Off until you turn it on
Web search is an explicit opt-in: the first time the assistant wants to search, it asks with the exact query on screen (approving that first search turns web search on), and the Enable web search switch at the top of Settings → AI Assistant → Web Search turns it on or off anytime. When it is off, nothing in nenva sends queries to the web: the assistant answers from the model alone, and News and routines work from local data only.
When enabled, the built-in option is nenva Connect (api.anjadhe.com), a small relay nenva runs, which forwards the query to a search provider and returns the results. 300 searches a month are included, with no account to create and no key to paste.
What the relay sees, and what it keeps
A web search means the query leaves your Mac; the relay is built so that is all that happens:
- It doesn't keep your queries. It stores a count of searches per installation, not the queries. Nothing you search is logged or kept. Its request logs carry no query text either.
- The search provider can't profile you. The search provider on the other side sees queries arriving from nenva's server, mixed in with everyone else's, not your name, account, or address.
- It doesn't know who you are. Your Mac identifies itself with a random token, not an account: no name, no email.
- You can check, not just believe. The relay's source code is public, so this can be checked rather than believed.
Documents, email, and notes never ride along. Only the query itself is sent.
Prefer nenva out of the loop? Use your own key
The Tavily and Brave Search cards (Settings → AI Assistant → Web Search) send searches straight from your Mac to that provider, with no nenva relay involved:
- Create a free account at tavily.com (email or Google; Tavily includes 1,000 searches a month, no credit card) and copy the API key from the dashboard, a long code starting with
tvly-. - In nenva, open Settings → AI Assistant → Web Search, click Manage on the Tavily card, paste the key on the card, Save Key, then Test.
The Brave Search card works the same way with a key from api.search.brave.com (Brave asks for a credit card at signup). Keys are stored encrypted on your Mac and never sync, so paste the key on each Mac you use. Whichever card is selected is where every search goes.
Check what left your machine
A Sources row under web-assisted answers lists what was searched and every page opened, and Settings → AI Assistant → Web Search Logs records every query that left your Mac, whichever provider handled it, so you can verify all of the above yourself.