Help center

Recovery, tokens and privacy

This page brings together three things that decide who — besides you — can reach your content: the Vault recovery key, which is your only way back in if you forget your Vault passphrase; API tokens, which let external tools such as the notes MCP connector read or write your notes on your behalf; and data export and account deletion, which put a full copy — or the permanent removal — of everything in your hands. Read it before you enable the Vault, hand a token to an external tool, or delete your account.

Handle each of these deliberately. The recovery key and account deletion are one-way doors: there is no support team that can undo them for you.

Recovery key

When you create the Vault, myrna generates a single recovery key — a code in groups like XXXXX-XXXXX. It is a second way to unlock the Vault when you forget your passphrase: it decrypts your protected content on your device, just like the passphrase does. The server only ever stores encrypted (wrapped) copies of your key material — never the passphrase or the recovery key in the clear.

  1. 1The recovery key is shown once, right in the Vault creation dialog — and you must actively tick a confirmation box before you can continue, so it cannot slip past you.
  2. 2Write it down or store it somewhere safe — a password manager, or paper kept somewhere secure.
  3. 3If you ever forget your Vault passphrase, choose "Use recovery key instead" in the unlock dialog and enter it (upper/lower case and hyphens don't matter).
  4. 4Once the Vault is unlocked, set a new passphrase in Settings, in the "Vault" section ("Change vault passphrase"), so you have a phrase you remember again.
  5. 5You can also generate a fresh recovery key there at any time while the Vault is unlocked ("Generate new recovery key"); it invalidates the previous one and is shown only once, so save the new key.
Without your passphrase AND without your recovery key, protected content CANNOT be recovered — not by you, not by myrna, not by support. There is no back door. This is the price of true end-to-end encryption: guard the recovery key accordingly.
The recovery key is shown only once per generation. If you did not save it, generate a new one while the Vault is unlocked and store that copy safely.
Lost both anyway? The unlock dialog says so openly: the content cannot be recovered — the only way to start over is erasing the locked content via the storage options in Settings. If you also use an encrypted diary, the Vault itself is preserved so the diary stays readable.

API tokens

API tokens let external tools — such as Claude or another AI assistant connected through the notes MCP server — reach your notes on your behalf, without your account password. You issue each token, pick what it is allowed to do, and revoke it whenever you want. myrna stores only a cryptographic hash of the token, never the token itself.

Read-only
The tool can search and read your notes and notebooks, but cannot create, change, or delete anything. Prefer this level whenever the tool only needs to look.
Read and write
The tool can read and also create, edit, and move notes to the trash. Grant this only when the tool genuinely needs to make changes.
  1. 1Open Settings and go to the "API / MCP" section.
  2. 2Give the token a name that says where it will be used, so you can recognize it later.
  3. 3Tick "Read-only" if the tool only needs to read; leave it off for read and write.
  4. 4Click "Generate token" and copy the value immediately — it starts with "myrna_" and the full value is shown only once, never again.
  5. 5Paste it into the external tool. The "How to connect" link opens the step-by-step MCP guide.
  6. 6When you no longer need it, come back to this list and revoke it — the list shows each token's prefix, scope and last use.
Treat every token like a password: anyone who holds it has exactly the access you gave it. Never paste it into untrusted tools or share it in chats. If you suspect it leaked, revoke it immediately — revoking takes effect at once. Vault-protected content is stored encrypted, so a token only ever yields the scrambled blobs, never the readable text.
The full MCP setup — client configuration and available commands — is on the "MCP connector" page of this help center.

Privacy, export and account deletion

By default your content is private: only you can see it. Nothing is shared until you explicitly share it, and you can review or revoke any share at any time. External tools reach your notes only through the tokens you issue, and Vault-protected content stays encrypted end to end.

Your data is also portable: in Settings, "Export all my data" downloads a single JSON with all your notes, tasks, appointments, contacts, references, tables, forms and journal.

When you delete your account, myrna removes everything tied to it: your files and images in storage are purged first, then the account itself is deleted, which cascades to every note, notebook, attachment, task, share, API token, and Vault record you had.

  1. 1If you want to keep a copy of anything, use "Export all my data" first — deletion cannot be undone.
  2. 2Open the account section in Settings and choose "Delete account".
  3. 3Confirm. Your stored files are removed, then all of your data is erased.
Account deletion is permanent and irreversible. Everything is erased and cannot be restored afterward. Export anything you want to keep before you confirm.
For how the Vault, passphrases, and locking work in the first place, see "Vault and locking".