Questions, answered honestly

Is this therapy?

No. Trinko is a self-help tool. It doesn't diagnose, it isn't a clinician, and it doesn't replace ERP therapy or medication — those remain the evidence-based first-line treatments for OCD. Trinko handles one specific, modern problem: AI chatbots becoming reassurance machines. If you can access a specialist, the IOCDF directory is the standard place to start.

Can you read my conversations?

No — structurally, not just by policy. Your AI sends Trinko individual questions to check; each one is turned into a numeric fingerprint in memory and the text is immediately discarded. Nothing you've written exists in our database. Full privacy picture →

Can't I just disconnect it when I want reassurance?

Yes, you can — Trinko can't stop you, and honestly, nothing could. The point isn't to make evasion impossible; it's to make the easy path the healthy one. Disconnecting a connector takes deliberate effort in a settings menu — that friction is often exactly enough space for the urge to pass. And your counter is waiting when you reconnect. 🙂

Is this just a fancy system prompt?

No. Prompts forget: every new chat starts blank, and a persistent "but are you SURE?" can talk any AI out of any instruction. Trinko's memory lives on a server your AI can't argue with — it remembers across chats, days, and devices, and its refusals are fixed sentences, not negotiable model output. There's also a real clinical framework behind what it says, served piece by piece at the right moments.

Sometimes it answered my repeat anyway. Why?

This version is advisory: your AI is instructed to consult Trinko, and occasionally — especially under pressure — it doesn't. We count how often that happens (counts only, never content) and we're building the stricter enforcement layer based on that data. Adding the optional instruction block from the setup guide makes it much more consistent.

Which AIs work with it?

Claude (every plan, including free — best supported), ChatGPT (paid plans, via Developer mode), and Grok (paid plans). Anything that supports MCP connectors.

What does it cost?

Nothing. Trinko is free. If it helps you, there'll be an optional donation button soon — that's it.

What happens if I'm in crisis?

Trinko steps out of the way — by design, it never touches first-time messages or anything involving safety. Your AI responds directly with its own judgment and safety resources. If you're in crisis right now: contact your local emergency number or crisis line.

Is it clinically validated?

Honest answer: Trinko is built on Dr. Michael J. Greenberg's published rumination-focused approach to OCD, and its own effectiveness as a tool hasn't been through clinical trials. It's a harness built by someone with OCD, for a problem clinicians haven't caught up to yet. We publish what we learn, and we'd love to be studied.

How do I delete everything?

Your account page → sign in → delete. Immediate, complete, no retention, no undo, no guilt-trip emails.