — receipts are gone, history can't be restored. Export: on the roadmap, not yet live. If you need your data before export is built, reach out directly.
§ 04
You can run this yourself
The source is public at github.com/flashesofbrilliance/arcs-v9. Local-first mode is on the roadmap. If you want to run it without any data touching our infrastructure, that path will exist.
§ 05
What ARCS is and isn't for
Designed for
· Decisions with real consequences
· Forks you haven't mapped yet
· High-pressure, time-sensitive calls
· Multi-party decisions
Not designed for
· Rationalizing a decision already made
· Professional legal or medical advice
· Trivial choices with no real stakes
· A replacement for human judgment
§ 06
How much weight to put on the output
NCI (Navigational Conviction Index) is a proxy, not ground truth. It reflects pattern coherence, not outcome probability. Here's how to read the grades:
§ 07
Your autonomy is the point
The governing rule of ARCS is called NOTOMATION: scaffold and sequence cognition. Never compress, replace, or overrule it.
ARCS does not make decisions. You do.
The compass shows terrain. The navigator chooses the line.
§ 08
How ARCS catches you at the fork
You might expect the system to detect when you're about to override a clear signal. Here's what's honest:
Current state
Kairos detection — the system that flags momentum building toward a decision point — is on the roadmap, not live yet. Right now, ARCS surfaces the terrain. You bring the awareness of where you are in the decision arc. The compass can't yet tell you "you're about to override a YELLOW with no new data." That's a gap we're naming, not hiding.
Trust contract v1.3 · last updated 2026-07-19