Data Portability
You own your data and can export it at any time - in a format you can read.
Identity vs. Data: The Mental Model
Two different things keep you safe, and it's worth keeping them straight:
- Your recovery phrase restores your identity anywhere. The 24 words deterministically regenerate your keys and DID on any device - nothing else is needed to be you again.
- Your export file is how your data survives losing a device. Private records and app backups live only on your device; the export is your portable copy of them.
Restore the phrase to get your identity back; import the export to get your data back.
Download All Data
In Flowsta Vault, the Your Data page has a Download All Data button that produces a single structured JSON export (format version 2.0). Every section carries a plain-language _readme explaining what it is.
The export contains:
- Your identity - display name, email, DID, agent public key
- Your cryptographic keys - including
device_seed_hex, the seed your Ed25519 signing keypair derives from. With it you can recreate your identity on any Holochain conductor. Keep the file safe: anyone with your device seed can sign as you. - Private records - your sealed records, decrypted so you can actually read them. On your device they're encrypted; in your export they're yours in plaintext.
- App data backups - decrypted snapshots stored by connected Holochain apps (the latest 10 per app)
- Sign It signatures - your signature records; anyone with your public key can verify them independently
- Holochain setup - DNA versions and app IDs, so you can recreate your conductor setup
The export is licensed under the Cryptographic Autonomy License v1.0 (CAL-1.0), citing §4.2.1 "No Withholding User Data": you can take this export to any compatible Holochain app and use your data independently of Flowsta or the app's original developer.
Per-app export
Next to each connected app on the Your Data page there is also an Export button that downloads just that app's data - the same readable records and app keys, scoped to one app.
Restore from an Export
New or reset device? First restore your identity with your recovery phrase, then bring your data back:
- Install Flowsta Vault and restore with your 24-word recovery phrase - your identity, keys, and DID come back exactly as they were
- On the Your Data page, choose Restore from an Export and select your export file
- The Vault re-stores your private records and app data backups
Notes:
- Safe to run repeatedly - records already present are skipped, so re-importing is a no-op
- Identity-checked - the export must belong to the same identity as the vault; you can't import someone else's data (or your own into the wrong account)
- Only data is imported - keys and identity come from your phrase, and Sign It signatures gossip back from the network on their own
How apps get their data back
Once your Vault holds your identity and backups again, each connected app recovers its own data when you sign in. Depending on the app, that happens by re-syncing from its network (apps whose data lives on a shared network, like ProofPoll) or by restoring from its Vault backup (apps whose data lives only with you, like Your Own AI, which brings back your conversations automatically at startup). Either way, the app does the work - you just sign in.
Web Dashboard
At flowsta.com/dashboard/your-data, you can also:
- View what data Flowsta stores about you (an email hash and lookup metadata - see Zero-Knowledge Architecture)
- See which apps have accessed your data
For Developers
All Holochain apps must comply with the Cryptographic Autonomy License (CAL), whose §4.2.1 "No Withholding User Data" requires that users can access their data and keys. Integrate auto-backups so your app's data lands in the user's export automatically.
Every time you add new entry types that store user data, update your backup function to include that data.
Next Steps
- Backups & CAL Compliance - Developer guide for data backups
- Zero-Knowledge Architecture - Where keys and private data live
- Vault Overview - Desktop identity manager