Add WICK_NO_ANALYTICS env var to disable usage telemetry

[andrewmy]

Summary

• Adds a WICK_NO_ANALYTICS=1 environment variable that completely disables all outbound telemetry (usage pings and error reports)
• Documents the privacy controls in the README

Motivation

Discovered this project via anthropics/claude-code#22846 — having the same issue, tavily and etc MCPs rely heavily on their servers, so wick seems perfect, thanks!

However, some environments — particularly corporate networks — require strict privacy guarantees before a tool can be approved for use. Wick's existing analytics are already lightweight and anonymous (event type, version, OS only), but there was no way to turn them off entirely.

This gives users and their security teams a simple, verifiable kill switch: set one env var and zero network requests leave the process. It makes Wick adoptable in privacy-sensitive workplaces without requiring a fork or custom build.

How it works

A single is_disabled() check gates both ping() and report_failure() in rust/src/analytics.rs. When WICK_NO_ANALYTICS is 1 or true, both functions return immediately before spawning any threads or making any HTTP requests.

Testing

• WICK_NO_ANALYTICS=1 wick fetch https://example.com — verify no requests to releases.getwick.dev via e.g. a firewall
• a quick and dirty check would be also a look into ~/.wick/pings
• wick fetch https://example.com (without the var) — verify pings still work as before
• Confirm WICK_NO_ANALYTICS=true (case-insensitive) also disables telemetry

Disclosure

I don't really know Rust and used AI to help me do this change. Hope to learn the language too!