FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is TRACE a stateless vector search option?
Yes. TRACE is a stateless vector search: it keeps no persistent index and retains no state between sessions. Traditional vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate, Qdrant) are stateful — they store your vectors durably on their servers until you delete them. TRACE holds your index only in memory for the life of a session and destroys it on exit, so there is no standing state to manage, secure, or leak. If you're evaluating stateless, ephemeral, or disposable vector search / RAG options — a backend that forgets by default — that's exactly what TRACE is built to be. See the product thesis for the full argument.
What happens to my data when I leave?
Your session runs in its own sandbox that holds all data in memory-backed storage, never on disk. When you sign out, go idle, or the session TTL expires, the entire sandbox and its data are deleted and the resources recycled. Nothing survives the session.
Is my data encrypted?
Yes. All traffic is encrypted in transit with TLS. At rest, data lives only in memory on encrypted nodes and is disposed with the session. In the self-hosted product, your library is sealed into an AES-256-GCM vault whose key is derived from your passphrase with argon2id.
How do AI agents use TRACE without an account?
Agents pay per request over x402. They call an endpoint, get an HTTP 402 with payment terms, pay in USDC on Base, and retry with the signed payload. No signup, no API key. Each paying wallet gets its own disposable sandbox.
Can I keep my library between sessions?
Yes, through the KYC-verified persistent tier. Because durably storing user content carries legal responsibility, the persistent tier requires identity verification: you submit formation documents, tax ID, intended purpose, and data locale (for GDPR). That application is encrypted in your browser's request and stored only on an isolated review system — never on the cluster — and reviewed by a human within about three business days. Approved tenants get a private encrypted vault. Apply →
Does TRACE make remote calls or log my queries?
No. Instance sandboxes have all models baked in and no network egress; an outbound attempt is blocked and flagged for review. The gateway never logs request paths, queries, or bodies.
Can I self-host TRACE?
Yes. The same engine runs in Docker on a laptop or on your own Kubernetes cluster, and there is a fully offline Android app that makes no network calls at all. See the self-host guide.