Privacy policy
Rhythm & Focus for Google Docs · Last updated 18 October 2026
Rhythm & Focus ("the add-on") is made by Noel High, an independent developer in Adelaide, South Australia ("I", "me"). This policy explains what the add-on accesses, what it stores, and what it never does.
The short version
- The add-on runs entirely inside your own Google account, on Google's Apps Script platform.
- It does not send your writing, or anything else, to me or to any third party.
- It contains no AI and does not use your content to train anything.
- It does not use cookies, analytics, advertising or tracking.
- I do not collect, see, sell or share your data.
What the add-on accesses
When you open the add-on in a Google Doc, it uses the Google permission "View and manage documents that this application has been installed in" to read the text of that document only. It reads the text to count words and sentences, measure sentence lengths, and find repeated words. When you choose to highlight, it changes the background colour of text in that document, and "Clear" removes only the colours it added. It cannot access any of your other files.
It also uses "Display and run third-party web content in prompts and sidebars" to show its sidebar inside Google Docs.
When you install the add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace, Google also asks you to share your basic profile information (your name, email address and profile picture). Google adds this to every Marketplace app by default. Rhythm & Focus's code never reads, stores or uses this information.
It does not access your contacts, Google Drive, Gmail or any other Google service, and it cannot open any document you haven't opened it in.
What the add-on stores, and where
| Data | Where it's kept | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Your settings (colour choices and strength, sentence bands, echo options, timer lengths, chimes, daily goal, appearance) | Google Apps Script user properties in your Google account | To remember your preferences |
| Daily word counts, completed Pomodoro sessions, and an internal ID for each document you use it in | Google Apps Script user properties in your Google account | To show your daily goal progress, streak and 7-day history. Entries older than about 400 days are deleted automatically |
| Internal IDs of the flat-stretch underlines it added | Google Apps Script user properties, plus a named marker in the document itself | So Clear and Settings can remove exactly the underlines the add-on added, and nothing else |
| Current timer state and your light/dark choice | Your browser's local storage | So a running timer survives closing and reopening the sidebar, and the sidebar opens in the right theme |
The add-on stores counts, not your writing. The text of your documents stays in your documents. This stored data is private to your Google account and is not accessible to me.
How your data is protected
- Nothing leaves Google's systems. The add-on has no servers of its own and makes no requests to outside services. All processing happens inside Google Apps Script while you have the document open.
- Encrypted in transit and at rest. The sidebar talks to the add-on's code only over Google's encrypted HTTPS connections. Your document and the add-on's stored settings and counts live in Google's infrastructure, which encrypts data at rest.
- Access limited to you. Stored settings and counts are kept in Apps Script user properties, which only your own Google account can read. I (the developer) cannot see, open or export them, and no one else can.
- Minimum data, minimum permissions. The add-on asks only for access to the document you open it in, and keeps only counts and settings, never the text of your writing.
- No human access, no AI training. No person reads your documents, and neither your documents nor any data from Google APIs is used to develop, improve or train AI or machine-learning models.
- Retention. Daily counts older than about 400 days are deleted automatically. Settings stay in your own account until you choose Reset to defaults, or email me and I'll walk you through clearing everything.
- If something goes wrong. If I ever learn of a security problem affecting the add-on, I'll fix it promptly and post a notice on this page and the support page.
Google API Services User Data Policy
Rhythm & Focus's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Data is used only to provide the add-on's user-facing features to you. It is never transferred or sold, never used for advertising, credit decisions or any purpose unrelated to the add-on, and never used to develop, improve or train generalised AI or machine-learning models.
Removing your data
To stop the add-on accessing your documents, uninstall it, or remove its access at myaccount.google.com/permissions. Highlights it added can be removed beforehand with Clear. Its stored settings and counts are tied to your Google account and can be cleared with Reset to defaults in Settings. If you'd like help removing anything, email me.
Children
The add-on is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect information from them.
Changes
If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted on this page with a new date.
Contact
Questions about privacy: norielle.rubillar@gmail.com