Your research data never leaves your control
Last Updated: April 29, 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 at api.novomcp.com, the upcoming FEP compute service, and the supporting authentication, key, billing, and audit systems around them. 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), usage records (tool name, timestamp, credit cost), and pipeline audit records.
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).
Cloud-Connected Features
When you explicitly invoke cloud features, only the minimum data required for the request is transmitted, typically a SMILES string or search query. All communication uses TLS 1.2+ encryption. 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.
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
| Tier | Daily Request Limit |
|---|---|
| Free Trial | 100 |
| Core | 1,000 |
| Scale | 10,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom |
Rate limiting is enforced at the gateway level 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
All tool invocations are recorded with: organization ID, user ID, tool name, credit cost, timestamp, and execution status. Audit logs do not contain query content, molecular data, or computation results.
Enterprise tier users with data connector pipelines maintain additional audit records for regulatory compliance, including 21 CFR Part 11 traceability. Pipeline audit records capture operation type, source/destination system, row counts, and timestamps. The molecular data itself stays out of the record.
Audit logs are available for export in CSV format for GxP documentation requirements.
6. Data Connector Security
Scale and Enterprise tier users may connect the Service to external data systems (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Supabase).
| Measure | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Authentication | OAuth 2.0 with PKCE |
| Credential storage | AWS Secrets Manager |
| Token management | Automatic rotation |
| Data handling | Results streamed, not cached or persisted |
| Row limits | Enforced per tier (max 10,000 rows per operation) |
| Audit | All connector operations logged |
NovoMCP acts as a pass-through processor for connected data. Data pulled from your systems is used only for the active computation, then released. It is never cached, indexed, or retained.
7. Data Retention
| Data Type | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account information | Until account deletion |
| API key metadata | Until revocation + 30 days |
| Usage and billing records | 90 days |
| Pipeline audit records | Until account deletion |
| 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, we process data under legitimate interest and provide the following rights under GDPR: access, rectification, erasure, portability, restriction of processing, and objection.
To exercise any of these rights, contact privacy@novomcp.com.
Enterprise 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 without third-party analytics, advertising, or behavioral tracking services.
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 (tool invocations, 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 (Enterprise) |
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