Security and privacy at a glance
AI Workflow Automation runs inside your own WordPress install. You decide, per workflow, whether it runs Local or Cloud, and that choice decides where your data goes.
- Local (BYOK): workflows run on your own server using your own AI provider key. Nothing is sent to our platform. Your key never leaves WordPress.
- Cloud: you connect a free account and specific steps run on our hosted engine. Only the data needed to run those steps is sent, and only when you opt in.
You can mix both modes on the same site. If you never use Cloud, the plugin never contacts our platform at all.
Your API keys never leave WordPress
Whichever mode you use, your own AI provider keys are stored on your site and used only for direct calls from your server to the provider. They are never transmitted to us, even when a workflow runs in Cloud mode.
Keys, OAuth tokens, and other node credentials are encrypted at rest in your WordPress database using AES-256-GCM authenticated encryption. The encryption key is anchored to your site’s own WordPress security salt, so a database dump on its own does not expose your secrets.
If your host is missing the PHP OpenSSL extension, the plugin shows an admin notice so you can fix it. See Your data and API keys for exactly what is stored and what each mode sends.
What Cloud mode sends
When you switch a workflow to Cloud, or use keyless credits, the input and configuration needed to run those steps is sent to our hosted engine, which calls the AI provider with our keys on your behalf. Callbacks from our engine back to your site are signed and verified, so your site only accepts genuine responses from the cloud engine.
A small number of features rely on named third-party services (for example web scraping, document parsing, media generation, and app connections). Each is only contacted when you add the matching node or opt in. The full list is disclosed in Your data and API keys and in the plugin’s External Services notice on WordPress.org.
Access control
Building and editing workflows requires a WordPress administrator capability, the same permission model WordPress uses for any sensitive setting. All input is sanitized and all output is escaped following WordPress security standards.
The chat widget is designed to be exposed publicly on your site, so it is bounded on purpose. Agent tools run inside a governed loop with per-tool approval gates and rate limits, and any conversation can be handed off to a human. See Agent actions and tools and the Operator Inbox.
Staying fully local
If your policy is that no data may leave your server, keep every workflow on Local, use your own provider key (BYOK), and avoid the cloud-only nodes. Your workflows, settings, and run history live in your WordPress database and stay there. See Local vs Cloud execution.