Where are Desk conversations stored?
In your ModelRiver project, as sessions. Desk doesn't keep its own copy of the messages; its database only links each chat to its ModelRiver session and stores your team's accounts.
What does Desk keep on my server?#
One data folder with:
- Your help articles and private notes
- Your branding and settings
- A small database of team members, settings and the link between each chat and its session
- Connector keys, encrypted
Back up that folder and you've backed up Desk.
How long are conversations kept?#
When a conversation is archived, it's deleted after 24 hours by default, both in Desk and in ModelRiver. You can change this with ARCHIVE_RETENTION_HOURS. Request logs in ModelRiver follow your plan's retention. See What data does ModelRiver store?
Who can read conversations?#
Your team members in the Desk dashboard, and members of your ModelRiver project with access to sessions and logs. The AI only sees the conversation it's answering.
What are private notes, and can visitors see them?#
Private notes are team-only documents, such as playbooks or policies, that shape the assistant's answers. The assistant uses them but never shows, quotes or links them, and they never appear in the help center.
Does the AI have access to my database?#
No. Desk decides what to look up and sends the model only the result. The model never connects to Desk's database or your connected services.