Your research data never leaves your control
Last Updated: October 22, 2026
Zero data retention
Molecular data, structures, queries, and results are processed in memory and discarded
No model training
Your data trains and improves nothing; models are trained on NovoMCP-owned data only
Encrypted everywhere
TLS 1.2+ in transit, AES-256 at rest, across all endpoints and databases
Audit without exposure
Tool usage is logged for compliance; query content and results stay out of the log
The NovoMCP engine is open source. Self-host it and your molecular data, structures, queries, and results stay on your own infrastructure. NovoMCP never receives them. This page describes the controls on the parts NovoMCP does operate, and how the self-hosted engine and the NovoWorkbench desktop application handle data.
The only cloud NovoMCP operates is a closed, hosted service: the FAVES compliance API and the FEP compute service at api.novomcp.com, and the authentication, key, and audit systems around them. The earlier hosted platform (shared MCP servers, the metered REST gateway, hosted data connectors, and credit billing) was retired when the engine went open source. It runs on Amazon Web Services in the us-east-1 region, with the encryption, authentication, and audit controls described below. Everything else runs where you deploy it.
1. Zero Research Data Retention
NovoMCP processes molecular queries in real time and retains no research data.
Held only in memory, then discarded: SMILES strings, molecular structures, search queries, tool parameters, tool results, docking poses, conformer ensembles, QM calculation outputs, AI conversations, and all intermediate computational data.
Stored: Account information, API key metadata (hashed), and usage records (tool name, timestamp, execution status) for the hosted FAVES and FEP services.
Query content sent to the hosted FAVES and FEP services is processed in memory and discarded after the response is returned. The rest of the 69-tool catalog (property prediction (pKa, solubility, BDE), quantum chemistry (xTB, CREST), neural network potentials (ANI-2x, MACE), molecular docking, molecular dynamics, and ADMET screening) runs in the engine you self-host, so that data never reaches NovoMCP at all. Molecular data is never logged, stored, or used for training.
2. NovoWorkbench Desktop Security
Local-First Architecture
NovoWorkbench runs core computational features entirely on your machine using bundled RDKit and a Python sidecar process. Workspace files, molecular data, session history, and computation results are stored locally and are never uploaded to NovoMCP servers.
The application is signed and notarized for macOS (Apple Team ID: 8N9K9B7Y69).
Engine-Connected Features
Engine-backed features send requests to the engine URL you configure: your own self-hosted engine, or one NovoMCP set up for you on your infrastructure. FAVES compliance checks go to api.novomcp.com. Only the minimum data required for the request is transmitted, typically a SMILES string or search query, over TLS 1.2+. API keys are stored in the macOS Keychain, not in plaintext files or application storage.
AI Chat Providers
AI provider API keys are stored locally on your device and sent only to the provider you configure (Anthropic, OpenAI, Azure, or others). NovoMCP does not intercept, proxy, or have access to your AI conversations. When using Ollama or other local models, no data leaves your machine.
3. Cloud Infrastructure Security
| Layer | Protection |
|---|---|
| Encryption in transit | TLS 1.2+ on all endpoints |
| Encryption at rest | AES-256 for all databases and storage |
| API key storage | SHA-256 hashed; plaintext keys are shown once at creation, then discarded |
| Secrets management | AWS Secrets Manager for all service credentials and connector tokens |
| Authentication | AWS IAM with enforced MFA for administrative access |
| Network architecture | Internal service isolation; the hosted service exposes only the FAVES compliance API and the FEP compute endpoint, with internal compute unreachable from the public internet |
| Hosting region | Amazon Web Services, us-east-1 |
| Payment processing | Stripe (PCI DSS Level 1 compliant) |
Compute Service Isolation
The hosted FAVES and FEP services run as isolated containers on AWS with internal-only ingress. They are reached exclusively through the internal MCP gateway over private network routes. No compute service accepts external traffic directly.
Each computation runs in an isolated scratch directory that is cleaned up after completion, preventing data leakage between concurrent requests from different users.
Deployment Service
When NovoMCP sets the engine up on your infrastructure, the same controls are configured as part of setup, in your accounts and under your policies: TLS 1.2+ in transit, encryption at rest, MFA on administrative access, and audit logging. Your organization owns the infrastructure and its keys; NovoMCP holds only the access you grant for setup, upgrades, and support.
4. Authentication and Access Control
API Key Authentication
Every API request is authenticated with an API key (prefixed nmcp_). Keys are generated with cryptographically secure random bytes and stored as SHA-256 hashes only. Plaintext keys cannot be retrieved after creation.
Rate Limiting
Rate limits on the hosted services are set per API key during onboarding and enforced at the gateway via a managed Redis cache on AWS (Amazon ElastiCache).
Administrative Access
Admin operations require AWS IAM authentication with multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforced. All administrative actions are audit-logged. Access follows the principle of least privilege. Administrative reach is scoped per system.
5. Audit Logging
Calls to the hosted FAVES and FEP services are recorded with: organization ID, user ID, tool name, timestamp, and execution status. These logs do not contain query content, molecular data, or computation results.
The self-hosted engine writes its own audit trail on your infrastructure, by default to ~/.novo/audit.jsonl, or to a sink you configure. NovoMCP never receives it.
6. Data Connector Security
Data connectors run inside the engine you self-host. Connector configuration and credentials stay on your infrastructure, in local files under ~/.novo/ (credentials at file mode 0600), and data moves directly between your systems and your engine. NovoMCP never receives connector credentials or the data they reach.
The hosted pipeline connectors (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Supabase) were retired with the hosted platform.
7. Data Retention
| Data Type | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account information | Until account deletion |
| API key metadata | Until revocation + 30 days |
| Usage records | 90 days |
| Error logs | 30 days |
| Payment records | As required by applicable tax and financial regulations |
| Query content and results | Processed in memory only, then discarded |
Upon account deletion, API keys are revoked immediately, account information is deleted within 30 days, and usage records are deleted within 90 days.
8. GDPR and International Data
The hosted FAVES and FEP services run on Amazon Web Services in the us-east-1 region (United States). For users in the EU/EEA, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, NovoMCP processes data under legitimate interest and provides the following rights under GDPR: access, rectification, erasure, portability, restriction of processing, and objection.
To exercise any of these rights, contact privacy@novomcp.com.
Customers may request a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) that includes European Commission-approved standard contractual clauses for international data transfers.
9. Third-Party Services
The following third-party services are used in the operation of NovoMCP:
| Service | Purpose | Receives Molecular Data? |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Cloud infrastructure for the hosted FAVES and FEP services: compute, database, cache, and secrets (us-east-1) | No. FAVES and FEP queries processed in memory only |
| Amazon S3 | Model checkpoints and training data (NovoMCP-owned) | No user data stored |
| Stripe | Payment processing | No |
| Resend | Transactional email | No |
No third-party service receives molecular data, research content, or computation results. NovoMCP runs no advertising services. The marketing website uses Vercel Analytics, plus Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity only after a visitor accepts the cookie banner (see the privacy policy); none of these run on the hosted API or the engine.
10. Incident Response
In the event of a security incident:
- Notification. Affected users are notified within 72 hours of the incident becoming known.
- Regulatory reporting. Relevant authorities are notified as required by applicable law.
- Containment. Immediate steps to contain and remediate the incident, including isolation of affected systems.
- Credential reissuance. If credential exposure is suspected, affected API keys are revoked and users are prompted to generate new keys.
- Post-incident report. A summary of the incident, its scope, root cause, and remediation steps is published to affected users.
11. Compliance Status
| Certification / Standard | Status |
|---|---|
| TLS 1.2+ encryption in transit | Active |
| AES-256 encryption at rest | Active |
| Audit logging (hosted service calls, admin actions) | Active |
| GDPR compliance | Active |
| macOS code signing and notarization | Active (Team ID: 8N9K9B7Y69) |
| SOC 2 Type I | Planned |
| SOC 2 Type II | Planned |
| Penetration testing | Planned |
| HIPAA BAA | Available on request for deployment-service engagements |
NovoMCP makes no SOC 2 Type II certification claim. The security posture is described by current controls: signed and notarized application, local-first architecture, zero research data retention, encryption in transit and at rest. Certifications still in progress are marked Planned above.
12. Responsible Disclosure
If you discover a security vulnerability in NovoMCP or NovoWorkbench, report it to security@novomcp.com. Please allow reasonable time to investigate and address the issue before public disclosure. Receipt is acknowledged within 48 hours, with an initial assessment within 5 business days.
13. Contact
Security: security@novomcp.com
Privacy: privacy@novomcp.com
General: ari@novomcp.com
Website: novomcp.com