What runs where
Which parts run on your PC, which run on our servers, and what moves between them
Headmaster is one product in a few places. This page shows which part runs on your computer, which part runs on our servers, and what travels between them.
At a glance
| Part | Where it runs | What it keeps |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop app | Your PC | Settings for this device, local logs |
| Work mode agent | Your PC, next to your files | Work chats and anything it writes to your folders |
| Cloud mode agent | A hosted runtime for your account, on our servers | Cloud chats, files you give it there |
| Web chat | Your browser, talking to your Cloud agent | Nothing on its own; it shows your Cloud chats |
| iPhone app | Your phone, talking to your Cloud agent | Nothing on its own; it shows your Cloud chats |
| Memory | Our servers, one memory for your account | What the agent has learned about you and your work |
| Headmaster models (Lite and Pro) | Our relay, which passes requests to the model provider | Usage counts for your account limits |
| Your own models | The provider you signed in to, or the key you saved | Whatever that provider keeps under its own terms |
| Messaging channels | The app you connected (Telegram, Discord, Slack and others) | Messages in that app, under its terms |
Your computer
The desktop app and the Work mode agent run on your PC. In Work mode the agent reads and writes the folders you allow, runs commands in a terminal and uses a browser, all on your machine. It asks before it does anything that changes your files, unless you have loosened that in Approvals.
Work mode stops when your computer is off or asleep. Scheduled tasks set up in Work mode only run while the app is open.
Our servers
Your Cloud mode agent runs on a hosted runtime that belongs to your account. It keeps working when your computer is off, so it is the right place for scheduled tasks and for messaging channels that should answer at any time.
Web chat and the iPhone app are windows onto that same Cloud agent. Whatever you start on one shows up on the others.
Memory, shared
There is one memory for your account. Cloud mode, Work mode, web chat and the iPhone app all read from it and save to it. That is why the agent already knows your project when you pick it up somewhere else. See Memory for how to read, switch off or reset it.
Models
When you use Headmaster Lite or Pro, your request goes through our relay to the model provider and the answer comes back the same way. The relay counts usage for your account limits.
When you use your own model (a ChatGPT or Claude sign-in, an API key, or a local model server), the request goes from wherever the agent is running straight to that provider. See Data and privacy for what each provider receives.
Updates
You update the desktop app and its Work engine with one click when an update is ready. We update the Cloud agent, web chat and the relay on our side, so there is nothing for you to do there. See Updating Headmaster.