XIVCHAT NEXT · PRIVACY
Privacy and security
XIVChat Next has no account, no analytics and no cloud service run by the project. Your chats travel between the game plugin and your own desktop, directly or through a relay you host yourself.
What stays on your computer
- Desktop client: settings, saved connections and trusted devices in
%APPDATA%\XIVChat for Windows. From Desktop 1.5.0 the device private key is encrypted for your Windows account. History, favorites, notes, nicknames, window layouts and cached images are in%LOCALAPPDATA%\XIVChatDesktop. None of this is uploaded. - Game plugin: settings, trusted devices and its key are stored with your other Dalamud plugin settings; relay credentials are protected for your Windows account. Recent messages are kept in memory so a reconnecting client can catch up; the amount is set in the plugin's Messages tab and is cleared when the plugin stops.
These folders contain chat history and connection secrets. Do not share them publicly.
Connections
- First connection: the client and the plugin each show a fingerprint. Compare them and approve on both ends. Only approve devices you recognise; remove old ones in the plugin's Devices tab.
- Encryption: chat traffic between the client and the plugin is encrypted, whether you connect directly or through a relay. From Desktop 1.6.0 and plugin 1.8.0 (encryption v2), every connection uses new keys, recorded traffic cannot be replayed, and past sessions stay private if a device key later leaks. Older versions use the original encryption (v1) without these protections; the plugin's Devices tab shows which devices still use it. See Chat encryption v2.
- Direct connections: from plugin 1.7.17, new plugin configurations accept connections from this computer only. Turn on Allow LAN connections only if another computer on your network needs to connect. The plugin limits repeated connection attempts and trust prompts from unknown devices.
- Relay: a relay you host sees connection addresses, timing, device identifiers and traffic sizes. It does not hold device private keys and does not store chats. See Self-hosted relay.
What the client fetches from the internet
| Feature | Service | What is sent | Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update checks | GitHub (api.github.com) |
An ordinary request for the public release list. No chat or character information. | Settings → Updates → turn off the startup check |
| Online avatars | Lodestone (na.finalfantasyxiv.com) |
Names and home worlds of characters shown in the client, to find their portraits | Settings → History → Allow online Lodestone avatar lookups |
| Item and map cards | xivapi.com, cafemaker.wakingsands.com, xivapi-v2.xivcdn.com |
Item, icon and map identifiers | Images are cached locally after the first download |
| Map links | map.wakingsands.com |
Map identifier and coordinates, when you open a map card's web view | Only when you open it |
| Translation (Desktop 1.6.0) | The service you choose: Google (translate.googleapis.com), Microsoft (api.cognitive.microsofttranslator.com), DeepL (api.deepl.com / api-free.deepl.com), Baidu (fanyi-api.baidu.com), Tencent (tmt.tencentcloudapi.com) or the AI service |
The message you choose to translate, with names hidden when streamer mode is on | Off by default; only sent when you ask |
| AI summaries (Desktop 1.6.0) | The AI service you set: Anthropic (api.anthropic.com) or the OpenAI-compatible address you enter |
The history range you choose to summarize, with names hidden when streamer mode is on | Off by default; only sent when you ask |
Like any web request, these services also see your IP address.
Screenshots and streamer mode
The plugin captures the game window when a trusted client asks for a screenshot. From plugin 1.8.0 you can turn this off with Allow clients to request game screenshots in the plugin's Messages tab; earlier versions have no switch, so only trust devices you control. Streamer mode changes what the client displays, copies and exports. It does not redact game screenshots, images, unknown nicknames or text you type, and local history keeps the original messages. Check the actual screen before sharing.
Reporting a security problem
Please do not post details publicly. Open an issue that only says you have a security report, and a private channel will be arranged.