Privacy Policy

The short version

Porchlight keeps everything on your Mac. The only network request it ever makes is a one-time license validation - no accounts, no analytics, no tracking.

What Porchlight does

Porchlight is a macOS app that writes a custom message to your Mac's lock screen via System Preferences. To do this, the app:

• Reads and writes your lock screen message using macOS system APIs and shell commands (requires administrator access).
• Stores your settings - your chosen message, any custom quotes, and scheduling preferences - in Tauri's app data directory (~/Library/Application Support/com.porchlight.app/). The scheduling daemon stores its own config in /usr/local/share/porchlight/.
• Reads the system clock to determine the current time when using time-aware greetings.

What Porchlight does not do

• During activation, Porchlight sends your license key to porchlight.benpayne.dev to verify it. This is the only network request the app ever makes. No personal information is sent - only the key. As with any network request, the server can see your IP address; this is not logged or stored. After validation, the result is cached locally and the app does not contact the server again. Beyond that, it has no analytics, no crash reporting, and no telemetry.
• Porchlight does not read, access, or transmit any files outside its own preferences store.
• Porchlight does not require a login, account, or email address.
• Porchlight does not share any data with third parties - because there is no data to share.

System access

To keep your lock screen message up to date, Porchlight prompts for administrator access to install a lightweight system service. This installs a LaunchDaemon that runs automatically at login and periodically to apply your chosen message. The following files are written to your system during this process:

• A service definition at /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.porchlight.greeting.plist
• A small shell script at /usr/local/bin/porchlight-greeting.sh
• Config files in /usr/local/share/porchlight/

Administrator access is only used for this installation step. The service runs on a schedule to apply your message - it does not transmit any data.

Third-party services

Porchlight is sold as a one-time purchase. If purchased through the Mac App Store, Apple's privacy policy governs the purchase transaction. If purchased directly, your payment is processed by a third-party payment provider whose privacy policy applies to the transaction. Porchlight itself receives no personal data from these transactions.

Children's privacy

Porchlight does not collect any personal information from anyone, including children under 13.

Uninstalling Porchlight

Dragging Porchlight to the Trash removes the app itself, but the system service it installed will remain. To fully remove everything, delete the following:

• The app: move Porchlight.app from your Applications folder to the Trash
• The LaunchDaemon: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.porchlight.greeting.plist
• The script: /usr/local/bin/porchlight-greeting.sh
• The daemon config: /usr/local/share/porchlight/
• App data: ~/Library/Application Support/com.porchlight.app/

To clear the lock screen message itself, run the following in Terminal:

sudo defaults delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow LoginwindowText

Data retention

Your settings and license key are stored locally on your Mac for as long as the app is installed. Porchlight has no server-side storage of user data. Removing the app and its associated files (see "Uninstalling Porchlight") deletes everything.

Changes to this policy

If this privacy policy ever changes in a meaningful way, the updated date at the top of this page will reflect that. Because the app collects no data, any changes are likely to be minor clarifications rather than changes to data practices.

Contact

Questions or concerns? Open an issue or send a message via GitHub.