# MacroJournal Support

MacroJournal is a food journal for iPhone. Log what you eat, see it against
targets you set yourself, and keep every entry on your own device.

If something is broken or confusing, email **[email protected]** and tell me what
you were doing when it happened. I read every message.

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## Setting up AI estimates

The AI features — describing a meal in plain language, or photographing it —
need an Anthropic API key that you create yourself. Everything else in the app
works without one.

**Why it works this way:** MacroJournal has no server and no subscription.
Rather than charge you monthly and bill an account of mine, you connect your
own key and pay Anthropic directly for what you actually use. Most people spend
well under a dollar a month. Your food data never passes through me.

**To set one up:**

1. Go to **console.anthropic.com** and create an account
2. Add a small amount of credit under **Billing** (the minimum is $5, and it
   lasts a long time at typical usage)
3. Open **API Keys** and choose **Create Key**
4. Copy the key — it is shown only once
5. In MacroJournal, go to **Settings → API Keys** and paste it in

The AI options appear once a key is saved.

**If estimates stop working**, the usual cause is an empty credit balance or a
key that was deleted or expired. Check the Anthropic console first, then paste
in a fresh key.

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## Common questions

**Do I need an account to use MacroJournal?**
No. There is no login and no sign-up. Open the app and start logging.

**Where is my data stored?**
On your iPhone. There is no server and no cloud sync, and the developer never
receives your meals, weight, measurements, or goals.

**What happens if I delete the app?**
Your data is deleted with it. There is no backup on my end and no way for me to
restore it, so export or record anything you want to keep before deleting.

**What gets sent to Anthropic?**
Only what you explicitly ask to be estimated — the meal text you typed or the
photo you selected — and only when you have added your own API key. Nothing is
sent in the background, and nothing is sent at all without a key.

**Why does the app ask for Apple Health access?**
To read your workouts and active energy, so training can be reflected alongside
what you ate. It is read-only: MacroJournal never writes anything to Health, and
the app works fine if you decline.

**Why does it ask for the camera?**
For barcode scanning on packaged foods, and for meal photos if you use photo
estimates. Photos leave your device only if you have a key and tap to estimate
one.

**Is there a subscription or in-app purchase?**
No. The app is free and there is nothing to buy inside it. The only cost is
Anthropic usage, if you choose to use AI estimates, paid directly to Anthropic.

**Is there an Android version?**
No, and none is planned.

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## A note on what this app is

MacroJournal is a food journal, not a medical device. It does not provide
medical, nutritional, or treatment advice, and its estimates — including the AI
ones — are approximations that can be wrong. Talk to a qualified professional
about decisions regarding your health or diet.

Restaurant and branded food data powered by fatsecret nutrition API (www.fatsecret.com). Generic food data from USDA FoodData Central.

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## Privacy

The full privacy policy is here:
https://showy-macaw-5ef.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-for-MacroJournal-3cfb5ae52fc680e4a788f2bc9c40d78b

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Contact: **[email protected]**