Is Kora Local-First and Offline?
Direct answer: Yes. Kora keeps your work in a SQLite database on your own Mac at
~/Library/Application Support/com.kora.app/kora.db, and it runs offline. Cloud
sync is opt-in and off by default on every plan — including the $7 Local tier,
so where your data lives is a setting you control, not something your price
determines. Cloud sync never carries audio; the only path by which audio leaves your
machine is a review link you deliberately create.
Most tools that call themselves local-first mean “we cache things locally.” This means the file is on your disk, in a format you can open, and the app works when the network does not.
What works with no connection at all
Everything that is not, by definition, a network feature:
- Projects, albums, contacts, tasks, goals and notes — read and write
- Focus Flow sessions, the priority engine and time logging
- Watch folders, DAW detection and session launching
- The naming engine and filename parser
- Export Flow’s delivery profiles, naming templates, folder recipes and preflight
- Key Shift Pro’s batch pitch-shifting — the audio engine is Apple-native and on-device
- Kai’s local engine, which is the default and never contacts the network
Kai deserves a specific note: local is not a degraded fallback mode. The engine
defaults to local, the Local tier never touches the network, and when a cloud call
fails the chain falls back to the local engine rather than erroring.
What needs a connection
Only the things that are inherently networked: cloud sync, Gmail and calendar integration, Dropbox and Google Drive delivery, cloud AI requests, and review links.
Subscription status is also verified against the network — with an important caveat below.
Where exactly is my data?
| Database | ~/Library/Application Support/com.kora.app/kora.db (SQLite) |
| Your audio and DAW sessions | Wherever you already keep them. Kora indexes paths; it does not copy files into its own store |
| Credentials | macOS Keychain, service com.kora.app |
Not uploaded by sync: audio and DAW file bytes, the audio library index, waveform and QC caches, and watch-folder configuration. Cloud sync carries records, not files.
The one exception, stated plainly: creating a review link uploads that audio, because a review link is a thing you send someone to listen to. That is the only path by which audio leaves your machine, it happens only when you deliberately create one, and it applies to that file alone. The accurate claim is audio never leaves your machine except when you create a review link — not audio is never uploaded.
A second, smaller one: if you enable cloud sync, your configured DAW application paths sync too. So nothing about your files leaves your machine would also be wrong — the paths do.
What happens if I go offline mid-subscription?
You keep working. Kora persists your entitlement so a restart without a connection does not lock you out of your own data — but the grace is bounded, and the bounds matter more than the headline:
| How long | Up to 14 days, and never past the end of your current billing period — whichever comes first |
| What you get | The Local plan’s features. Your actual plan cannot be verified offline, so it is not assumed |
| What still needs a connection | Signing in the first time, and roughly once a fortnight so Kora can confirm the subscription is active |
So it is works offline, not works without an account, and not indefinitely.
Worth calling out because it was not always true. Until July 2026 the entitlement check failed closed on a cold start, which meant a paying subscriber opening Kora on a plane could meet a paywall in front of data sitting on their own disk. That was a real defect and it is fixed. We document it rather than quietly moving on, because “local-first” is not a claim you get to make while a network check can lock someone out of their own work.
What if my laptop dies?
If cloud sync is on, your entity data restores to a new machine when you sign in, and a pre-sync snapshot is retained so you can roll back a bad sync.
If cloud sync is off — the default — Kora holds nothing for you, by design. Your
recovery story is whatever backs up your Mac. Time Machine or any full-disk backup
captures both kora.db and your audio, since both are ordinary files on your disk.
That is the trade local-first makes explicit: nobody else has your work, which also means nobody else can hand it back to you.
Frequently asked
Does Kora work offline?
Yes. Projects, albums, contacts, focus sessions, watch folders, the naming engine, Export Flow’s delivery workflow and Key Shift Pro all run with no connection. Only inherently networked features — sync, email, calendar, cloud delivery and cloud AI — need one.
Where does Kora store my data?
In a SQLite database at ~/Library/Application Support/com.kora.app/kora.db, with
credentials in the macOS Keychain. Your audio and DAW sessions stay wherever you keep
them — Kora indexes their paths rather than copying them.
Is cloud sync required?
No. It is opt-in and off by default on every plan, including the $7 Local tier. Where your data lives is a setting you control rather than a plan boundary.
Will Kora lock me out if I am offline?
Not immediately. Your entitlement persists for up to 14 days offline — and never past the end of your billing period — running the Local plan’s features while it cannot verify which plan you are on. You need a connection to sign in, and roughly once a fortnight after that.
Does my audio ever get uploaded?
Only when you create a review link, which uploads that specific file so the person you send it to can listen. Cloud sync never carries audio, and Kai reads names, dates and statuses — never audio content.
What happens to my data if I stop subscribing?
It stays on your machine. Kora is the software that reads and organises your data, not the thing holding it, so cancelling removes access to the app rather than to your files.
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