How AskCSV handles your data.

CSV, TSV and Excel (.xlsx) files are opened with DuckDB compiled to WebAssembly inside this tab. Rows, query results, charts and conversations are stored only in this browser. The file itself is never uploaded, and AskCSV's servers do not keep a copy of it.

AskCSV keeps what the AI sees to a minimum. To write the SQL and explain the result, OpenAI receives only this, through AskCSV's server:

• your question;
• the name and row count of each file or sheet in the chat;
• the names and types of the columns you chose to share;
• up to 10 sample rows from those columns;
• the earlier questions, answers and SQL in this chat;
• the result of the query this browser ran — up to its first 100 rows (16 KB), from shared columns only — and short facts computed from the whole result: totals, counts, shares, trends, and its highest and lowest rows.

Never sent:

• the file itself, or any row that is neither in the sample nor returned by a query in this chat;
• columns you turn off — they are left out of the sample, the results and the totals, and earlier answers that used them are left out of the chat history;
• error text from this browser — if a query fails, the AI is told only the kind of error.

A result can hold real rows: ask for the five largest orders and those five rows, in the columns you share, go to the AI. These limits are part of a fixed request format that both this browser and AskCSV's server check, and the server refuses a request that goes over them.

The line under the question box summarizes what is sent, and Review shows the exact sample rows and lets you turn columns on or off. Columns that look sensitive — email, phone, identifiers, long text and secrets — are off by default. If you share no columns, the sample is empty and only your question, the file names and row counts, and the earlier messages in the chat are sent.

Requests use OpenAI's Responses API with store: false, so responses are not stored for later retrieval. That is not a zero-retention guarantee: OpenAI may keep abuse-monitoring logs for up to 30 days by default, or longer where legally required. AskCSV records a hash of the request context, the token counts and the charge for each answer; it does not store the question, the sample, the SQL, the result or the answer text. Details are in the privacy policy.

Open a CSV, TSV or Excel file (every sheet opens as its own table), paste cells, or start from a sample. Ask a question in plain English. The AI writes one read-only SELECT, this browser runs it, and the answer is built from the result. Every chart shows its SQL and can be switched to a table of the exact numbers.

Follow-up questions keep the conversation and the file it uses. Guests can ask without signing in; signing in ties credits and billing to an account. Signing in does not upload the files already open in this browser.

There is no model to download and no WebGPU requirement. Opening files, running SQL and drawing charts happen in the browser; the planning and explanation step needs an internet connection because it calls AskCSV's server and OpenAI. Without a network you can still open a file, but a new question cannot be answered.

AskCSV is $5 a month, including $5 of usage each month — about 100 answers at a typical cost of about $0.05. Included usage resets on each billing date and does not roll over. Subscribers can add extra credits from $10; purchased credits last 12 months after the last purchase and stay usable after the subscription ends until they expire.

Guests get $0.25 of credits (about 5 answers) once, without an account; guest credits expire 7 days after they are issued. Each answer is charged for the tokens the AI reads and writes. Opening files and viewing charts do not use credits. Cancel anytime in Settings. See pricing for refunds and the full list.

Files, conversations, charts and past questions live in this site's storage in this browser (IndexedDB). They are not on AskCSV's servers and do not sync to another browser, device or account. Clearing this site's data, using a private window that is then closed, or deleting a file in Settings removes them; AskCSV cannot recover them.

How much data fits depends on the browser and the device. A very large file can run out of memory in the tab; splitting the file or closing other tabs usually helps.