FAQ

The basics

What is this?

An AI drill-sergeant fitness coach. You log what you eat, lift, and sleep by talking to him — Sarge tracks it, reacts to it, and holds you accountable. Show up and he works with you; ghost him and you'll hear about it.

Who is this for?

People who already know what to do — eat better, train, sleep — and need someone on them until they actually do it. A few of them:

• Losing weight. A calorie deficit built around the foods you actually eat, and a coach watching the scale with you.
• Getting stronger. Tell him your sets and he tracks every lift and your protein, whatever split you run.
• Getting back into it. Start in Tracking: nothing to fill in first, no goal to pick. Log what you do and he names the patterns.
• Holding steady. Boot Camp: calories at maintenance, and every basic held, every day.
• Done with logging apps. Say what you ate, or show him the plate, and he does the logging.
• Training on your own. Home gym, garage or hotel room, he works with the gear you have.
• Keeping your data private. No account, no email, your logs on your phone, and bitcoin if you pay.
• Training with friends. Bring your crew into a squad and call him into the chat.

If you want an app that says "great job!" no matter what you did, the app store is full of them.

How do I track things?

Talk to him like a person. "Eggs and oats, ran 3 miles, slept 7 hours" — Sarge turns it into structured logs and shows you a card to confirm before anything's saved. Or tap a saved favorite for one-tap logging.

What's Tracking, and why do I start there?

You start in Tracking: log everything, Sarge reacts, and you learn your patterns — no fixed goal. It needs nothing from you up front: no weight, no height, no form. For many it's all they need. Stay as long as you like.

What's a Mission, and how do I start one?

When you want a specific goal, take on a Mission from the Mission tab — there, Sarge holds you to it. Every mission asks for your weight, height, age and sex first, so your targets are yours and not a guess. Three to choose:

• Weight Loss — drop fat, hold muscle; he watches calories and the scale.
• Build Strength — lift more than last time; he watches your lifts and protein.
• Boot Camp — total lifestyle reform; everything, every day.

What does Boot Camp actually demand?

Basic Training, where maintenance is the standard. You hold every basic:

• Calories within your maintenance range
• Your protein target, hit
• Your weekly workout commitment, hit
• 7+ hours of sleep, every night
• 64+ oz of water, every day
• A weigh-in once a week

Miss any of it and you'll hear about it.

What's the "respect" thing?

Sarge's attitude isn't random — it's a scoring engine reacting to your real data. Respect is hard-earned and quickly lost: slack or go quiet and it slides back fast. You can't fake it or buy it, and what weighs heaviest depends on the mission you're running.

Does he write my workouts?

Yes, once you enlist — tap Train and he builds a session from your equipment, style, schedule, and any injuries you've logged. It's completely optional: run your own routine and he'll credit and coach it all the same, free or enlisted. Same deal with Eat — tap it for meal ideas only when you want his input.

What does he actually track?

Meals, workouts, sleep, weigh-ins, measurements, steps, water, supplements, health events — plus a private notebook of what makes you tick.

What's Sarge's notebook?

Where he writes down what you tell him that lasts — an old injury, the night shift, the wedding you're training for — so he coaches you, not a stranger. He reads it every time you talk, so it's worth a look: tap his portrait, then 📓, to fix a line, tear one out, or add your own. Or just tell him to forget something. Each time he writes one down, a "Note saved" line shows in the chat with Open and Undo.

Can I train with friends?

Yes — Squads. Invite-only group chats with people you actually know: send the invite link, talk trash, and summon Sarge into the thread with @sarge. You choose what the app posts there — that you trained, streaks, respect moves — never your logs.

Free and enlisted

Is it really free?

Yes. Three messages a day with Sarge (five on your first day), photos included, for as long as you like. No sign-up, no card. Logging by hand, the shortcut buttons and tapping his answer boxes never count. Three more at midnight, your time. Free also has your respect rank, the missions, and one set text from him each evening.

What does enlisting add?

No daily message count. He texts first, up to three a day, about what you actually did (free gets one set text in the evening). Part of why: his texts are written by a bigger, costlier model than the one that answers your chat. When your rank moves or a mission starts or ends, he says so in his own words; free gets a set line. Every button: Train, Eat, Status and Poke. And you can start a squad and call @sarge into it. One plan: $9 a month or $45 for six months by card, or $8 / $40 in bitcoin. Every payment is one-time; nothing auto-renews. Pricing has the rest.

How much can I talk to him once I enlist?

There's no daily message count. Fair use is sized for about 25–40 messages a day, every day, and busy days borrow from quiet ones. Keep a pace well past that and you'll use up your time's budget faster. If it runs out, Sarge tells you and you can add time. The Terms have the details.

What happens when my time runs out?

Nothing bills you. You're back on free, and your log and his notebook stay where you left them.

Your data

Where does my data live?

On your device. Your meals, workouts, weigh-ins, Sarge's notebook — all in your phone's local storage, not on our servers.

Can you read my data or my chats?

No. Sarge runs in a sealed enclave: your meals, photos and chats aren't read, stored or trained on. They pass through our server's memory on their way to the AI, which runs in attested confidential-compute hardware, and we keep no copy.

What's the 12-word backup?

Optional. Sarge keeps an encrypted copy of your logs sealed with a 12-word recovery phrase — the same BIP-39 standard as a Bitcoin wallet. We store encrypted bytes we can't read, link, or decrypt: hold the words, you hold the only key. Prefer not to babysit words? Lock the backup with a passkey instead — your phone's fingerprint or face unlock stands in for the phrase. Only the app asks for your words, on your own phone. No person from DrillSarge ever will.

Do I need an account?

No. No email, no password, no login: your phone gets a random account number, and that's all. Your fitness data never sits on our server to breach, sell, or subpoena. (Pay by card and the payment processor has your email; pay in bitcoin and it doesn't.)

What about a second device — or a lost one?

It's built for one device at a time (automatic sync isn't here yet). New phone or cleared browser: restore from your backup (the 12 words, or your passkey) and you're back. Without the backup, the data lived only on that device — so set it up early. Sarge nudges you.

Practical

How do I start?

Open drillsarge.ai on your phone. You're in: one welcome box, then Sarge. Nothing to fill in first; he asks for what he needs when it matters. On a computer, scan the code on the front page.

Do I have to install an app?

No app store — Sarge goes on your home screen straight from the browser, and he'll ask when it's time. Do it: a browser can clear its saved data, and that's where your log lives. On the home screen it stays put.

Does it work offline?

Your logs live on your phone, so nothing's lost when you're offline. Opening the app and talking to Sarge need a connection.

Is the chat on this website private?

No, and it says so. The "Talk to Sarge" chat on these pages is the front desk: we keep those conversations so we can follow up. Inside the app it's different — see Privacy.

Is this medical or nutritional advice?

No. Sarge is a fitness coach, not a doctor or dietitian. Nothing here is medical advice — see a professional for medical, dietary, or health decisions.

Still got questions?

The fine print lives at Privacy and Terms. Anything else: [email protected].