---
title: "FAQ, as markdown"
description: "Every question and answer from the FAQ page, in one flat document."
canonical: "https://www.diali.ai/faq.md"
---

# Diali FAQ

Every question and answer from https://www.diali.ai/faq, in one document.

## What is Diali?

Diali is a managed hosting platform for personal AI assistants. You create and configure an always-on AI assistant (its personality, what it's for, which features it has) and Diali runs it for you on secure infrastructure. You reach your assistant inside a messaging app you already use. No code, no servers, no DevOps.

## Who is Diali for?

Individuals who want a capable, always-available personal AI assistant without managing any of the technical plumbing. Accounts are for a single person. There are no teams, shared seats, or admin roles in the current version.

## What can an assistant actually do?

Depending on the assistant type and the features you enable, it can hold conversations, help with tasks, use voice, connect to tools and services you authorise, and (where you enable it) send messages and place calls on your behalf. What it can do is shaped by the assistant type, the skills you turn on, and the AI provider you connect.

## What are "openclaw" and "hermes"?

They are the two assistant engines you can run, and you pick one per assistant. OpenClaw connects to your messaging channels and gets on with tasks by itself, and it is the one that can place phone calls. Hermes is the conversational daily driver, built around memory and proactive help. Both take community skills, both reach the same eight chat apps, and nothing stops you running one of each.

## Do you build the AI model?

No. Diali provides the hosting and the assistant runtime. By default your assistant runs on managed models paid from the AI credits included with your plan, and you can connect your own AI-provider key instead if you prefer. We host and operate; we don't build the underlying model.

## Can my assistants work together?

Yes. You can pair two assistants so they can message each other and ask for help, and you can read the whole exchange from your dashboard. You can also connect an outside A2A agent with a token you mint in the dashboard. You choose which assistants and agents are connected, so nothing talks to anything you have not connected.

## How do I set up an assistant?

Create an account, go through the onboarding wizard (pick an assistant type, personality, use-cases, and features), and connect a channel. Diali provisions and starts your assistant. It runs on the AI credits included with your plan from the first message; connecting your own AI-provider key is optional.

## Which messaging channels are supported?

Telegram, WhatsApp (QR, or Business on Hermes), Discord, Slack, Mattermost, Matrix, LINE, and Google Chat are live today, plus SMS on both engines and voice calls on OpenClaw. Check the in-product list for what’s available for your assistant’s engine.

## Can my assistant make phone calls or send texts?

Yes, where you enable it. Voice calls run on your own Twilio, Telnyx or Plivo account (OpenClaw assistants), and SMS on your own Twilio number. If your assistant contacts other people, you’re responsible for having the right to contact them and for complying with the law that applies to automated calls and messages (see "Is there anything I’m responsible for?" under Legal & compliance).

## Do I need any technical skills?

No. Setup is guided, and Diali runs the servers for you. When an update is ready, you install it from your dashboard with one click.

## What happens when OpenClaw or Hermes releases a new version?

We test each release on our own assistants first. When it passes, your dashboard shows "Update available" and you choose when to install it. Your assistant restarts briefly while it updates, and its configuration, channels and keys carry across. New assistants start on the latest tested version.

## Can my assistant send and understand voice notes?

Yes. It can transcribe the voice notes people send it, and answer with spoken ones, on your chat channels. Replies work with no setup using a free built-in voice, and you can connect your own speech provider for better voices or more accurate transcription. This is separate from phone calls, which are set up per channel.

## Can my assistant search the web?

Yes, out of the box. Web search works with no setup using a free built-in provider, though its capacity is limited. For reliable results at higher volume you can connect your own search provider: you add it once for your account, then give it to any assistant.

## Can I connect my own tools or MCP servers?

Yes. There is a directory of preconfigured MCP servers you can add in one click, most with nothing to set up beyond a sign-in, and you can add any MCP server of your own as well. Credentials are stored once for your account and granted per assistant, so each assistant only reaches what you have given it.

## Can I require my approval before my assistant acts?

Partly, on the Approvals tab of an OpenClaw assistant. Hard switches turn off messaging other people, using the browser or running code remotely: a switch that is off removes that tool. Shell commands can be off or allowed, and the safest choice is off. "Ask me first" exists too, but the tab itself warns it may let commands through on the current engine, so don't rely on it yet. Its conversations in your chat apps run in a working mode you pick, from read-only to full access. Hermes assistants have an approval mode and a timeout.

## How do I pay for the AI itself?

Three ways, and you choose. With Diali AI credits (the default) we handle the AI side for you: your plan comes with a balance of credits, your assistant spends a little each time it thinks, and you top up whenever you want. Or bring your own key: if you already have an account with an AI provider, plug it in and they bill you directly. Or use an AI plan you already pay for, like ChatGPT or SuperGrok: your assistant signs in to it and the plan's own limits apply.

## What are Diali AI credits?

Think of them like prepaid mobile data. Your plan includes a credit balance that refreshes each billing period, and your assistant uses a small amount every time it answers you. You can see exactly what you have spent (which model, how much, and when) on your usage page, and top up in a couple of clicks. If the balance runs out, your assistant simply tells you it cannot reach a model right now: nothing is deleted, your subscription carries on, and topping up brings it straight back.

## What does "bring your own key" mean?

Your assistant runs on your own account with an AI provider (like Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google). You give Diali a key for that provider, your assistant uses it, and the provider bills you directly for that usage. Your Diali plan then covers hosting alone.

## Which AI providers can I connect?

On both engines: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, OpenRouter and xAI. DeepSeek works on Hermes; Mistral, Groq, Chutes and self-hosted Ollama work on OpenClaw. A Perplexity key powers web search rather than chat. The current list is shown in the product.

## Why would I bring my own key instead of using credits?

Mostly if you already have a provider account you want to keep using, or you want the AI relationship and its costs to sit directly with the provider rather than on your Diali bill. Credits are simpler and are the default; bringing your own key gives you a direct relationship. You can switch between them.

## How is my API key stored?

If you bring your own key, it is encrypted (AES-256) and stored as a secret in Google Secret Manager. Your running assistant receives it inside its own isolated environment so it can call your provider, and Diali staff don't use your key to read your conversations. We validate a key when you add it, to confirm it works. With Diali AI credits there is no key for you to manage at all.

## Can my assistant use my ChatGPT or SuperGrok plan?

Yes. Choose “My AI plan” for a model, then sign your assistant in from its AI models tab: Diali shows a one-time code, you enter it on the provider's own page, and your assistant keeps the sign-in itself. Diali never sees your password, and the sign-in stays with your assistant, not in our database. It works with ChatGPT, SuperGrok (X Premium+) and the MiniMax Token Plan on both engines, and with Nous Portal on Hermes. Your plan's own limits apply and your hosting plan is billed as usual; Diali AI credits are used only if you tick the credits fallback. Claude and Gemini plans can't be used: their terms don't allow a hosted service.

## Does every assistant have a browser?

Yes. Every assistant, on every plan, has its own private Chromium browser hosted in the EU, at no extra cost. It keeps its own profile, so sign-ins and site data survive restarts. You manage it from the assistant's Browser tab, where you can also watch it live.

## Which driver should I pick?

Built-in suits most people: one action per step, easy to follow. Browser Use suits long, repetitive jobs; on Hermes it writes short scripts, and on OpenClaw it offers Browser Use's tool set. Playwright MCP is for prompts and skills already written for Playwright. You can switch at any time, and the assistant restarts once.

## How do I sign my assistant in to my accounts?

Two ways. In the assistant's Browser tab, press Watch live, take control and sign in yourself, the way you always do. Or export the site's cookies with an extension such as Cookie-Editor, choose Log the assistant in as me, paste the export, review the sites and confirm: it applies straight away, with no restart. Both work only on an assistant no one else can message.

## Is it safe to import my cookies?

Diali doesn't keep the cookies: they go straight to your assistant's private browser and expire within 30 days at most. Diali keeps only the list of sites, the count and the expiry date. The assistant, and the AI model behind it, can read them, so import only accounts you're comfortable letting it use. Import is refused on assistants other people can message.

## Why was my assistant signed out again?

Some sites tie a sign-in to your device or network and end it when it's used from somewhere else. Imported cookies also expire after the period you chose, 30 days at most. Sign in again with a fresh export. If a site keeps signing the assistant out, it probably doesn't allow automated access.

## Can I block sites or add an ad blocker?

Yes. In the Browser tab you can list sites the browser should never open, or allow only a short list. You can also turn on uBlock Origin Lite and a cookie banner dismisser; both are off by default. Site lists are a convenience, not a security boundary: an assistant that can run commands can still reach the web in other ways.

## What changes if my assistant has a Computer?

With its Computer turned on, the assistant browses in its desktop's browser, which you watch from Computers. Blocked sites, the page scripting switch and the drivers work there too. Sign-in import, allowed-only lists and extensions need the private browser, so they aren't available while its Computer is on.

## Can I use my own proxy or a cloud browser?

Not yet. Routing the browser through your own proxy, and cloud browsers run on your own Browser Use account, aren't available to customers today. We'll announce them on this page when they are.

## Does Diali read or store my conversations?

Diali does not read your conversations or use them to train models, but it does store some of them. Chats in your messaging apps stay in your assistant's own workspace. Diali stores your dashboard chats and the messages between your assistants so you can see your history across devices, the results of your automations so you can read past runs, and backups if you turned them on. Deleting a thread removes it from your history, and closing your account erases all of it. When you use Diali AI credits, your messages pass through our systems on the way to the AI provider, and we record only the billing basics: which model, how much it cost, and whether it worked. If you plug in a memory service of your own, such as Honcho, Mem0 or Supermemory, your assistant's memories are kept in that account.

## Do you train AI models on my data?

No. Diali does not use your data to train models. Note that your chosen AI provider's own training practices are governed by that provider's terms, worth reviewing when you pick one.

## Do you sell my data?

No. Diali does not sell your personal data and does not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising.

## What personal data does Diali actually collect?

In short: your account details (name, email, a securely hashed password), sign-in identifiers if you use Google/GitHub/GitLab, session and security information, billing metadata (via Stripe, not your full card number), your assistant configuration, your encrypted AI-provider key, and channel connection details. The full list is in the Privacy Policy.

## Where is my data stored?

Primarily in the EU: your assistants and our database on Google Cloud in Belgium, and cloud computers on AWS in Ireland. API keys sit in Google Secret Manager, which may keep copies in regions outside the EU. Some service providers we use (payments, email, error monitoring) are based in or transfer data to the US and elsewhere; the Privacy Policy explains the safeguards. Phone calls run on your own Twilio, Telnyx or Plivo account and SMS on your own Twilio number, under your agreement with that provider.

## My assistant messages other people. What about their privacy?

If your assistant contacts other people (by message or call), their information is handled to deliver that communication. You are responsible for having a lawful reason to contact them. Our terms require your assistant to say it is an AI and to stop contacting anyone who asks it to. Diali doesn't add that notice for you, so put it in its personality or greeting.

## Will people know they're talking to an AI?

They must: our terms require an assistant to say it is an AI to the people it talks to, and never let anyone believe they are talking to a human. Diali doesn't add that notice by itself today, so put it in your assistant's personality or its greeting.

## How does Diali protect my account and data?

Passwords are stored as strong one-way hashes (argon2id), never in plain text. AI-provider keys and other secrets are encrypted (AES-256) in Google Secret Manager. Traffic is protected in transit (TLS) and at the edge (Cloudflare), and secrets and card data are excluded from our logs.

## What happens if there's a data breach?

We work hard to prevent one. If a personal-data breach occurs, we notify the relevant authorities and affected people as required by law.

## Can Diali staff access my assistant or conversations?

Your dashboard chat is stored in our database so you can read it back; messages from your messaging apps, your assistant's memory and its files live on the assistant's own storage, and in its backups if you turned them on. No support tool opens any of them, and nobody at Diali reads them to operate the service. Engineers with infrastructure access could technically reach that data. We do not do so without your written approval on a support ticket; what we do read are system logs and error records, to find and fix problems. Staff actions in our admin console are audit-logged with the staff identity.

## Are community skills safe to install?

Skills come from a public community, so treat them the way you would any third-party code. Every skill in our catalog shows ClawHub's security review where one exists (a verdict, a plain-language summary of what the skill actually does, and the date it was checked) and says so when it hasn't been audited yet, all before you install. You choose which skills an assistant gets, and it runs them inside its own sandbox.

## How does pricing work?

Diali is sold as a per-assistant subscription. You pick a size for each assistant, plus any optional paid add-ons. See the in-product pricing page for current amounts.

## What billing cycles are available?

Monthly, semi-annually, or annually. You choose. Payments are processed by Stripe.

## Is there a free trial?

Yes, on the Starter plan, for an account that has never had a subscription. It's free for 7 days on the monthly term: you add a card at checkout (prepaid cards aren't accepted) and nothing is charged until the trial ends. The trial covers the plan, and with it the Computer, the Linux desktop every plan includes. Cloud computers and the other add-ons aren't part of the trial. Cancel before the trial ends and you pay nothing; otherwise it becomes your monthly Starter plan, and that first payment still has the 3-day money-back guarantee.

## What add-ons are available?

Optional paid add-ons extend an assistant: a Cloud computer, a separate Linux machine for OpenClaw assistants; Backups, included with the Max plan and available on the others; Extra Storage, chosen when you set an assistant up; and chat dashboards (Open WebUI or Hermes WebUI) for Hermes assistants. Web browsing and the Computer, a private Linux desktop your assistant can use, are included in every plan, and so is a browser terminal for OpenClaw assistants. Availability and pricing are shown in-product.

## Are backups included?

On the Max plan, yes. On the other plans they are a paid add-on. Your assistant is snapshotted daily with 30 days of history, and you can also back it up on demand. See the pricing page for the current add-on price.

## Do subscriptions renew automatically?

Yes. They renew for the same period until you cancel. You can cancel any time.

## How do I cancel, and what happens?

Cancel any time; cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period, and you keep access until then.

## Do you offer refunds?

Your first payment is covered by a 3-day money-back guarantee: cancel within 3 days of that charge, then request the refund right from your dashboard (or contact us); we return that payment in full, no reason needed. Beyond that, fees are generally non-refundable and we don't provide partial-period refunds; if we end your subscription through no fault of yours, we refund the unused, prepaid period pro rata. Some consumers have additional statutory rights. Full details in the Refund Policy.

## Will prices change?

We may change prices with advance notice; changes apply from your next renewal, and you can cancel before they take effect if you don't agree.

## What about taxes?

Prices are exclusive of taxes; you're responsible for any that apply.

## Can I get a copy of my data, or have it deleted?

Yes. Depending on where you live, you can request access, correction, deletion, portability, and object to certain processing. Email privacy@diali.ai. We may need to verify your identity first, and some records (like billing) are kept for legally required periods.

## I'm in the EU/UK. What are my rights?

The full set of GDPR rights (access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, portability, withdrawing consent), plus the right to complain to your data-protection authority. See the Privacy Policy for details.

## I'm in California. What are my rights?

The CCPA/CPRA rights (know, delete, correct, opt out of sale/sharing (which we don't do), and non-discrimination). See the Privacy Policy for details.

## Do you use cookies?

We use cookies that are strictly necessary to sign you in and keep the service secure, and (where the law requires it) we ask for your consent before setting any non-essential cookies. See the Privacy Policy for details.

## How old do I have to be?

At least 16. Because Diali is a paid subscription, if you're under the age of majority where you live (usually 18), a parent or legal guardian needs to agree to the Terms and provide the payment method.

## Can I sign in with Google, GitHub, or GitLab?

Yes. You can use those to sign in. We store the provider's user identifier and the email tied to it, but not the provider's access tokens.

## Can I have more than one account, or share one?

Accounts are for a single person. There are no teams or shared logins in the current version. You can run more than one assistant under your account.

## Who operates Diali?

Diali is operated by Diali AI LLC, a Wyoming (USA) company. Contact details are in the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

## Is Diali covered by the EU AI Act?

Assistants are AI systems, so transparency obligations apply, which is why our terms require your assistant to say it is an AI. You're responsible for not configuring an assistant for prohibited or high-risk uses (for example, decisions about employment, credit, or access to essential services) without meeting the applicable legal requirements. See the Terms of Service.

## Is there anything I'm responsible for?

Yes. In short: keeping your account secure; how you configure and direct your assistant; complying with the law when your assistant contacts other people (including consent for automated calls/texts and honouring opt-outs); and your own AI-provider account and its costs. The full list is in the Terms of Service.

## Can I use an assistant for my business?

You can, but if you use it for professional purposes you may take on additional legal responsibilities of your own under laws like the EU AI Act. You're responsible for meeting them.

## What uptime can I expect?

We work to keep your assistant online all the time, but we don't promise a figure or guarantee uninterrupted service. Each assistant runs as a single copy, so it is offline for a moment when it restarts for an update or for maintenance.

## How do I get help?

Email support@diali.ai.

## How do I ask a privacy question or make a data request?

Email privacy@diali.ai.

## General enquiries?

Email hello@diali.ai.