Cody Assistant Security Controls and Data Practices

Cody Assistant is designed from the ground up as a local-first Windows application. Every security control described here is implemented in the current codebase — from Electron renderer sandboxing and IPC validation to atomic data writes and automatic daily backups. The only optional outbound network connection is the AI classification provider you configure; Outlook sync is 100% local via COM automation with no cloud credentials.

Electron Renderer Hardening

Both Electron windows — the assistant panel and the pet window — are created with the strictest possible renderer settings:

electron/main/index.ts

webPreferences: {
  sandbox: true,
  contextIsolation: true,
  nodeIntegration: false
}

sandbox: true — Chromium sandbox is active; the renderer cannot access Node.js APIs directly
contextIsolation: true — the preload script and the page script run in separate V8 contexts, preventing prototype pollution
nodeIntegration: false — the renderer has no direct access to Node.js modules

All navigation outside the application is blocked. HTTPS links open in the system browser:

electron/main/index.ts

window.webContents.setWindowOpenHandler(({ url }) => {
  if (/^https:\/\//i.test(url)) void shell.openExternal(url)
  return { action: 'deny' }
})
window.webContents.on('will-navigate', (event, url) => {
  const current = window.webContents.getURL()
  if (url !== current) {
    event.preventDefault()
    if (/^https:\/\//i.test(url)) void shell.openExternal(url)
  }
})

Browser permission requests (camera, microphone, geolocation, notifications, etc.) are denied by default.

IPC Security

Every IPC handler verifies that the call originates from a Cody-owned window before processing:

electron/main/index.ts

function isTrustedSender(event: Electron.IpcMainInvokeEvent): boolean {
  return (
    event.sender === assistantWindow?.webContents ||
    event.sender === petWindow?.webContents
  )
}

Handlers that fail this check return false or null immediately without executing any logic. This prevents injected content or external pages from invoking Cody’s IPC surface.

Input Sanitization

Sensitive IPC inputs are normalized through cleanText() before use:

electron/main/index.ts

const cleanText = (value: unknown, maxLength: number): string =>
  String(value ?? '')
    .replace(/[\u0000-\u001f\u007f]/g, ' ')
    .replace(/\s+/g, ' ')
    .trim()
    .slice(0, maxLength)

Input type	Max length constant	Value
Reminder title/body	`MAX_REMINDER_TEXT`	240 characters
Notification title/body	`MAX_NOTIFICATION_TEXT`	180 characters
Reminder ID	(inline)	120 characters
External URL	(inline)	2 048 characters

Export filenames are sanitized with safeFileName() to strip path-traversal characters (< > : " / \ | ? * and control chars) and limit length to 120 characters. External URLs are only passed to shell.openExternal() if they start with https://. All other URL schemes are silently dropped.

Data Storage

All application data is stored exclusively on the user’s machine:

%APPDATA%/cody-desktop-assistant/
  cody-data.json           # Primary data file (AppState)
  cody-data.backup.json    # Daily backup (rotated once per day)
  startup.log              # Startup and error log

No data is ever sent to Cody-operated servers. The only network connection Cody makes is the optional AI provider you configure in Settings.

Atomic writes

Data is never written directly to cody-data.json. Instead, Cody writes to a temporary file first and renames it atomically:

electron/main/index.ts

await fs.writeFile(temporary, serialized, 'utf8')
await fs.rename(temporary, target)

This prevents corruption if the process is interrupted mid-write.

Automatic daily backup

Once per day, before any save, Cody copies cody-data.json to cody-data.backup.json. If the primary data file becomes corrupted or unreadable, Cody automatically falls back to the backup on the next load:

electron/main/index.ts

async function loadData(): Promise<unknown | null> {
  try {
    return JSON.parse(await fs.readFile(dataPath(), 'utf8'))
  } catch (error) {
    if ((error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code === 'ENOENT') return null
    const backup = await readJsonFile(backupPath())
    if (backup) startupLog('loaded backup data after primary data failure')
    return backup
  }
}

Size limits

Limit	Constant	Value
Primary data file	`MAX_DATA_BYTES`	5 MB
Export files	`MAX_EXPORT_BYTES`	10 MB

Saves that would exceed 5 MB are rejected with an error before writing.

Network Isolation

Cody’s only outbound network connection is the AI classification provider — and only if you configure one. Outlook sync is entirely local via COM automation; no data leaves the machine during sync.

Connection	Required	Description
Outlook Classic COM	Local only	PowerShell reads email/calendar on the local machine
Azure OpenAI	Optional	Only email subject + sender sent; body stays local
OpenAI	Optional	Only email subject + sender sent; body stays local
Cody servers	Never	No telemetry, analytics, or remote logging

Sensitive Data — What Must Never Be Committed

The following must never be added to the repository or any shared location:

API keys (AI provider keys)
.env files of any kind
%APPDATA%/cody-desktop-assistant/ data files
Screenshots or recordings containing real emails, tasks, or personal information

The installer is configured with deleteAppDataOnUninstall: false — uninstalling Cody does not delete user data. To fully remove all data, manually delete %APPDATA%/cody-desktop-assistant/.

Diagnostics Export

The exportDiagnostics() function generates a report containing only metadata — no task content, no email subjects, no API keys:

{
  generatedAt: "2025-01-01T12:00:00.000Z",
  app: { name, version, packaged, userData },
  runtime: { platform, arch, electron, chrome, node },
  windows: { assistantVisible, petVisible },
  dataFiles: { /* sizes and timestamps only */ },
  data: {
    available: true,
    tasks: 42,           // count only
    suggestions: 3,      // count only
    meetings: 5,         // count only
    categories: 7,       // count only
    hasOutlookAccount: true,
    hasAiProvider: true,
    hasAiKey: true,      // boolean, not the key
    petVariant: "bunny",
    autoSyncMinutes: 10,
    launchAtLogin: false
  }
}

Pre-Production Security Checklist

Before distributing to a wider audience or selling to enterprise customers:

Code signing

Sign the installer with a corporate code-signing certificate. Without signing, Windows SmartScreen shows an “unknown publisher” warning, and Windows 11 Smart App Control may block the installer entirely. Once signed with a trusted certificate, neither SmartScreen nor SAC interfere.

Dependency audit

Run a Software Composition Analysis (SCA) scan on all npm dependencies using a tool approved by your IT security team. Review any high or critical CVEs before distributing.

Clean machine test

Test the installer on a fresh Windows machine with no prior Cody installation. Verify that install, all core features, and uninstall all work correctly. Confirm that uninstall does not delete %APPDATA%/cody-desktop-assistant/ without user consent.

Azure OpenAI approval

If enabling AI classification with Azure OpenAI, confirm with IT whether a formal data-processing agreement or approval is required before connecting to the corporate Azure tenant.

Incident reporting

Define a process for reporting vulnerabilities. For internal pilots, direct reports to the project owner — do not open public GitHub issues with sensitive information.

Privacy Policy

Detailed breakdown of what data Cody stores and what leaves the machine

Enterprise Deployment

Pilot readiness, code signing, and Microsoft Store distribution

Get Started

Core Features

Productivity

Configuration

Deployment

Cody Assistant Security Controls and Data Practices

Electron Renderer Hardening

IPC Security

Input Sanitization

Data Storage

Atomic writes

Automatic daily backup

Size limits

Network Isolation

Sensitive Data — What Must Never Be Committed

Diagnostics Export

Pre-Production Security Checklist

Privacy Policy

Enterprise Deployment

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

Productivity

Configuration

Deployment

Documentation Index

​Electron Renderer Hardening

​IPC Security

​Input Sanitization

​Data Storage

​Atomic writes

​Automatic daily backup

​Size limits

​Network Isolation

​Sensitive Data — What Must Never Be Committed

​Diagnostics Export

​Pre-Production Security Checklist

Privacy Policy

Enterprise Deployment

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Electron Renderer Hardening

IPC Security

Input Sanitization

Data Storage

Atomic writes

Automatic daily backup

Size limits

Network Isolation

Sensitive Data — What Must Never Be Committed

Diagnostics Export

Pre-Production Security Checklist