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Beekeeper Studio includes optional AI-powered features such as AI Shell. This page explains exactly how these features work and what happens to your data.
How AI Features Work
Beekeeper Studio’s AI features connect directly from the desktop application to the AI provider. There are no Beekeeper Studio servers in between.
When you use an AI feature:
- Your request goes directly from your device to the AI provider (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic)
- The response comes directly back to your device
- Beekeeper Studio never sees, logs, or stores any part of this exchange
We do not operate AI proxy servers, middleware, or any infrastructure that touches your AI interactions.
Your Keys, Your Control
All AI features require your own API key from your chosen AI provider. Beekeeper Studio does not provide shared or pooled AI access. This means:
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You choose the provider and are subject to your own agreement with them
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You control costs through your own API account
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You can revoke access at any time by removing your key
What We Don’t Do
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No background AI processing — We never send your data to an AI provider unless you explicitly trigger an AI feature
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No data collection — We do not collect, log, or transmit your AI prompts, responses, or usage patterns to our servers
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No training — Your data is never used to train, fine-tune, or improve any AI model, by us or by any vendor on our behalf
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No customer data in our AI use — Our development team uses AI for coding and documentation, but customer data is never shared with any AI system. This is prohibited by our internal Responsible AI Policy
AI Shell
AI Shell is Beekeeper Studio’s AI-powered SQL assistant. It can generate and execute SQL queries on your behalf, with the following safeguards:
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Explicit permission required — AI Shell can only run SQL after you review and approve it. All generated SQL is shown to you before execution; nothing runs automatically.
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Full preview — You can inspect, edit, or reject any AI-generated query before it touches your database.
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Can be fully disabled — AI Shell can be turned off entirely via application settings. If your organization’s internal policies prohibit AI tools interacting with databases, you can disable this feature and it will not appear in the interface.
Like all AI features, AI Shell connects directly to your chosen AI provider using your own API key. Beekeeper Studio servers are not involved.
For more details on what data AI Shell sends to AI providers, see the AI Shell Data Privacy documentation.
Opt-In Only
AI features are disabled by default. You must explicitly enable them and provide your own API key before any AI functionality activates. If you never enable AI features, no data ever reaches an AI provider through Beekeeper Studio.
Your Responsibility
Because you connect directly to AI providers with your own keys, we recommend you review your provider’s policies on:
- Whether API inputs are used for model training (most major providers do not use API data for training by default)
- Data retention periods for API requests
- Geographic data processing locations
Questions
If you have questions about AI in Beekeeper Studio, contact us at support@beekeeperstudio.io.
