Cloud Upgrade

Already using Retrace locally and want multi-device sync, a web dashboard, or team features? This guide walks you through migrating from local SQLite to the cloud.

What You Get in Cloud Mode

Multi-device sync — your journal follows you across machines
Web dashboard — browse, search, and review entries at retrace-zeta.vercel.app/dashboard
Encrypted at rest — AES-256-GCM with per-user derived keys
Cloud backup — never lose your journal if your disk fails
Team workspaces (coming soon) — shared memory across your team

Step 1: Create an Account

Visit retrace-zeta.vercel.app/register and sign in with GitHub, Google, or email/password.

Step 2: Update Your MCP Config

Switch from the local binary to the cloud endpoint. The cloud uses OAuth 2.1 with PKCE — your MCP client will open a browser window the first time to authenticate. No tokens to copy manually.

Before (local):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "retrace": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "retrace-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

After (cloud):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "retrace": {
      "url": "https://retrace-zeta.vercel.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

That's it. Restart your MCP client and it will prompt you to authorize. Your new entries will start syncing to the cloud.

Step 3: Migrate Your Local Data (Optional)

Your existing local entries can be exported and imported into the cloud. See the Export & Import guide for detailed steps.

Running Both Simultaneously

You can run both local and cloud instances in the same MCP client by using different server names:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "retrace-local": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "retrace-mcp@latest"]
    },
    "retrace-cloud": {
      "url": "https://retrace-zeta.vercel.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Your agent will have access to both. Tell it which to use in your agent instructions, or let it choose based on context.

Privacy in Cloud Mode

All entry content is encrypted before being stored. Encryption uses AES-256-GCM with keys derived per-user via HKDF — the database alone cannot expose your entries without the encryption key. Blind index tokens allow server-side filtering without decryption.

See the Architecture docs for technical details.

Going Back to Local

You can always switch back to the local binary by reverting your MCP config. Your cloud entries remain in the cloud. Your local journal remains at ~/.retrace/journal.db and is unchanged.