# Private, local video editing with AI

Canonical URL: https://getvidiyo.app/features/private-local-editing
Last updated: 2026-10-08

> TL;DR: Vidiyo imports, transcribes, edits and exports on your Mac, and your video files aren't uploaded to us. To make an edit, the assistant sends your request, transcript excerpts, the edit list and the still frames it inspects to Claude or ChatGPT under your own plan. A finished video leaves your Mac only when you schedule it.

Vidiyo is a desktop app, and the heavy work happens on your Mac: decoding, transcription, rendering and export. We built it that way on purpose. Raw footage is large and often private, and there's no reason it should sit on someone else's server for an AI to suggest a cut. What does leave your Mac is small, specific and listed below.

## Does Vidiyo upload my videos?

No. Your video, audio and image files are imported, edited, transcribed and exported on your Mac. Projects are portable bundles on your disk, holding working media, editable timelines, local transcripts and undo history. Nothing is uploaded to us, and a finished video leaves your Mac only when you schedule a post.

| Work | Where it runs |
| --- | --- |
| Import and proxies | On your Mac |
| Transcription | On your Mac (whisper.cpp) |
| Preview and rendering | On your Mac |
| Motion graphics | On your Mac, in a sandbox with no network access |
| Export to MP4 | On your Mac |
| Chat editing | Claude or ChatGPT, under your plan |

## What does the AI see, and where does it go?

To make an edit, the assistant needs context. It sends your request, transcript excerpts, the project's edit list and the still frames it chooses to inspect to Claude (through your Claude Code sign-in) or ChatGPT (through your Codex sign-in). Anthropic's or OpenAI's own terms and privacy policy apply to that traffic. Your sign-in stays with Claude Code or Codex. Vidiyo doesn't store it.

The assistant runs with its tools locked down. Your own Claude Code or Codex settings, hooks, plugins and other servers are ignored, and edits go through Vidiyo's tools, which change the project through the same validated engine as the editor. On Claude, shell access (on by default, in Settings) lets it run commands in a work folder inside the project, for jobs like converting a file. Commands that touch credentials, system settings or installs are refused, and anything Vidiyo can't confirm as safe shows an Allow once or Deny card first. On ChatGPT there is no shell.

## What leaves your Mac when you use other features?

Only features you switch on, and only what they need:

- **Publishing** sends the approved video, caption, title and time to your own storage bucket and to Buffer. Source footage and projects stay local.
- **Thumbnails** send your prompt and reference images to OpenAI or Gemini, using your own key.
- **Stock search** sends your search terms to find footage, photos and sounds.
- **Generated sound effects** send your description to ElevenLabs, using your own key.

Credentials you enter in Settings are encrypted on your Mac with Keychain-backed storage and are only sent to the service they belong to. We never receive them, and they never reach the assistant.

## What does the beta collect?

Vidiyo is in an invite-only beta, and we collect more than a finished product would so we can find problems. We record your sign-in email, when you download the app, how you use it (screens, features, errors and timings, tied to your beta account) and the text of your AI conversations, with images and attachments removed.

Usage analytics never include chat text, file paths, project or media names, API keys or error messages. They go to our own backend, not a third-party analytics service. App logs stay on your Mac in ~/Library/Logs/Vidiyo, with keys and tokens scrubbed. Recent log lines are only sent when you send feedback, and you can untick them there. The full list is on our [privacy page](https://getvidiyo.app/privacy).

## Can I use Vidiyo offline?

Mostly. Once the speech model is downloaded, importing, transcribing, editing by hand, previewing and exporting all work with no connection. The AI assistant needs the internet, because Claude and ChatGPT run on their makers' servers. Stock search, thumbnails and publishing need it too. Anything you do offline is saved in the project as usual, and you can pick up the chat when you're back online.

## What are the limits?

Chat editing needs the internet, because the AI runs on Anthropic's or OpenAI's servers. If you need nothing to leave your Mac at all, you can still edit by hand, transcribe and export offline. During the beta, conversation text is stored, and you can ask for it to be deleted at any time. Vidiyo runs on Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 14 or later.

## Who is it for?

People who record things they wouldn't upload to a random web editor: unreleased product demos, client footage under NDA, personal videos. Agencies who need to tell a client exactly where their footage goes. And anyone who'd rather spend their bandwidth on the post, not on uploading 160 GB of raw footage.

## Honest limits

- Chat editing needs an internet connection to reach Claude or ChatGPT. Manual editing and export work offline.
- During the beta, the text of your AI conversations is stored so we can find where the assistant goes wrong.
- Mac only: Apple Silicon on macOS 14 or later. No Windows or web version.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Vidiyo upload my footage?

No. Import, transcription, editing and export run on your Mac, and your video, audio and image files aren't uploaded to us. A finished video leaves your Mac only if you schedule it through Buffer.

### What does the AI see when it edits my video?

Your request, excerpts of the transcript, the project's edit list and the still frames it chooses to inspect. These go to Claude through Claude Code or ChatGPT through Codex, under your plan, and Anthropic's or OpenAI's terms apply to that traffic.

### Is transcription done locally?

Yes. Vidiyo transcribes with whisper.cpp on your Mac, and the audio never leaves it. The English model downloads once, about 490 MB, and a language pack covers other languages.

### What does the Vidiyo beta collect?

Your sign-in email, download records, usage analytics such as which features you use and errors, and the text of your AI conversations with images removed. It doesn't collect your media, file names or credentials, and no third-party analytics service receives it.

### Can I delete my data?

Yes. Email privacy@getvidiyo.app from the address you signed in with. We remove your account, download records, usage analytics and stored conversations, and confirm by email.

## Related

- [Edit video by chatting](https://getvidiyo.app/features/chat-video-editing)
- [Auto captions that are transcribed on your Mac](https://getvidiyo.app/features/auto-captions)
- [What data does Vidiyo collect, and what stays on my Mac?](https://getvidiyo.app/docs/privacy-and-data)
- [Private video editing with local AI: what stays on your Mac](https://getvidiyo.app/blog/private-video-editing-local-ai)
- [Whisper transcription](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/whisper-transcription)

Request access to the Vidiyo beta: https://getvidiyo.app/request