Cookies
Last updated: 5 August 2026
The short version: we use the few cookies needed to keep you signed in and to avoid counting the same visit twice. We do not use advertising cookies, and we do not track you across other websites. Nobody is buying your browsing habits from us, because we do not collect them.
Every cookie we set
| Cookie | What it does | Lasts | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clerk session cookies | Keeps you signed in and protects the sign-in process. Set by Clerk, who handle our logins. | Until you sign out or it expires | Essential |
| thinker_seen_… (landing, signup, billing, workshop and similar) | Records that this browser has already been counted today on a given page, so one person reloading is not counted as ten visitors. Holds a date, nothing about you. | Same day | Counting |
| thinker_payment_late_ack | If a payment fails and you choose "I'll sort it later", this remembers that so you are not asked again immediately. | 24 hours | Functional |
| aff_ref and aff_name | Only set if you arrive through somebody's recommendation link. Remembers who recommended us so they get credited if you subscribe. Holds their referral code and display name, nothing about you. | 60 days by default | Functional |
What we do not use
- No advertising or retargeting cookies.
- No third-party tracking pixels on our website.
- No Google Analytics. We use Vercel’s visitor counts, which are designed to work without cookies and without identifying you.
- We do not sell or share any of this.
Things stored on your own device
Some of what The Thinker remembers is not a cookie at all: how you last sorted your projects, an unsaved brain dump kept safe in case your connection drops, how far you got through setup. That is kept in your own browser’s storage, is never sent to us as a cookie, and clearing your browser data removes it.
Refusing cookies
Every browser lets you block or delete cookies, usually under Settings then Privacy. Blocking the counting and functional cookies above is fine, and the app will still work. Blocking the essential sign-in cookies will stop you being able to log in, because staying signed in is precisely what they do.
Emails
If you are on our mailing list, our emails may include a small image and tracked links so we can see whether a message was opened or clicked. Most email apps let you block remote images, which prevents the open being recorded. There is a one-click unsubscribe in every email.
See also our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.