Settings

Two things are on by default, each with its own switch under General: Send crash reports and Send usage analytics. What each one contains is on the main FAQ and the privacy page.

Turning analytics off stops sending straight away. Crash reporting changes take effect the next time Hydra starts, because a crash reporter that is already running cannot be half-stopped.

It reopens the workspace and connection you last had selected. Turning it off also forgets the stored session.

Yes. Export Library… writes your workspaces, connections, accounts, tags and tunnels to a JSON file, and Import Library… adds them on the other Mac. Passwords, keys and tokens are not in the file: they stay in your keychain, and you re-enter them after importing. Importing adds what is missing and never overwrites.

Connection timeout is 10 seconds by default, adjustable from 5 to 120. It applies to Test Connection, opening a connection, terminals and tunnels.

Into the workspace you have selected, unless you turn off Add new connections to the selected workspace, in which case they go to the default workspace.

1,000 per page by default. Change it with the rows-per-page menu in the database tab's browse bar: 100, 500, 1,000, 2,000 or 5,000.

Because they change lines you did not edit, which shows up in other people's diffs. Turn them on if you want them.

With Keep unsaved changes for recovery on (the default), unsaved edits are saved on your Mac a couple of seconds after you stop typing, and offered back when you reopen the file. They stay on this Mac, readable only by your account, and nothing is uploaded until you save. A draft is removed when you save or discard the document, and Delete… next to Recovery data removes them all.

Above 2 MB syntax highlighting is switched off so scrolling stays smooth. Above 8 MB, When opening decides: ask, open with highlighting off, or don't open. Files over 64 MB are never opened in the editor.

UTF-8, and it keeps a file's existing encoding and line endings when it saves. Default encoding is only used for a file with no byte-order mark that is not valid UTF-8. You can change a single document's encoding from its status bar.

SSH keep-alive sends a small message every 30 seconds by default, which stops routers and firewalls dropping quiet sessions and tunnels. You can choose 15 or 60 seconds, or turn it off. It applies to new connections.

Yes, with Offer keys from the SSH agent (on by default). Agent keys are tried after a credential's own key and before its password. Leave Agent socket empty to use the agent macOS provides, or point it at another one such as 1Password's.

The App Store version cannot reach an SSH agent: the sandbox does not allow it.

Yes: font size, a theme (System, Dark, Solarized Dark or Light) and the cursor shape. Changes apply to terminals that are already open.

The database tab's: Run Query, Refresh Data, Insert Row, Apply Pending Changes, previous and next result set, and switching between results and messages. Click a shortcut in Settings › Shortcuts and press the new keys; Reset All puts them back. Help › Keyboard Shortcuts lists everything else.

With Sync passwords through iCloud Keychain on (the default), new passwords, access keys and API tokens follow you through iCloud Keychain. Turn it off and new ones stay on this Mac; anything already synced stays where it is until you re-enter it.

Some things never sync, whatever that switch says: SSH private keys and their passphrases, AI provider keys, and the tokens used by automation.

Settings › Security lists every SSH host key and TLS certificate you have chosen to trust, and every SSH tunnel's bastion key. Remove one and Hydra asks again the next time you connect.

It reads ~/.ssh/known_hosts and trusts a key listed there without asking. It never writes to it. The App Store version cannot read it.

It runs in the macOS sandbox, which only lets it reach folders you have granted. Downloads and Hydra's own storage are always available; use Add Folder… or Grant Home Folder… for the rest. Grants stay on this Mac. The direct-download version has no such pane because it is not sandboxed.

Only if you choose a provider. Provider is Off by default. The choices are Apple's on-device model, a local server of your own (Ollama, LM Studio or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint), or the Anthropic or OpenAI API with your own key.

Into this Mac's keychain. It is never shown again or logged, and it does not sync to your other Macs. Prompts go to the provider you chose, under your key, and nowhere else. With Apple's on-device model or a local server, nothing leaves your Mac or network.

When agents may use Hydra, how to connect one, which programs you have allowed, and what they may touch. It has its own page: Agents and automation.

In Settings › License, paste the key from your receipt (it starts with S3-), or use Import File… for the license file. The email address is optional and only helps support find your order. The license is kept in your keychain and follows you to your other Macs through iCloud.

No. Your existing key is extended. Open Settings › License and it checks straight away; it also checks every time Hydra starts. The Free updates until date moves forward to match.

Turn on Enable debug logging in Settings › Logging, then switch on the channels for the area with the problem (a database type, SFTP, S3, keychain and so on). Messages go to macOS's own log, under com.hankinsoft.devstudio in Console.app. Nothing is written to a file or sent anywhere by this setting.