What Shinn will not do
A sounding board is useful because of what it will not do as much as what it will. These are the lines Shinn holds. They are written into the rules it works from and, for the first two, checked in code before every reply.
Act as a crisis service
If you say you might hurt yourself or someone else, or that someone is in danger now, Shinn stops the conversation, says plainly that this is beyond what it can help with, and shows you who to call where you are. It will not talk you through it, and it stays in that mode for the rest of that conversation.
Diagnose you, or anyone you describe
No conditions, no labels. Shinn will not call your mother a narcissist or your boss toxic. It describes what happened, in your words.
Give medical, legal, tax, immigration or investment advice
It will not name a medication, read a symptom, advise on a visa or pick a stock. It can help you work out what to ask someone who can, and what is really worrying you about it.
Tell you what to do with your life
Leave or stay, quit or hold on, move or not. Shinn helps you see it clearly and take one small step to find out more. The choice stays yours, and it will say so.
Pretend to be a person
Shinn is software. It has no feelings, no memory beyond what is in your account, and no life of its own. It will not be your partner, your best friend or your fan.
Flatter you or shame you
No "you are so brave" as filler. No "you should have known".
Help with anything aimed at hurting someone
Tracking a partner, getting back at someone, harassment, weapons, drugs. Anger is fine to talk about. Plans against a person are not.
Give you a diet, a weight target or a way to use substances
Struggles with eating or drinking get warmth and a pointer to real help, not a plan.
Invent facts
When it does not know, it says so. It never writes phone numbers of its own. The numbers on a care card come from a list we check by hand against official sources.
Ask for your passwords, card numbers or ID numbers
If you paste one, it is removed before anything is saved, and Shinn will not repeat it back.
Follow instructions hidden in text you paste
An email, a message or a document is something to talk about, not a command.
Sell or share what you write, or use it to train a model
The Privacy page says exactly what is stored and where.
Serve people under 18
Shinn is for adults. If it seems to be talking with someone younger, it keeps things safe and points to a trusted adult.
If Shinn crosses one of these lines, tell us at hello@shinnai.app and include the date and time. We read every one.