Doghouse
Doghouse makes exactly two kinds of network request: an update check against doghousevault.com, which you can switch off, and a one-time license activation with Polar. No analytics, no account. Vault passwords live in your Mac’s login Keychain; the vault list lives in Application Support; the files are wherever you put them.
On this page
What leaves your Mac
Two things, and only these. Settings describes the update check as “Checks doghousevault.com for a newer version. Apart from one-time license activation, this is the app’s only network access. No data is sent.” There is no analytics, no crash reporting, no account and no telemetry. With the update check off and no key to activate, Doghouse works entirely offline. The privacy policy has the formal version.
The update check
Tell me when an update is available is on by default. Doghouse fetches https://doghousevault.com/api/version.json, a small file naming the latest version, at launch and then at most once every 20 hours. The request carries nothing but the request itself (our server, like any web server, sees your IP address and user agent). If a newer version exists, an alert appears: “Doghouse 2.1 is available — You have 2.0.8. The update is a notarized download — unzip and replace the app in Applications.” with View Download, Skip This Version and Later. Skipping silences that version until the next one.
Turn the switch off and the automatic check never runs. Check Now always works and replies in place: “You’re up to date — 2.0.8 is the latest version.”, “Version 2.1 is available.” or “Could not check: …”.
To update: download the zip, unzip it, and drag the new Doghouse.app into Applications, replacing the old one (quit Doghouse first, which locks your vaults). Your vault list, settings and Keychain entries are untouched; the vault files are never part of the app. After an update with notable changes, a What’s New window opens once; you can reopen it from the Doghouse menu or the menu bar panel.
License activation
Entering a key makes one request to Polar to register this Mac, and Deactivate This Mac makes one to release it. Nothing is sent at any other time. Details are on the licensing page.
Where things are stored
| What | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Your files | Inside the vault file, wherever you created it | Name.sparsebundle / Name.nosync (Standard) or Name.pocketvault / Name.nosync (Pocket). Encrypted at rest; only readable with the password. |
| The vault list | ~/Library/Application Support/Doghouse/vaults.json | Name, path, size limit, creation date, last opened, the per-vault settings and the password hint. Never a password. |
| Vault passwords | Your login Keychain | Only those you chose to remember. Stored under Doghouse’s former name, “KnoxFolder”, so early installs keep working. Protected by your Mac login. |
| License key | Your login Keychain | Together with the activation record. |
| Settings | Doghouse’s preferences | Including the Night Watch activity log (last 50 lock/unlock events) and the skipped update version. |
Avoiding traces on your Mac
- iCloud. New vaults are kept out of iCloud Drive by default; see Keep out of iCloud.
- Spotlight. When a Standard Vault unlocks, Doghouse tells Spotlight not to index it, so names and contents don’t stay in the search index after locking.
- Pocket Vault windows are not part of macOS window restoration, and their contents exist only in memory while unlocked.
- Photos added to a Pocket Vault lose their location and camera details on import.
- Exports from a Pocket Vault warn that the copy is not encrypted and can leave traces.
- Time Machine backs up Standard Vault files (still encrypted), not their unlocked contents. Pocket Vault files are excluded from backups.
- The hint is deliberately the one piece of plaintext: it is readable by anyone with the vault list. Don’t put the password in it.
Things Doghouse can’t control: an app you open a document in may keep its own recent-files list, autosave copies or caches outside the vault. Lock the screen when you step away; while a vault is unlocked it is as open as any other folder.
Uninstalling
Quit Doghouse and drag it from Applications to the Trash. Your vault files stay where they are and remain encrypted. Standard Vaults open without the app; see how to open a Doghouse vault without Doghouse. Pocket Vaults need Doghouse, so export their items first. To remove everything else, delete ~/Library/Application Support/Doghouse and, in Keychain Access, the “KnoxFolder” entries. Removing the app does not release a license activation; deactivate in Settings first if you want to use the key on another Mac.