FAQ

Questions, answered

Do I need an account?

No. There's no sign-up, email, or password. StockLevel generates a 24-word recovery phrase on first use — that phrase is your whole identity.

Can you read my data?

No. Everything is encrypted on your device before it's sent. The sync server only ever sees opaque ciphertext, so we — and anyone who runs a server — cannot read your items.

What happens if I lose my recovery phrase?

There is no reset. Because we hold no keys and no account, nobody can recover your data for you. If you lose every device and haven't written the phrase down, the data is gone. Write the phrase down and keep it safe.

Is it really free?

Yes. StockLevel is free to use. It's part of an open-source suite you can inspect or self-host.

Is it open source?

Yes — the apps, the shared encryption core, and the server are all public. You can read exactly how the cryptography works, or run your own server.

Can I self-host the sync server?

Yes. The server is a single small binary (Docker image provided). Point the app at your own server URL and your ciphertext syncs through infrastructure you control.

Does it work offline?

Yes. It's a Progressive Web App with a local encrypted cache. It works without a connection and syncs when you're back online.

How do I use it on more than one device?

Scan a setup QR code from a device you already have (or type the 24 words) and the new device pulls your encrypted keystore — the same places appear everywhere. Every device stays live in sync, and one that's been offline automatically catches up the moment it reconnects, so they all end up showing the same thing.

How does sharing work — who can add or remove people?

Each shared space has owners and members. Whoever creates a place is its owner; they can invite others (a QR code or invite carries just that one space's key), hand co-ownership to someone they trust, or remove a member. An owner can also step down. Ownership is checked cryptographically by the server — which still can't read anything you store.

What happens when I remove someone from a shared space?

The space's key is immediately rotated and re-shared to everyone who remains, so the person you removed can't read anything added afterwards. What they already saw while they were in the space isn't clawed back — so removal cuts off future access rather than erasing the past.

How does it know how many days I have left?

It watches how fast a level falls between your check-ins and blends those runs — recent, longer runs count for more. You give a rough full-to-empty guess when you add an item, and StockLevel replaces it with your real pace as the check-ins add up. Partial top-ups by someone else are ignored rather than throwing the estimate off.

Do I have to weigh or measure anything?

No. You just drag a slider to roughly how full it is — eyeballing “about a quarter left” is fine. The more often you check in, the tighter the forecast gets.

What can I track with it?

Anything you restock and don’t want to run out of: pantry staples, pet and animal feed, cleaning supplies, firewood, printer ink, medications. If it empties and you refill it, StockLevel can forecast it.

Start using StockLevel

No sign-up, no email, no password. Open it and go — your data is encrypted before it leaves your device.