Cloud backup
Off by default. Opt in to push handovers from this device to your Soil cloud account as a one-way backup · and delete those cloud copies to go fully local again.
By default, everything in Soil Desktop stays on this device. Cloud backup is an opt-in, one-way way to copy handovers up to your Soil cloud account · so a lost or wiped machine doesn't take your saved work with it.
One-way by design
Cloud backup only ever uploads. Nothing is downloaded or merged back onto your machine, and your local copies never move. What you don't sync stays local.
Turn it on
In Account → Cloud backup, choose Turn on. Then, from Handovers, you can back handovers up:
- Sync everything, or
- Choose which to sync · pick specific handovers each time.
Syncing needs an internet connection; offline, the app tells you and changes nothing.
See what has left this device
Soil Desktop makes the online/offline state obvious:
- The Overview cards show Offline (only on this device) vs Synced (copies that left this device to the cloud).
- Every handover row carries a badge · a grey Offline or a green Synced.
- The top bar shows whether the app is online or offline right now.
Delete the cloud copies · go local-only again
You can remove the cloud copies at any time and return to being fully local:
- Turning off cloud backup asks whether to keep the cloud copies or delete them and go local-only.
- While backup is on, Account → Cloud backup → Delete cloud copies does the same without turning sync off.
Only the desktop-synced copies
Deleting cloud copies removes only the handovers this device pushed up. It
never touches your local copies, and it never touches handovers you saved
elsewhere with soil save. After it runs, every handover shows as Offline
again.
What's excluded
Cloud backup uploads the same safe handover the rest of Soil produces · raw prompts, provider payloads, source files, and private paths are excluded before anything is stored, in the cloud or locally.
Gateway
Store your providers and API keys locally, encrypted with the OS keychain, and route AI tools through a local-only server that injects the real key so tools never hold it. Off by default; keys never leave the device and never enter a handover.
Account & privacy
Sign in once, then Soil Desktop launches offline. Your handovers live on this device, sensitive content is excluded from every handover, and signing out clears the local session.