One download, then it works with the network switched off.
A hosted AI chat is a website: no connection, no conversation. privstory needs the network exactly once, to fetch the models a module uses. After that you can pull the cable out, put the laptop in airplane mode, and keep going as though nothing happened.
What the one-time download is
privstory ships with no models of its own. A module specifies a chat model and an image model, and the first time you use it the app downloads those weights. It's the largest thing you'll transfer, and it happens once per module.
From then on the weights are files on your disk. The app never re-fetches them, and there is no periodic check-in that would quietly require a connection later.
What still works with no connection
Everything the app does. Creating a character from a one-line brief, generating their persona and portrait, opening scenes, chatting with streamed replies, and repainting scene backdrops all run locally against models already on the disk.
Your library works offline too, because it was never remote: characters, scenes and transcripts live in a local database. Reopening a scene from last month doesn't fetch anything.
The one optional exception
If you enter a license key, the app makes a lightweight validation check. That's the only network call that exists after the model download, it carries nothing about your characters or conversations, and the free version never makes it at all.
This means offline isn't a degraded mode with features quietly disabled. It's the same application doing the same work, because a connection was never part of how it works.
Why that matters beyond convenience
Offline capability and privacy are the same property seen from two angles. An app that can run with the network off is an app that demonstrably isn't sending your conversations anywhere, you can verify it yourself in a way no privacy policy allows.
It also means the app doesn't depend on anyone staying in business. A hosted character chat ends when its servers do. This one keeps working as long as your computer does.
Common questions.
Can I really use it with no internet at all?
Yes. After the one-time model download, you can disconnect entirely and keep creating characters, chatting, and generating images, because the models live on your machine and there is no server to reach.
How large is the initial download?
It depends on the module, since the module supplies both the chat model and the image model. Larger, higher-quality models mean a bigger download and higher memory requirements.
Does the app phone home periodically?
No. There is no telemetry and no scheduled check-in. The only call after the model download is an optional license validation, and only if you have entered a key.
What if I want to use a different module later?
You will need a connection once more to download that module's weights, then it is offline again in the same way.