Frequently Asked Questions
Privacy & Security
Is my data really private?
Yes. All Lumière extensions operate on a "Local-First" principle. Your snippets, email extractions, and settings are stored 100% locally in your browser's IndexedDB. We never see your data, and it never touches our servers.
How does "Local-First" differ from cloud sync?
Cloud sync tools (like Magical or Text Blaze) send your data to their servers so you can access it on other devices. While convenient, this creates a security risk. Local-First tools keep data solely on your machine. If you need to move data, you can use our manual export/import features.
How can I audit the extensions' source code to verify privacy?
Lumière extensions are built on standard client-side web technology (HTML, CSS, vanilla JS) and comply fully with Chrome Manifest V3 regulations. We actively encourage tech-savvy users and security officers to audit our code. You can download the extension package directly from the Chrome Web Store, change the file extension to .zip, extract it on your system, and audit every line of source code. Because we do not compile or obfuscate our code, and operate entirely with sandboxed, offline-native parameters, you will find no telemetry loggers, obfuscated dependencies, or remote server-connection endpoints.
Using Extensions
Why do the extensions need permissions?
We only ask for the minimal permissions required to function. For example, a text expander needs "Active Tab" permission to interact with text fields. We never use these permissions for tracking or data harvesting.
Will these tools slow down my browser?
No. Because they operate locally without constant server requests or background tracking scripts, they are extremely lightweight and faster than cloud-dependent alternatives.
Does local-first IndexedDB storage affect text-expansion or search latency?
No, it actually improves it. Cloud-dependent snippet utilities suffer from search latency bottlenecks because they require remote API validation roundtrips. By storing your snippet libraries, outreach models, and templates directly in the local IndexedDB database, our tools query files at the microsecond level directly utilizing your machine's CPU. This eliminates network overhead entirely, delivering instantaneous snippet injection (under 2ms) and maintaining a perfectly smooth, uninterrupted workflow.
Pro & Licensing
Are the extensions free?
Many of our core features are free to use forever. We offer "Pro" licenses for power users who need advanced features like unlimited snippet folders. This one-time purchase model helps us maintain the tools without selling user data.
What is the difference between a subscription model and a lifetime one-time purchase?
Subscription-based productivity tools continuously ping a central authentication server to check if your monthly fee has been paid, locking you out if your connection drops. In contrast, our Pro utilities use a one-time purchase licensing model. When you activate your license code, it is verified client-side and saved locally in your sandbox database. This means your software remains fully active, licensed, and functional, even if you are entirely offline or if our servers are offline. You own the software license for life.
Transparency & Funding
How does Lumière make money?
We believe in transparent funding models. Our revenue comes from three sources: Pro license sales, enterprise support contracts, and high-value contextually relevant advertising in our Magazine. We choose partners who align with our privacy-first mission.
Why is there advertising on this site?
To keep our core productivity tools free for everyone, we use non-intrusive advertising (such as Google AdSense) on our educational pages. This funding allows us to continue research into data sovereignty and local-first software architecture.
Does the AdSense tracking on this site compromise my browser extension's local-first privacy?
Absolutely not. There is a complete, sandboxed boundary between our public educational resource website and your installed browser extensions. AdSense tracking scripts only execute within the public browser viewport when you are actively reading our educational articles, in strict compliance with your opt-in cookie choices. Your browser extensions operate inside a sandboxed browser runtime, running client-side without external script injection. Your local IndexedDB databases, snippets, and shortcuts are completely inaccessible to our public site scripts, guaranteeing absolute operational isolation.