Last updated: April 26, 2026
WaxStax is designed to keep your collection on your device. There is no WaxStax server, no account, no telemetry, and no analytics. The two outbound services WaxStax uses — Anthropic for vision identification and Discogs for metadata — are called directly from your phone using your own API keys. This page explains exactly what is sent, where, and why.
WaxStax makes outbound calls only to the following domains, and only when you trigger them by tapping IDENTIFY or refreshing pricing.
When you tap IDENTIFY, one camera still (a portrait-oriented JPEG, ~85% quality) is sent to Anthropic's Messages API along with a short prompt asking Claude Haiku 4.5 to identify the record. The request is authenticated with your Anthropic API key (stored in iOS Keychain). Anthropic returns a structured tool-use response containing artist, title, label, catalog number, year, country, confidence, and a one-sentence reason. The image and response are not stored anywhere outside the active scan session.
After Claude returns, the text fields (catalog number, artist, title, label) are sent to Discogs's Search API to find a canonical release. The request is authenticated with your Discogs personal access token (stored in iOS Keychain). On confirm, additional calls fetch full release metadata and marketplace pricing. Pricing is re-fetched at most once per 24 hours per release unless you explicitly refresh.
Cover art is downloaded from Discogs's image CDN once per record and cached locally in WaxStax's app support directory. The cached file path is stored in your collection database; the image bytes are not.
No other domains are contacted. The live camera preview never leaves the device — only the explicit shutter still is sent to Anthropic.
All of the above is included in iCloud and iTunes device backups if you have those enabled. WaxStax does not opt your data into iCloud sync — there is no CloudKit integration.
When WaxStax calls Anthropic and Discogs on your behalf, those services' privacy policies apply to the data they receive:
WaxStax has no contractual relationship with either service that involves your data — you are calling them directly using your own credentials, exactly as if you were using their APIs from a script.
You can revoke these permissions at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy. Without camera access, you can still browse your collection and export — just not scan new records.
WaxStax includes an export feature that writes your collection to a CSV, JSON, or XLSX file and routes it through the iOS share sheet. Sharing is initiated only by you, and the file goes to the destination you choose — Files, email, AirDrop, the Discogs website (where you'd manually upload it). WaxStax does not have access to where you send exported files.
There is no server-side WaxStax data to delete because there is no WaxStax server.
WaxStax is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect any information from children. Since the app collects no data at all, no special provisions are necessary.
If this policy changes, the "Last updated" date at the top of the page will be updated. Significant changes will be communicated through an in-app notice on first launch after the change.
Questions about privacy?
If you have questions or concerns about this policy, get in touch.
craig@psiloops.com