A Local-First, Zero-Trust Dashboard: Your Data Never Leaves Your Device

Most productivity apps quietly assume one thing: that you are happy to keep your tasks, notes, revenue numbers, and API keys on someone else's servers. Baton Board assumes the opposite.

Baton Board is a local-first dashboard. Your board, your tasks, your KPIs, your notes — all of it lives in your own browser or desktop app, on your own device. There is no sign-up, no cloud database, and no server that stores or reads your data. This is what "zero-trust" means here: you don't have to trust us with your data, because we never receive it.

What "local-first" actually means in Baton Board

A lot of apps say "private." Fewer can say where the data physically is. Here is the concrete answer for Baton Board:

• Everything is saved in your browser's local storage (or, in the desktop app, in a file on your machine). When you add a task or rearrange a widget, that change is written locally and never sent anywhere.
• There is no account. You don't create a username or password to use Baton Board. There is nothing to breach, because there is no central store of user accounts.
• The app works offline. Because the data and the app both live on your device, Baton Board keeps working with no connection. Installed as a PWA, it opens and runs offline like a native app.
• You own the file. You can export your entire board to a single data.json file at any time, and import it back. That's your backup, your migration path, and your "delete everything" button all in one.

The design goal is simple: the most sensitive things you track — unreleased plans, client details, Stripe revenue, personal habits — should stay with you.

Zero-trust, even for the features that touch the network

A few Pro features can reach the network. The point of a zero-trust design is that, even then, we are never in a position to read your data.

• AI assistant (bring-your-own-key). The optional AI features call the AI provider directly from your device using your own API key. Your key and your prompts go from your browser to the provider — never through our servers. We can't see them.
• End-to-end encrypted sync (optional). If you turn on device-to-device sync, your data is encrypted on your device before it leaves. The sync backend only ever holds ciphertext. We hold the encrypted blob; we do not hold the key, so we cannot read your board.
• External KPI keys are read-only and stay local. When you connect a KPI source, you enter a read-only key, it's stored locally, and it's stripped out when you export your board — so a shared data.json never leaks a key.

This is a deliberate split: convenience features can use the network, but the architecture keeps us unable to read what you store.

Why this matters

• Privacy regulations get easier. When data never reaches a vendor, an enormous category of risk and paperwork simply doesn't apply. For privacy-conscious regions and teams, "the vendor never has the data" is the strongest possible position.
• No breach can leak what we don't hold. Cloud tools are a single juicy target. A local-first tool has no central pile of user data to steal.
• Your data outlives the app. Because it's a plain data.json you control, you're never locked in and never one shutdown away from losing your work.
• Speed. Local data means instant reads and writes. No spinner waiting on a server round-trip.

Who chooses a local-first dashboard

• Developers and indie founders tracking revenue, infrastructure, and roadmaps they'd rather not park in yet another SaaS.
• Consultants and freelancers holding client information they're contractually careful with.
• People in privacy-first regions who default to "keep it on my machine."
• Anyone tired of accounts who just wants to open a tool and use it.

How to keep your data safe with Baton Board

1. Use the automatic backups. Baton Board snapshots your board automatically as you work, and the toolbar's restore button lets you roll back to an earlier point — reversibly.
2. Export data.json regularly. One click writes your whole board to a file. Keep it wherever you keep backups.
3. Keep KPI keys read-only. Only ever connect read-only API keys, exactly as the UI prompts.
4. If you sync, you hold the recovery key. End-to-end sync gives you a recovery kit; keep it safe, because we can't recover it for you (which is the point).

Frequently asked questions

Does Baton Board store my data on its servers?

No. Your board is stored on your device — in your browser's local storage or, on desktop, in a local file. There is no cloud database of user boards.

Do I need an account or password?

No. Baton Board has no sign-up. You open it and start using it. There is no central account store.

Can Baton Board read my tasks, notes, or KPIs?

No. We never receive them. Even the optional networked features (AI, sync) are designed so your data is either sent directly to a provider with your own key, or encrypted before it leaves your device.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Installed as a PWA, Baton Board opens and works without a connection, because both the app and your data are on your device.

What happens to my data if I stop using it?

It stays in your browser/file until you remove it. You can export it as data.json first, so you keep a full copy regardless.

Is the AI assistant private?

Yes. It uses your own API key and talks to the AI provider directly from your device. Your key and prompts don't pass through us.

Pricing

Baton Board is free for one board with the six core widgets, full data export/import, automatic backups, all eight languages, and search. Pro is ¥980/month (¥9,800/year) and unlocks unlimited boards, the analytics widgets, the AI assistant, end-to-end sync, and deep customization. A ¥14,800 lifetime license is also available. Payments are handled by Polar, which takes care of taxes worldwide.

Try it

Open Baton Board, pick your line of work, and a ready-to-use board appears in seconds — all stored on your device, from the very first task. Nothing to sign up for. Nothing leaves your machine.

Related reading: "What is Baton Board" for the full tour, and "A Shared Cockpit for You and Your AI Agents" for the AI workflow.