Privacy Policy

Effective date: 11 November 2026

Who we are

Gist is published by ToolShip. Contact: gist@toolship.app.

What stays on your device

Transcripts, chapters, community highlights and resources are read from the caption and page data YouTube already loads in your browser. Copying and exporting to Text, Markdown, Subtitles or PDF happen entirely in your browser. Your preferences (panel state, timestamp toggle, last export format, today's export count, the statistics setting) are kept with chrome.storage on your device.

Anonymous usage statistics

Gist sends anonymous usage statistics to our server at api.gist.toolship.app. This is on by default. Each event contains a random install id, the extension version, the event name, a few small properties (listed below) and a timestamp. Our server adds the two-letter country derived from the request's IP address; the IP address itself is used in memory for rate limiting and is not stored.

The install id is a random UUID created when you install Gist. It is not linked to your Chrome profile, your Google account or your email address.

Events we record:

• panel_shown: the panel appeared on a page (with YouTube's light or dark theme).
• tab_opened: which tab you opened.
• transcript_loaded: which capture method worked, number of attempts, time taken, and a length bucket of the video.
• transcript_failed: number of attempts, whether an ad was playing, and the length bucket.
• retry_clicked: you pressed Try again.
• export: the format, whether timestamps were on, and where the chapters came from.
• export_capped: the daily export limit was reached, with the format.
• unlock_shown, unlock_dismissed, unlock_confirmed: what happened to the unlock card.
• door_clicked: which "Coming soon" item you clicked.
• email_export: you used "Email me" (and whether it was your first time). The address itself is never part of statistics.
• chapters_source: whether chapters came from the creator, YouTube Key moments, Gist auto-chapters, or none.
• error: where an error happened and a short hash of its message.

Never sent in statistics: video ids, titles, channel names, URLs, transcript text, comment text, or your email address. Statistics and the email list are stored in separate tables and are not linked.

Your control: click the gear icon in the panel, then untick "Share anonymous usage stats". Unsent events are deleted and nothing more is sent. "See what Gist sends" in the same view shows the exact events waiting to be sent, including the install id.

Email

We collect your email address only if you type it into Gist. You may also choose a profession (Student, Professional, Creator, Business owner); this is optional.

We use your address to: deliver a transcript you asked us to email you; send Gist product updates (for example, if YouTube changes break something, or when a feature you showed interest in launches); and tell you when a feature you asked to be notified about is available.

We use double opt-in. The first message to a new address contains only a confirmation link; nothing else is sent until you click it. Every email contains an unsubscribe link that works in one click without a login.

We store your address with the purpose you gave it, your optional profession, the two-letter country derived from your IP address when you submitted the form (the IP address is not stored), and a keyed hash of your install id, so the list cannot be matched to the statistics. After you unsubscribe, or if an address bounces or complains, we keep the address on a suppression list so it is never emailed again.

Emailing a transcript to yourself

If you use "Email me", the transcript text is sent from your browser to our server and then to your inbox. It is held only until it is delivered, then deleted. If you have not confirmed your address, it is deleted after 24 hours at most. We do not read or keep copies of transcripts. Nothing is sent to our server unless you use this feature.

Service providers

Email is sent through ZeptoMail by Zoho (zoho.com/zeptomail), which processes your email address and the message content in order to deliver it. Our own server runs on a virtual private server operated by us. We do not sell your data and do not use it for advertising.

How long we keep data

• Pending transcripts: deleted after delivery, and in any case within 24 hours.
• Email addresses: kept until you ask us to delete them (see below). Unsubscribed addresses stay on the suppression list.
• Usage statistics: kept without a fixed deletion date. They carry only a random install id and never your email address, video details or transcript text. You can turn them off in Settings, and you can ask us to delete them at gist@toolship.app.

Permissions

• storage: to save your preferences and the pending statistics locally.
• alarms: to send batched statistics about once a minute, because the extension's background worker sleeps.
• Access to youtube.com: to show the panel and read caption and page data on YouTube.
• Access to api.gist.toolship.app: to send statistics, and to send the email and door requests described above.

No other permissions are requested. Gist loads no remote code.

Your rights

You can turn off statistics at any time, unsubscribe from any email, and ask us to delete your email address or tell you what we hold about it. Email us from the address in question. Statistics carry only a random id, so we cannot tell which events are yours unless you give us the install id shown in "See what Gist sends".

Children's privacy

Gist is not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect their email addresses.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the updated version will be published at this URL with a new effective date.

Contact

Questions or requests: gist@toolship.app.