Local Data and Backup

Pitchblend keeps related local state beneath Electron's application user-data folder. Treat that entire folder as one backup unit.

It includes, among other application files:

geist/ for the Geist workspace and its local database;
models/ for separately downloaded model weights;
sync/ for device-sync state; and
identity/ for local identity state.

These subfolders are related. A backup of only geist.sqlite3, only the models, or only sync state is not a complete Pitchblend backup.

Find the user-data folder

Electron normally places application data beneath these operating-system locations:

Windows: %APPDATA%
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support
Linux: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME when set, otherwise ~/.config

The final application folder name can differ between an installed release and a source or development profile. Confirm the exact Pitchblend user-data folder for the copy you use before backing it up. Do not assume a path from an old troubleshooting article is correct.

The folder can contain conversation data, uploaded document content, model files, device information, and protected application state. Store backups as sensitive data and restrict who can read them.

Make a safe backup

Finish or stop any active model response, file processing, model download, or device-sync operation.
If Keep syncing in the background is selected, clear it temporarily so
closing the final window can exit the application.
Fully quit Pitchblend, then use your operating system's process view to confirm that no pitchblend AI process remains.
Copy the entire Pitchblend user-data folder to a new backup location as one operation.
Keep the folder structure and filenames unchanged. Record the Pitchblend version, operating system, architecture, OS account, and backup date alongside the copy.
Reopen Pitchblend. Re-enable background sync only after confirming the workspace starts normally.

Never copy the live SQLite database or a changing subset of the folder while Pitchblend is running. A file copy can appear successful while capturing database, identity, and sync files from different moments.

Restore and portability limits

A backup is safest when returned to the same operating-system account, on the same device, with a compatible Pitchblend version. Credentials, refresh tokens, and cryptographic keys protected by the operating system may not decrypt under another OS account or on another device even when their files were copied successfully.

Do not merge individual database, identity, or sync files from different backups. Before replacing existing user data or attempting a cross-device restore, keep the original backup unchanged and ask support for a version-appropriate procedure. Re-pairing a device or signing in again can be safer than transplanting protected state.

Upgrades and uninstalling

Model weights and user data are stored outside the installed application package and are intended to survive normal upgrades. The current Windows installer is also configured not to delete application data during uninstall. These behaviors are not substitutes for a backup.

Pitchblend has no built-in updater. Download and verify a newer release manually, make a whole-user-data backup, fully quit the old version, and then install the new version.

Do not delete the user-data folder, its databases, or its identity and sync subfolders as a generic reset or troubleshooting step. Use Startup and Workspace Help or the feature-specific Help page first.