Annex
Real-time file encryption for the age of AI agents.
AI assistants and autonomous agents have broad file access on your machine. They can read credentials, PII, proprietary code, and sensitive documents. Annex encrypts your sensitive files during active sessions so AI tools can't read them, without breaking your workflow.
See It In Action
Interactive demo. Click through to explore the full workflow
How It Works
Select Files
Choose which files or folders to protect. Annex encrypts exactly what you point it to — nothing more.
Start Session
Initiate a protected session. Your files are encrypted locally with AES-256-GCM and originals are securely overwritten.
Work Freely
Your files are encrypted on disk — invisible to AI assistants and other applications. Everything else works normally.
End Session
Enter your PIN to decrypt and restore files to their original state. The PIN ensures no AI agent can end a session on your behalf.
The Problem
Your AI assistant can scan client documents. Your code copilot can read your .env files. There's no gate between “files AI should see” and “files it shouldn't.”
Existing solutions don't work. VMs are expensive and complex. Sandboxes are breakable — Anthropic's own red team demonstrated that AI models can autonomously discover VM escape vulnerabilities. Full-disk encryption only protects when the machine is off. Nothing addresses the “AI can read my files while I'm using it” problem. Annex does.
Security Features
AES-256-GCM Encryption
The same authenticated encryption standard used by governments and financial institutions. 2^256 possible keys — more than atoms in the observable universe.
Secure File Deletion
Multi-pass random overwrite, OS-level block deallocation, file rename, then delete. AI tools cannot recover originals from disk.
Recoverable Keys
Keys are deterministic and recreatable from your recovery codes, so losing access to your account doesn't have to mean losing access to your files.
Editor Cache Detection
Scans for common editor artifacts (.swp, .bak, Copilot caches) that could leak plaintext to AI tools and works to clean up what it finds.
Memory Zeroization
Annex actively works to wipe key material from memory after use via the zeroize crate. Keys, PINs, and buffers are zeroed on drop.
Crash Recovery
If the app closes unexpectedly mid-session, Annex attempts to recover and resume on next launch using server-side session state.
Example: CPA Firm
A CPA firm uses AI tools for research and drafting. Their client files contain SSNs, tax returns, and financial records. With Annex: encrypt the client PII files, work freely on public documents with AI tools, then decrypt when direct access is needed. The AI never sees a single SSN.
Ready to protect your files?
Start encrypting sensitive data in minutes. Available on macOS, Windows, and Linux.