This Privacy Policy explains how the XLlama add-in for Microsoft Excel ("the Add-in"), published by Bosau Digital LLC and made by Sven Bosau, operating Python & VBA at pythonandvba.com ("we", "us", or "our"), handles your data. It applies specifically to the Add-in. Our general website Privacy Policy continues to apply to your use of our website.

1. In Short

• The Add-in runs inside Microsoft Excel on your own device and talks to Ollama, a free AI runtime that you install and run on your own computer.
• Your prompts, chat messages, and any spreadsheet data you include are sent only to your own local Ollama server (by default http://localhost:11434). They are processed by the AI model on your device and never travel over the internet.
• We never receive, see, or store your prompts, your AI answers, or your spreadsheet contents. No cloud AI provider does either.
• The only data sent to us is what is needed to check a license (Pro): your license key, an anonymous installation identifier, and the Add-in version. Until you enter a key, the free tier sends no data to us (loading the Add-in's own files from our hosting server is an ordinary page load and carries none of your content).
• Your license key, settings, chat history, and formula-result cache are stored only in your local Office add-in storage on your device.
• The Add-in contains no advertising, no cookies, and no third-party analytics or tracking.

2. Who We Are

The Add-in is published and operated by Bosau Digital LLC, the company behind Python & VBA (pythonandvba.com), founded by Sven Bosau. For any privacy-related questions, please contact us at contact@pythonandvba.com.

3. What Data the Add-in Processes

Prompts, Chat Messages, and Spreadsheet Data

When you chat with the AI or use an =XLLAMA.PROMPT() formula, the Add-in sends your prompt (and, if you choose to include it, the values of the cells you selected or referenced) to the Ollama server address configured in the Add-in's settings. By default this is http://localhost:11434, i.e. the Ollama application running on your own computer. The AI model processes your request locally on your device, and the answer is shown in the pane or written into your worksheet.

We do not receive, process, store, or have any access to your prompts, your AI answers, or any other content of your workbook. Nothing is sent to any cloud AI service. The Add-in only reads the cells you select or reference; it does not scan or transmit the rest of your workbook.

If you change the server address in Settings to point at a remote Ollama server (for example, a shared server on your company network), your prompts and included spreadsheet data will be sent to that server instead. Only configure server addresses you trust; the operator of that server determines how data sent to it is handled.

Ollama "cloud" models: Ollama optionally offers cloud-hosted models (model names ending in -cloud). If you download and select such a model, the Ollama software on your computer forwards your prompts and included data to ollama.com's servers for processing, under Ollama's own terms and privacy policy. The Add-in clearly labels cloud models in its model picker; choose a regular (local) model if your data must stay on your device.

License Validation Data (Pro)

The free tier requires no account and no key, and sends us nothing. If you enter a license key to unlock Pro features, the Add-in sends the following to our license server (api.pythonandvba.com) over an encrypted connection:

• Your license key;
• An anonymous installation identifier, a random value generated on your device. It contains no name, email, or hardware/device information, and is used only to enforce the per-installation activation limit of your license;
• The Add-in version.

A record of your last successful check is stored on your device so the Add-in keeps working for a short offline grace period (currently 7 days) if the license server cannot be reached, and then re-verifies once you are back online. No personally identifiable information beyond what is described above is transmitted for license validation.

Data Stored Locally on Your Device

Your license key, your settings (including the Ollama server address, chosen model, and system prompt), your chat history, and a cache of formula results (so recalculating a workbook does not re-run known prompts) are saved only in your local Office add-in storage (your per-user Office storage) on your device. "New chat" clears the chat history; the remaining data stays on your device until you remove the Add-in and clear its Office add-in storage.

Data Handled by Microsoft Excel

The Add-in runs inside Microsoft Excel. Microsoft's handling of your Office documents and account data is governed by Microsoft's own privacy terms. See the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

4. Third-Party Software and Services

• Ollama: the AI runtime the Add-in talks to. Ollama is separate, free software that you download, install, and run yourself on your own computer; it is not part of the Add-in. When run locally (the default), your prompts and data stay on your device. Your use of Ollama and of the AI models you download through it is governed by Ollama's own terms and the individual models' licenses.
• Microsoft Excel / Microsoft 365: the host application in which the Add-in runs. See the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

No other third parties receive your data through the Add-in. We do not sell your personal data.

5. What the Add-in Does Not Do

• It does not send your prompts, answers, or workbook contents to us, to any cloud AI provider, or to anyone else. AI processing happens on your own device (or on a server you explicitly configure).
• It does not include advertising, cookies, or third-party analytics or tracking.
• It does not send automatic error reports to us. Error messages are shown in the Add-in only. If you contact support, you can choose to copy a short diagnostic report (add-in version, Excel version, Ollama version, the selected model name, and recent error messages: never your prompts, data, or keys) and include it yourself; nothing is transmitted unless you send it.
• It does not access hardware identifiers, your contacts, or files outside the workbook you are working in.

6. How We Use Data

• To validate and manage your license (Pro) and enforce its activation limit.
• To let the Add-in keep working during a short offline grace period after a successful license check.

That is the complete list. The AI features themselves involve no data processing by us at all.

7. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we process the limited license-validation data described above under the following legal bases:

• Contract performance: Verifying your license so we can provide the licensed Add-in.
• Legitimate interests: Enforcing license limits and preventing misuse of our software.

Your prompts and spreadsheet data are processed locally on your own device by software you run (Ollama); we are not a controller or processor of that data.

8. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. The only data the Add-in shares is your license-validation data, which goes to our license server. Your prompts and spreadsheet data are not shared with anyone: they go only to the Ollama server on your own device (or a server you explicitly configure).

9. Data Retention

• License records: Retained for as long as necessary to support your license and comply with legal obligations.
• Locally stored keys, settings, chat history, and caches: Remain on your device until you clear them or remove the Add-in.
• Prompts and AI answers: Not retained by us at all; they exist only on your device (in your worksheet, your local chat history, and your local Ollama installation).

10. Your Rights

If you are located in the EEA or UK, you have the following rights under GDPR in respect of the personal data we hold (essentially, your license record):

• Access: Request a copy of the data we hold about you
• Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Erasure: Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Restriction: Request that we limit how we use your data
• Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@pythonandvba.com. We will respond within 30 days.

11. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. License validation is transmitted over encrypted (HTTPS) connections. Communication with your local Ollama server stays on your own machine; it does not traverse the network unless you configure a remote server address yourself.

12. Children's Privacy

The Add-in is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect any changes. Continued use of the Add-in after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact

For any privacy-related questions or to exercise your rights, please contact:

Related documents: XLlama Terms of Use · Website Privacy Policy · Refund Policy · Terms & Conditions