Frequently Asked Questions

What is Tovu?

A content management system that runs on your own machine. You write posts and pages in a normal editor, a theme renders them into a site, and the whole thing — content, themes, settings — lives in one folder you control.

Is Tovu ready to use?

Tovu is at MVP. Writing, publishing, pages, themes, media and the built-in assistant all work, and they are what we use to run this site. Expect rough edges, expect things to change, and do not yet put anything mission-critical on it without your own backups.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. Writing, publishing and switching themes are all point-and-click. Code is available if you want it — themes are real editable files — but nothing requires it.

Is there a hosted version?

No. There is no managed plan, no signup, and no Tovu-run servers today. You run Tovu yourself: on your own computer, or on your own server with Docker. See Self-Hosting.

A managed version, where we run it for you, is on the roadmap.

Where does my content live?

In a SQLite database file inside your site folder, next to a themes folder of ordinary files. That folder is the whole site. You can copy it, move it, put it in git, or open the database with any SQLite tool.

Today Tovu uses SQLite. Support for MySQL and Postgres (which covers Supabase) is coming soon.

Does anything phone home?

Tovu does not send your content anywhere on its own. It leaves your machine only when you send it: to the AI provider behind the assistant, or to a host, service or backup you connect or publish to. The desktop app also checks for app updates.

How do I back up?

Copy the site folder. That is all of it. You can also save a restore point from the Recovery screen. Do one or the other before you experiment.

What happens to my site if Tovu goes away?

Your posts stay a readable SQLite database and your theme stays HTML and CSS. You would need different software to serve it, but nothing is locked in a format only we can open.

Can I use my own theme?

Yes. A theme is a folder of templates, tokens and assets — no build step and no framework required. Tovu ships several to start from.

If I switch themes, do I lose my content?

No. Content and presentation are separate. Switching themes re-renders the same posts and pages a different way.

Are my theme edits safe when Tovu updates?

Be careful here, and keep a copy of any theme you have customised. This is an area we are actively hardening during MVP.

What can the assistant actually do?

Write and edit pages and posts, publish and unpublish, work on themes, manage media, and answer questions about your own site. You ask in plain language; it performs the action in the admin.

Can it break my site?

With an API key or Claude Code, it changes your site only through Tovu’s own tools. Each call is checked against your permissions and logged. Big changes, like deleting a post, uninstalling a plugin or restoring a backup, stop and ask you first.

Most deletes go to the Trash, where you can undo them for 60 days. A few can’t be undone once you confirm: uninstalling an Agent Plugin, deleting a role, policy or webhook, and restoring a backup over your current site.

Today, in API-key mode, the assistant can’t run shell commands or open files on your computer. In Local CLI mode, Claude Code can read files and search the web, but can’t run commands or edit files. Other local CLIs, such as Codex, keep their own shell and file tools, so they can change files directly.

Do I have to use it?

No. Tovu is a complete CMS without ever opening the assistant.