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Transparency mode controls whether redacted session transcripts are written to the git orphan branch alongside anchor metadata.

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Transparency Modes

Oobo supports two modes: 
pub enum TransparencyMode {
    /// Metadata only — no transcripts on the orphan branch.
    Off,
    /// Metadata + redacted transcripts on the orphan branch.
    On,
}

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Off (Default)

What syncs:
  • Anchor metadata (commit hash, branch, author, stats)
  • Session links (session ID, agent, model, token counts)
  • File attribution data
What stays local:
  • Full session transcripts (conversations)
  • Tool-specific metadata
This is the default and recommended mode for most users.
With transparency off, anchor metadata still syncs via git — you get commit-session links, token usage, and attribution across machines. Only the conversation content stays local.

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On

What syncs:
  • Everything from off mode
  • Redacted session transcripts for each linked session
Privacy safeguards:
  • Transcripts are scrubbed with gitleaks patterns before writing
  • Secrets like API keys, tokens, passwords are stripped
  • Redaction happens before any data touches the orphan branch
Transparency on makes session conversations part of your git history. Once pushed, transcripts can be cloned by anyone with repo access. Use this mode only in trusted environments.

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What Goes on the Orphan Branch

The oobo/anchors/v1 orphan branch stores anchor data in a sharded directory structure: 
oobo/anchors/v1
├── c8/
│   └── e12fa9b3d4.../
│       ├── metadata.json       # Anchor metadata (always written)
│       ├── 1/
│       │   ├── metadata.json   # Session link metadata (always written)
│       │   └── transcript.txt  # Redacted transcript (only if transparency=on)
│       └── 2/
│           ├── metadata.json
│           └── transcript.txt  # (only if transparency=on)

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Always Written (Both Modes)

Anchor metadata.json: 
{
  "oobo_version": "0.1.0",
  "commit_hash": "c8e12fa9...",
  "branch": "main",
  "author": "Alice <[email protected]>",
  "author_type": "assisted",
  "contributors": [...],
  "committed_at": 1700000000,
  "message": "feat: add widget",
  "files_changed": ["src/widget.rs"],
  "lines_added": 42,
  "lines_deleted": 5,
  "ai_lines_added": 40,
  "human_lines_added": 2,
  "ai_percentage": 85.1,
  "session_ids": ["2c97dced-3950-482e-b101-9eb7d1b18cf5"],
  "transparency_mode": "off"
}
Session link 1/metadata.json: 
{
  "session_id": "2c97dced-3950-482e-b101-9eb7d1b18cf5",
  "agent": "cursor",
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
  "link_type": "explicit",
  "input_tokens": 15000,
  "output_tokens": 8000,
  "duration_secs": 120,
  "tool_calls": 5,
  "files_touched": ["src/widget.rs"],
  "is_subagent": false
}

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Only When Transparency = On

Session transcript 1/transcript.txt: 
User:
Add a widget module with basic CRUD operations.

Assistant (cursor):
I'll create a new widget module with create, read, update, and delete functions.

[file: src/widget.rs]
...

User:
Add validation for widget names.

Assistant (cursor):
Adding input validation to the create function...
Transcripts are:
  • Redacted using gitleaks patterns
  • Formatted as plain text for readability
  • Truncated if they exceed reasonable size limits

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Toggling Transparency

Edit ~/.oobo/config.toml: 
[transparency]
mode = "on"  # or "off"
Or use the setup wizard: 
oobo setup
Changing transparency mode affects new commits only. Existing anchors on the orphan branch are not modified.

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Privacy Implications

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Transparency Off

Local storage:
  • Sessions: ~/.oobo/oobo.db (SQLite)
  • Transcripts: Tool-specific storage (Cursor, Claude, etc.)
Git storage:
  • Anchors: Metadata only on oobo/anchors/v1 branch
  • Session links: Agent, model, tokens, files touched
Who can see what:
  • You: Full session history via oobo sessions
  • Collaborators: Commit-session links, token stats, attribution percentages
  • Repo clones: Same as collaborators (metadata only)

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Transparency On

Local storage:
  • Same as off
Git storage:
  • Anchors: Metadata + redacted transcripts on oobo/anchors/v1
Who can see what:
  • You: Full session history (local DB + git)
  • Collaborators: Metadata + conversation content (redacted)
  • Repo clones: Same as collaborators (transcripts are part of git history)
Important: With transparency on, anyone who clones the repo can read session transcripts. Even though they’re redacted, they may contain:
  • Problem descriptions and debugging steps
  • Code architecture discussions
  • File names and function signatures
  • AI model reasoning and suggestions
Only enable transparency if you trust everyone with repo access.

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Use Cases

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When to Use Off (Default)

  • Open source projects: Keep conversations private, share only metadata
  • Company repos: Avoid leaking internal discussions
  • Solo projects: No need to sync transcripts across machines
  • Default safe choice: Maximizes privacy while preserving attribution

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When to Use On

  • Team learning: Share AI collaboration context with teammates
  • Onboarding: Let new devs see how problems were solved
  • Research: Document AI-assisted development process
  • Trusted environments: Private repos where all members should see conversations

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Secret Redaction

When transparency is on, oobo uses gitleaks patterns to strip secrets before writing transcripts: Redacted patterns:
  • API keys (AWS, GCP, Azure, OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
  • Passwords and authentication tokens
  • Private keys (SSH, PGP, TLS)
  • Database connection strings
  • OAuth tokens and JWTs
Example: 
- export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-proj-abc123def456...
+ export OPENAI_API_KEY=[REDACTED]
Redaction is best-effort. Always review transcripts manually before enabling transparency on sensitive repos. Custom secret formats may not be caught.

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Config Protection

Regardless of transparency mode, oobo protects local config: 
chmod 0600 ~/.oobo/config.toml  # applied automatically
API keys in config.toml never leave your machine unless you explicitly use them with oobo share or configure an endpoint.

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Checking Current Mode

oobo dash                        # shows current transparency setting
oobo anchors                     # each anchor displays its transparency mode
oobo anchors --agent             # machine-readable JSON

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