Frequently asked questions
Short answers with sources. See also Mycel vs DIY.
Can I build, audit, or deploy it myself?
Yes. Mycel's client source is available to inspect, build, and deploy in your own environment. Paid Pro covers signed builds, auto-updates, and fleet-methodology content; hosted Dropt relay is an optional annual add-on so server costs do not sneak into the local core. Whichever route you choose, do not ship a confusing fork under the name "Mycel."
Why one-time purchase + optional renewal?
You keep the build you bought forever. Fresh installs keep the full AI suite locked from day one; we no longer promise a full first-install trial. Users who were already activated or inside the legacy trial keep those rights under the grandfather rule. Optional renewals fund ongoing app updates and methodology drops — new playbooks and distillation recipes, not a hostage subscription. Skip renewal and your purchased version still runs; you simply stop receiving future updates and new content.
Why BYOK (bring your own API keys)?
Our target users already pay for Claude, Codex, or similar. Mycel sells write governance and fleet methodology, not token resale. No hidden AI markup on top of your model bill.
Where does my data live?
Notes: always local plain Markdown on your disk — you choose the folder. Dropt capture: encrypted on the wire (AES-256-GCM); the relay stores ciphertext it cannot decrypt. Our default relay is hosted on a VPS in mainland China (same host as updates/license services today). If that location is a concern, self-host the relay: Docker build and run instructions are in dropt-relay/README.md in the public repository. We do not claim capture traffic never touches a network — only that the relay never gets the key.
What is the engineering foundation?
Mycel continues to evolve from proven local-Markdown, dual-view editing, and atomic-write engineering. Proposal approval, Dropt, and fleet methodology are rebuilt around governable long-term memory. Required attribution remains in the code tree's NOTICE.
Which platforms are supported?
Today: macOS 14+ Apple Silicon — signed, notarized builds with auto-update via latest.json. Intel Mac and Windows installers are in active release work; download buttons appear on the download page only when a real build is published. Linux is not shipping yet.
How does pricing compare to Notion / Tana?
Big suites run roughly $240+ per seat per year with memory in their cloud. Mycel Pro is a ¥168 one-time buy, near one month of that seat. They are more powerful; they are also several times the annual cost, and your agents' memory lives on their servers. See compare and pricing.
Which local agent CLIs does Mycel support?
Mycel currently detects 16 local agent CLIs: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Pi, Gemini CLI, Kiro, Hermes Agent, exo, CodeBuddy Code, WorkBuddy, ZCode, Qwen Code, Cursor CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI, Aider, and Amp. Detection is local and honest: installed, missing, or not logged in are separate states.
Can I switch agents and models inside the app?
Yes, in the AI workspace. Mycel can locally discover configured models for Codex, Claude Code, ZCode, Cursor, and Pi. Verified model-flag execution currently exists for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Hermes, and Pi; unsupported CLIs do not get a fake model switch.
Where do I set the display name used by Today?
Enter a display name in Settings. Today uses it first, falls back to the computer username when the field is empty, and shows a name-free greeting only when neither is available. The setting stays local; no cloud profile is required.
After Rewind / Limitless — is Mycel a replacement?
No. Rewind was passive always-on screen recording; Dropt is active capture you trigger. Different problem, different data shape — we do not promise to import Rewind or Limitless exports (no stable public format; see docs/launch/capture-data-sovereignty.md in the repo). The lesson is structural: capture data should be plain text, local, exportable, and relayed with E2EE you can self-host. A longer essay on that angle is planned for dev.to after launch.