> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.shadowgit.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Settings, updates and privacy

> Recording in the background, updates, your license, and what ShadowGit sends

This page describes ShadowGit 0.5.0 and later. Before 0.5.0, some of the names below were different.

## Recording in the background

Closing ShadowGit's window doesn't stop it. It keeps taking snapshots, with its icon in the tray, or the menu bar on a Mac. The icon's menu has **Open ShadowGit**, **Pause watching**, **Open at login** and **Quit ShadowGit**. The icon turns grey while watching is paused, and shows an amber dot when ShadowGit can't record a project.

To start ShadowGit when you log in, turn on **Open at login**, in the tray menu or in **Settings**, under **In the background**. If your system keeps it as it was, ShadowGit says so and where to change it: **Task Manager > Startup apps** on Windows, **System Settings > General > Login Items** on a Mac.

## Settings

Open **Settings** at the bottom of the sidebar. Change what you need, then click **Save changes**.

| Section | What it sets |
| - | - |
| **Watching** | Whether ShadowGit watches your projects, and how often it looks for changes |
| **Snapshots** | How long small changes wait, and how large a change is saved at once (see [When ShadowGit takes a snapshot](https://docs.shadowgit.com/activity.md#when-shadowgit-takes-a-snapshot)) |
| **AI sessions** | Whether ShadowGit spots bursts of AI edits on its own, and titles their snapshots "🤖 AI-Assisted Changes". Activity lists them as changes while your assistant was active |
| **Usage data** | Whether ShadowGit sends usage data (see [Privacy](#privacy)) |
| **In the background** | **Open at login**, and **Quit ShadowGit** |
| **Notifications** | **Notify me when a session ends**, while ShadowGit's window isn't in front (0.6.0 or later) |
| **Integrations** | Your assistants, each with **Connect** as in [Get started](https://docs.shadowgit.com/installation.md#get-started-in-the-app), and whether the Session API, which the MCP server talks to, is online |
| **Appearance** | **Light**, **Dark** or **System** |

## Updates

ShadowGit updates itself. It checks shortly after it starts and every 4 hours, and downloads a new version in the background. When it's ready, a notice offers **Restart**. Otherwise the update installs the next time you quit ShadowGit. On Linux, the `.deb` and `.rpm` install only when you click **Restart**, because they ask for your password.

To check now, click the arrows beside the version number at the bottom of the sidebar.

When an update can't install, the sidebar says why:

* "Move ShadowGit to Applications to get updates." on a Mac running ShadowGit from the disk image or Downloads.
* "This build can't update itself. Install ShadowGit with the Windows installer." for the Windows zip.

### Updating from a version before 0.3.3

ShadowGit 0.3.2 and earlier can't update themselves. Download the latest version from [shadowgit.com](https://shadowgit.com) once, and it updates itself from then on.

On Windows, the installer may show "Windows protected your PC". Click **More info**, then **Run anyway**.

## Your license

The first time you open ShadowGit, enter the license key from your purchase email and click **Activate**. ShadowGit checks the license once a day and keeps working offline for up to 7 days.

## Privacy

Your code, your snapshots, the Lens's words, the Map and your docs pages stay on your computer. ShadowGit sends three things:

* **Usage data.** Which features you use and what fails, with your license email, ShadowGit's version and your operating system. Never code, file names or paths. To stop it, turn off **Share usage data** in **Settings**, under **Usage data**, and click **Save changes**.
* **Error reports.** When something fails in the app, ShadowGit reports the error so we can fix it. A report leaves out the paths and file names in the error, and your computer's name. Turning off **Share usage data** stops these too.
* **License checks.** Your license key, to confirm it's valid.

What your AI assistant reads through the [MCP server](https://docs.shadowgit.com/installation.md) goes to your AI provider, like any file the assistant opens.


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