SwitchyardQuestions, answered plainly.
If something here is vague or reads like marketing, tell us and we will rewrite it. hello@dks.studio
Where the data goes
Does anything leave my computer?
No. The models ship inside the app bundle and run on your machine. There is no account and no server we operate. The app keeps a running count of the bytes it has sent and shows it to you. It reads zero. You can confirm this in about ninety seconds by turning off your network and using the app normally — the full test is here.
Do you train on my data?
We have no copy of it. There is no de-identified carve-out in our terms, no retention setting to configure, and no subprocessor, because none of those things can exist without a transfer. What we know about you is what the App Store tells us, which is a sales count.
Why does the app have network entitlements, then?
Because it talks to itself. Switchyard's interface is served by a small web server running inside the app bundle, so it needs server permission to open a port on 127.0.0.1 and client permission to connect back to that same port — a sandboxed app needs client permission even for its own loopback address. If you run Ollama and point Switchyard at it, that is also loopback.
There is download code in the app. What is it for?
Fetching a model during development and setup. In the shipping app it cannot run: it is gated behind an environment flag that only a setup script sets, and the server as the app launches it never reaches that path. Nothing you click inside Switchyard downloads anything.
Do you sign a BAA?
There is nothing to sign one about. A business associate agreement governs a third party that receives protected health information. No third party receives anything here, so there is no business associate. That is a smaller arrangement than a BAA, not a weaker one.
What it does
How does it actually work?
Pick a tool, drop in a document or your own notes, review what it found, save the record. Everything is editable before it is written, and records save as Markdown, Word, Excel, or CSV into one folder on your computer that you choose.
Does it record audio?
No, and it cannot. There is no microphone permission and no audio capture anywhere in the app. Input is text you typed, dictated using macOS's own dictation, or a document you dropped in.
Will it make things up?
The tools are built to transcribe rather than infer. A value the document does not state comes back blank instead of guessed, and they do not do arithmetic — no summing screener items, no counting sessions — because a confidently wrong number in a record is worse than an empty field. You review everything before it saves.
Can I build my own tools?
In the complete edition, yes. Describe a tool in plain words and the app drafts the workflow, or wire it yourself on a canvas.
Buying it
Is there a subscription?
No. One payment, and every future update to that edition is included. There is nothing to cancel.
Which edition should I buy?
The focused editions — Therapy, Legal, and GovCon— each carry only their own profession's tools and open ready to use. Complete carries all of them and adds automation: folder watchers, schedules, and goals you hand off. Complete is a practice-scale purchase rather than a solo one.
Is there a trial?
Not today. The Mac App Store has no trial mechanism for a paid-upfront app. If that is what is stopping you, email us and ask — we would rather talk to you than lose you to a guess.
Can I buy for a whole practice?
Yes, through Apple's Volume Purchase Program, and we will help you set it up. For anything above a few seats it is also worth an onboarding hour so everyone ends up on one workflow.
Running it
What do I need?
An Apple silicon Mac running macOS 12 or later. Intel Macs cannot run it.
Why is the download 6 GB?
Because the models are in it. That size is the reason it works with your network switched off.
Why is the first run slow?
The bundled model loads once on first use. After that it is quick.
Can I use a different model?
Yes. If you run Ollama, point Switchyard at any model you already have from the setup screen.
What it will not do
Is it HIPAA compliant? Is it CMMC certified?
No software is either of those things on its own, and any vendor telling you otherwise is selling you something. Compliance and certification describe how an organization works. What is true of this software is narrower and checkable: nothing you put in leaves the machine, so there is no third party in your risk picture to audit, contract with, or disclose. Your own obligations are unchanged.
Does it give clinical, legal, or contracting advice?
No. It reads documents and produces drafts you review and own. It does not diagnose, does not assess risk, does not decide what is compliant, and does not tell you what to do.
Does it connect to my EHR or file claims?
No. It produces documents into a folder you control. Adding an integration would mean adding a network path, which would undo the only thing that makes this product worth buying.