# Keep your code private with a local code index

> Atlas can build its code index with local Ollama embeddings, keeping source code off third-party servers while still searching by meaning.

Atlas can keep your code private by building its codebase index with local Ollama embeddings, so source is never sent to a third-party service. You still get hybrid semantic and keyword search, and the index is stored outside the repository and keyed per project in 2026.

## Key takeaways

- Local Ollama embeddings keep source off third-party servers.
- You still get hybrid semantic and keyword code search.
- The index lives outside the repo, keyed per project.
- Nothing leaves your machine: source, embeddings, and index all stay local.

## Why local embeddings matter

Semantic code search normally sends code to an embedding service. Atlas can run embeddings locally with Ollama instead, so your source never leaves your machine while still being searchable by meaning.

For teams under privacy or compliance constraints, that distinction is decisive. You get the benefits of meaning-aware retrieval, hybrid semantic and keyword search fused by reciprocal rank fusion, without shipping proprietary code to an external provider.

## How Atlas stores the index

Atlas keeps the code index outside the indexed repository, keyed per project, so it never pollutes your working tree. Indexing is incremental and hash-keyed, so only changed files are re-embedded.

Keeping the index out of the repo means no accidental commits of index data and clean separation per project. Incremental indexing keeps it fast: editing a file re-embeds just that file, not the whole codebase, so search stays current with low overhead.

## On your machine, permission-gated by design

When you run a local embedder (Ollama), your code is read, chunked, embedded, and stored on your own machine. There is no embedding service in the path, so there is no third-party copy of your source to worry about.

Combined with permission-gated tools, that gives security-conscious teams a clear story: the code path stays on hardware you control, and every tool call the agent makes is checked against allow, ask, and deny rules before it runs. Privacy here is a property of where the data physically goes, not a retention promise you have to take on faith.

## FAQ

### Can Atlas keep my code private?

Yes. Atlas can build its code index with local Ollama embeddings, so source code is never sent to third-party servers.

### Do I lose semantic search if I run locally?

No. Local embeddings still power hybrid semantic and keyword search, so you keep meaning-aware retrieval.

### Where is the code index stored?

Outside the indexed repository, keyed per project, and updated incrementally so only changed files are re-embedded.

### Does indexing call an external service?

No. With local Ollama embeddings, indexing runs entirely on your machine, so no embedding provider ever sees your code.

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Canonical HTML: https://runatlas.sh/resources/features/private-local-code-index
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Licence: Atlas is proprietary with a free core. It is not open source and there is no public source repository.