FREN
frequently asked questions

The doubts you have before installing.

Real questions, with real answers. The technical detail for after installation lives in the documentation on GitHub, right next to the code.

the product

What it is, and what it is not.

Is it a notes app?

No. A notes app asks you to file things. sinam only asks you to capture, and does the filing for you. Your sentence is not dropped as is into a folder: it is read, the people, facts, tasks and dates are pulled out, and everything is linked to the rest. So you do not look for a file, you ask your memory a question.

Does it work without a computer?

Yes. The phone carries the same engine: capture, sorting, memory, graph, digest. On its own, it sorts with your Anthropic key, paid as you go, and the licence is free during the open beta. Linked to a computer, the computer does the sorting, for free, and it is also through the computer that your AI reads your memory.

What is MCP, and why does it matter?

MCP is an open standard that lets an AI assistant reach things outside your conversation. sinam uses it to open your memory to it: it searches it, reads a card, and can even drop a capture in. That changes everything: without it, you are the only one who can read your memory. This door only exists on a computer.

What happens to a note I never reopen?

It slowly fades and leaves the foreground, without ever being deleted. Before it goes dark completely, it is shown to you one last time, with a way to keep it. A memory that keeps everything at the same level is no use at all.

my data

What leaves, and what does not.

Do my captures go anywhere?

With the local model on a computer, nothing leaves. With your Anthropic key, the text of your capture goes to Anthropic once, when it is sorted, and the result comes back to you. That is the only thing that leaves. The memory built from it never leaves your devices.

Can you read my memory?

No. And that is not a promise we are making: there is simply nothing to read. Your memory is a file on your devices, you have no account with us, no server keeps a copy, and syncing goes from one device to the other without going through us. The only thing that can leave is the text of a capture when you sort with your Anthropic key, and it goes to Anthropic, not to us.

Can I export everything and leave?

Yes. Your memory is a file on your device: you can copy it and take it with you, and there is no account to close.

What if I lose my phone?

Since you have no account, there is nothing to restore from a server. Your second device is what saves you: each one keeps a full copy of your memory. With a single device, you have no safety net.

The full detail, with what is sent and to whom, is on the Privacy page.

the key and the cost

What you pay, and to whom.

Why do I need an Anthropic key?

With a computer, you do not: the local model sorts for free. On a phone alone, yes: sorting goes through Anthropic's AI, which you pay directly, with no margin from us. That is also why we have no account to ask you for: with no billing to handle, there is nobody to identify.

How much will it cost me per month?

Nothing, if you have a computer: it sorts with the local model, and your phone syncs with it. On a phone alone, sorting is paid to Anthropic with your key, around €1 a month for a hundred captures, and the licence is free during the open beta, then €2 a month or €19.90 once. The detail is on the Pricing page.

Can I use another model?

In Settings, you choose between the local model, on a computer, and Anthropic with your key. The advanced settings also accept another compatible service, for those who know how to configure it.

What if I have no key at all?

With a computer, you do not need one. On a phone alone and without a key, the app keeps everything you capture, but sorts nothing. As soon as you add a key or link a computer, everything that was waiting gets sorted. Nothing is lost in the meantime.

installation

Where things most often get stuck.

macOS refuses to open the app

This should no longer happen: the version on the Download page is signed and notarised by Apple, and opens with a double-click. If macOS still blocks it, it is probably an old version received during the closed beta: delete it and install the one from the site.

What is the model I have to download?

It is the search engine that runs on your device. Thanks to it, you search your memory by meaning, offline and without sending anything anywhere. It is too big to fit inside the app, hence this one-time download on first launch.

My two devices cannot see each other

Four causes, to check in this order: they are not on the same Wi-Fi, the device that has your memory is switched off, the pairing code has expired, or, on iPhone, sinam does not have local network access (Settings, Privacy & Security, Local Network). A code is valid for two minutes and three attempts; after that, show a new one.

comparisons

The questions people really ask us.

…and Obsidian, Notion?

Those are places where you do the filing yourself. sinam files things for you, and gives you a memory you can ask questions, rather than a cabinet of folders.

…and ChatGPT's or Claude's memory?

They live with the vendor, and only work inside its product. Here, your memory is at home, and you open it to whichever AI you like.

…and Mem0, or memory as a service?

The same idea, the other way round: with them and through an API, whereas here everything stays on your machines, with no account.

The technical documentation lives on GitHub

Architecture, HTTP API, MCP tools, configuration, installing from source: it is versioned with the code, so it never lags behind it.

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A second brain that sorts itself, on your own devices.

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