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

# Security & Privacy

> How SignalPilot protects your data with read-only MCP, scope control, and zero data retention

# Security & Privacy

<Info>
  SignalPilot is designed with security-first principles: read-only access, local-first execution, and zero data retention.
</Info>

## Core Security Principles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Read-Only Access" icon="lock">
    All MCP connections are read-only — no writes to production systems
  </Card>

  <Card title="Local-First Execution" icon="computer">
    Code runs in your environment — never on SignalPilot servers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Zero Data Retention" icon="trash">
    No data stored on SignalPilot servers — full privacy
  </Card>

  <Card title="Audit Trail" icon="list-check">
    Track what context was accessed and when
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## MCP Read-Only Access Model

SignalPilot uses the **Model Context Protocol (MCP)** to connect to your data stack:

### Internal MCP Sidecar

The internal sidecar runs **within your Jupyter environment**:

* ✅ **Kernel introspection:** Read variables, dataframes
* ✅ **Schema queries:** Read table metadata
* ✅ **Query history:** Read past queries (no execution)
* ❌ **Database writes:** Not possible
* ❌ **File system writes:** Not possible (except notebooks)

### External MCP Servers

External MCP servers are **read-only by design**:

| Integration              | What SignalPilot Can Read        | What It Cannot Do                 |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| **dbt**                  | Model definitions, lineage, docs | Modify models, run dbt commands   |
| **Slack**                | Public channel threads, messages | Post messages, access private DMs |
| **Jira**                 | Tickets, comments, metadata      | Create/modify tickets             |
| **Snowflake/Databricks** | Query logs, metadata             | Execute queries, modify data      |

<Warning>
  We recommend using read / view only credentials (db / notions etc.) and MCP tooling for SignalPilot agent to ensure maximum saftey for the agentic harness.
</Warning>

***

## Approval Workflows

SignalPilot includes built-in approval mechanisms:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Agent/Planning Mode">
    Agent creates a plan and **waits for your approval** before execution

    <Tip>
      Use Planning Mode for high-stakes investigations or production queries
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Hands-On Mode">
    Agent suggests code, but **you execute manually** in cells
  </Step>

  <Step title="Ask Mode">
    Agent is **read-only** — no code execution, only answers questions
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Hooks: Custom Constraints (Alpha)

Enforce your own rules via pre-execution hooks:

### Example: Production Query Hours

```python theme={null}
# Only allow prod queries during business hours
def validate_query(query, context):
    if is_prod_db(context) and not is_business_hours():
        raise ValidationError("Production queries only allowed 9am-5pm EST")
```

### Example: Row Count Changes

```python theme={null}
# Warn if row count changes significantly
def check_row_count(result, context):
    if abs(result.row_count - context.expected_count) > 0.2:
        warning("Row count changed by >20% — verify data quality")
```

### Example: Vectorization Enforcement

```python theme={null}
# Require vectorized pandas operations
def validate_code(code):
    if "for " in code and "df" in code:
        raise ValidationError("Use vectorized pandas operations, not loops")
```

***

## Data Retention & Privacy

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What SignalPilot Stores">
    * **Session metadata:** Timestamps, user IDs (anonymized)
    * **Error logs:** Stack traces (no data values)
    * **Usage metrics:** Feature usage, performance
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What SignalPilot Does NOT Store">
    * ❌ **Query results:** Never stored on our servers
    * ❌ **Database schemas:** Read in real-time, not cached
    * ❌ **Slack messages:** Read via MCP, not stored
    * ❌ **Source code:** Notebooks stay local
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Data in Transit">
    * **TLS 1.3:** All connections encrypted
    * **API keys:** Stored locally, never transmitted
    * **MCP connections:** Encrypted via SSH/TLS
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## SOC 2 Compliance

<Info>
  SignalPilot is working on **SOC 2 Type II compliance** (status: in progress as of 2026).
</Info>

We follow industry best practices for:

* Access controls and authentication
* Data encryption (at rest and in transit)
* Incident response and monitoring
* Vendor risk management

***

## Questions?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="How it works" icon="gears" href="/docs/introduction/how-it-works">
    Understand the Architecture
  </Card>

  <Card title="Get started" icon="rocket" href="/docs/getting-started/installation">
    Install SignalPilot Securely
  </Card>
</CardGroup>