Kalico Telemetry¶

Kalico includes an optional telemetry system that collects anonymous information about your printer setup. This document explains what telemetry is, what data is collected, how it's used, and how to control it.

What is Telemetry?¶

Telemetry is the collection of anonymous usage data that helps the Kalico project understand how users are using the software. This information is valuable for:

Understanding which features are most commonly used
Identifying which printer configurations are popular
Prioritizing development efforts
Improving compatibility with different hardware setups
Making informed decisions about future development

Opt-In Only¶

Kalico's telemetry system is strictly opt-in. When you first run Kalico, you'll be prompted to enable or disable telemetry. No data is collected until you explicitly enable it.

What Data is Collected¶

Kalico telemetry collects the following anonymous information:

Machine Identification¶

A unique machine ID (either from /etc/machine-id or a generated UUID stored in .machine-id)
This ID is used to avoid counting the same machine multiple times, but cannot be traced back to you

System Information¶

Hardware architecture (e.g., x86_64, arm64)
Operating system information from /etc/os-release (distribution name, version)
Python version
CPU information (model name only)

Kalico Software Information¶

Kalico version number
Git branch name
Git remote URL

Configuration Information¶

Only section and option names from your configuration
No actual configuration values are collected
Example: The system knows you have a [printer] section with options like max_velocity, but not what values you've set

Enabled Objects¶

A list of all enabled Kalico modules and plugins
This helps understand which features are being used

What is NOT Collected¶

Kalico telemetry does not collect:

Personal information (name, email, IP address)
Actual configuration values or parameters
Printer logs or performance data
G-code files or print history
Any information that could identify you personally

How to Control Telemetry¶

Viewing Your Telemetry Data¶

You can see exactly what data would be sent by using the TELEMETRY_EXAMPLE G-code command. This will save a file called telemetry.json in your configuration folder, containing the exact data that would be submitted.

Enabling Telemetry¶

If you want to help improve Kalico by sharing anonymous usage data:

Run the ENABLE_TELEMETRY G-code command
Run SAVE_CONFIG to save the setting and restart the printer

Disabling Telemetry¶

If you prefer not to share telemetry data:

Run the DISABLE_TELEMETRY G-code command
Run SAVE_CONFIG to save the setting and restart the printer

Data Handling¶

All telemetry data is sent to https://telemetry.kalico.gg/collect
Data is transmitted securely via HTTPS
Data is stored anonymously and aggregated for statistical purposes
Individual machine data is not shared with third parties

Configuration¶

Telemetry can be configured in your printer.cfg file:

[telemetry]
enabled: True   # Set to False to disable telemetry