Privacy Policy

Effective 2026-05-16

The short version

Scripture Search does not require an account. It does not run tracking analytics on what you search. It does not sell or share your data. What you type lives on your device unless you choose to share it.

What we collect and where it lives

Your search queries. When you submit a search, your query is sent to our server so it can be matched against the curated topic library, scanned for crisis-resource handling, and (when no curated match is found) forwarded to Anthropic's Claude API so we can suggest verses. The query is not stored in a database we control. Server logs may briefly retain request lines for operational debugging; those logs are not used for profiling and are rotated by our hosting provider.

Your translation choice, theme, font size, saved verses, recent searches. Stored only in your browser's localStorage. Not transmitted to our server. Cleared when you clear your site data.

Crisis-triggered queries. If your query trips a safety pattern (e.g. expresses suicidal intent), it is not written to the recents list on your device. The crisis-resource page is served and the query is not retained on our side beyond the lifetime of the request.

No cookies for tracking. We do not use Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, or similar. We do not set advertising cookies. The site may use a small functional cookie or two to remember preferences chosen on the server; those are not used to identify you.

Third-party services

To return verses and suggestions, your query is processed by these third parties:

api.Bible (American Bible Society) — receives a verse reference and a Bible ID and returns verse text. Does not receive your search query itself. Their privacy policy: scripture.api.bible/privacy-policy.
Anthropic (Claude API) — receives your search query only when the curated library can't match it, to suggest scripture references. Anthropic does not train on customer API data by default. Their privacy policy: anthropic.com/legal/privacy.
Hosting / CDN. The site is served from a hosting provider that handles standard request logging (IP, user agent, URL, timestamp) for operational and security purposes.

Children

Scripture Search is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided information, please contact us so we can remove it.

Your choices

Clear saved verses, recent searches, and preferences any time from Settings → Data, or by clearing this site's data in your browser.
Use the site without ever submitting a query (browse topics directly via the topics page).
Disable JavaScript — the topic pages are server-rendered and fully readable without JS; search and saved-verses functionality will be limited.

Crisis disclaimer

Scripture Search is not a substitute for medical, mental-health, or pastoral care. When the site detects language consistent with a crisis, it surfaces hotlines (988, Crisis Text Line, NDVH, RAINN, and others) before scripture. Please reach out to those resources. We do not store, share, or escalate crisis-triggered queries to any third party.

Changes

When this policy changes materially, we will update the effective date at the top of this page. For substantial changes we will surface a notice on the home page for a reasonable period.

Contact

Questions about this policy: send a note via the contact channel listed on the home page. We will answer within a reasonable time.