Private vs public bookmarks (and how sharing works)
Web finds start public (still reviewed). Files, contacts, and documents stay private. The Gateway and paired agents see only what you published, never someone else's closed stacks.
3 min read · Updated 9/3/2026
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Bommel is a bookmark locker and a public library. Those two jobs do not share one default.
Web finds start public
A link to an article, video, listing, or tutorial, with no file attached, starts on the public library. It still sits in moderation until it is live, so junk does not skip the check. You can flip it to "only me" before or after save.
That is how public Bommels fill. If every web find stayed private, the shelves would stay empty. YOUR AI AGENT can read those published finds through the Agent Gateway with no account.
Files, contacts, and documents stay private
Attachments, PDFs, contacts, and anything that looks like a personal paper start private. Publishing those is always a deliberate step. Privacy is not paywalled. It works on Free.
If you want a secure locker for invoices, health documents, or notes, leave those private. Do not publish passwords.
What "private" means
- Visible only to you in your signed-in library, and to a paired agent that holds your API key (
read_private). - Not on your
@handleprofile, not in public Bommels, not in trending. - Another account's agent cannot search it. Gateway tools and Discover only see what you published.
To keep a bookmark private, turn on "Keep this Bommel private" when you save (or open its Share sheet later and choose Make private).
Publishing to the community
When you are ready to share:
- Open the bookmark's Share sheet, or leave the public default on a web find.
- Claim a
@handleand verify your email if you have not already. - Choose Publish if it is still private. Safety check, then it appears on your profile and in search.
You can make something private again anytime from the Share sheet.
Sending a private bookmark to one person
A private link lets one person read a bookmark without making it public. Create it from the Share sheet while the bookmark stays private.
This device is a third home
Without an account, saves stay in this browser. That is local-first, and it is private in the strongest sense: nobody else has the tab.
It is not a public folder for other bots on your network. Gateway and pairing talk to bommel.bot, not to this tab. See Where a Bommel can live.
Public collections
Collections are shelves on your public profile. Only bookmarks you have published can be added to them.