Security Overview

Relay-only design

TetherClaw is a relay, not a runtime. When you send a message from your iPhone, it travels over WSS to the TetherClaw relay, which forwards it to the bridge process running on your Mac. The response takes the same path back. TetherClaw never executes agent code on its own infrastructure.

Encryption in transit

All connections between the iOS app, the relay, and the Mac bridge use TLS 1.2+ (WSS for WebSocket connections, HTTPS for all API calls). There is no plaintext path. Certificate pinning is enforced in the iOS app.

No message storage beyond delivery

The relay holds messages only long enough to deliver them. Once a message is acknowledged by the receiving party, it is not persisted in relay memory or relay storage. Chat history for continuity is stored separately in the database, scoped to your account — see Data Handling below.

Agents run on your Mac

Your AI agents (OpenClaw, Hermes, etc.) run entirely on your own hardware. TetherClaw has no access to your agent processes, file system, or local environment. If your Mac is offline, agents are unreachable — but TetherClaw's relay and your chat history remain available.

API key auth

TetherClaw uses API keys for authentication. There are no usernames or passwords to manage. Your API key is issued when you create your account and is the only credential needed to connect the Mac bridge and authenticate the iOS app.

Key validation

API keys are validated against your account record in Supabase on every connection and every privileged request. Keys are hashed at rest — TetherClaw never stores the raw key after issuance. If a key is compromised, you can rotate it instantly from the dashboard.

Rotate or revoke at any time

From the dashboard you can generate a new API key at any time. Rotating a key immediately invalidates the previous one across all connected devices and the Mac bridge.

What we store

• •API keys (hashed) — Used to authenticate your account.
• •Push tokens — APNS device tokens to deliver notifications to your iPhone.
• •Chat history — Messages between you and your agents, stored for continuity so you can resume conversations.
• •Agent preferences — Display names, ordering, and settings you configure in the app.

What we do not store

• •Agent source code — Your agent implementations stay on your Mac.
• •Mac credentials — TetherClaw has no access to your macOS account, keychain, or SSH keys.
• •AI platform keys — Your Anthropic, OpenAI, or other provider API keys are never transmitted to or stored by TetherClaw.
• •File system contents — TetherClaw relays messages only — it cannot read or write to your Mac's file system.

Retention

Chat history is retained for 30 days on Starter plans and 90 days on Pro plans. You can request deletion of all your data at any time by emailing support@tetherclaw.app. Account deletion removes all stored data within 7 days.

Where we run

SOC 2 compliance

Fly.io, Supabase, and Vercel are all SOC 2 Type II certified. TetherClaw is pursuing its own SOC 2 certification for enterprise customers.

Uptime and availability

The relay and portal run on globally distributed infrastructure with automatic failover. Relay availability is independent of your Mac's power state.

Reporting a vulnerability

If you discover a security issue in TetherClaw, please email support@tetherclaw.app with a description of the vulnerability, steps to reproduce, and any relevant context. We respond to all security reports within 48 hours.

Our commitment

We will acknowledge your report, investigate promptly, and keep you informed as we work toward a fix. We will not take legal action against researchers acting in good faith. We do not currently offer a bug bounty, but we do credit researchers in our changelog with their permission.

Out of scope

Denial of service attacks, social engineering of TetherClaw employees, and physical attacks against infrastructure are out of scope. Testing that could affect other users' accounts or data is not permitted.