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What does local-first mean in Hive?
Your library is a folder in a place you choose, and Hive reads and writes that folder directly. Nothing goes to a Hive server. The cloud is involved only if you put the folder in iCloud Drive.
A folder you can see
When you create a library, Hive asks where to put it. You can keep it on the device, in iCloud Drive, or, with Pro, on an external SSD formatted as APFS. After that you can open the Files app on iPhone or iPad, or Finder on the Mac, and see the folder sitting where you left it.
That has practical uses. You can move the library, back it up the way you back up any folder, or copy it to a computer and open it in Eagle.
When the cloud is involved
If the library folder is in iCloud Drive, iCloud keeps it up to date across your devices, and Hive Pro uses that to keep iPhone, iPad, and Mac on the same library. If the folder is on the device, it stays on the device.
What works without a network
Browsing, searching, tagging, writing notes, and using Smart Folders all work offline, because the files are on the device. Two things need a connection: syncing between devices, and importing a link, since Hive has to fetch the page the link points to.
Questions
Is my library uploaded to Hive?
No. It stays in the folder you chose. Hive's App Store privacy label reads Data Not Collected.
Does local-first mean I can't sync?
No. Put the library in iCloud Drive and Pro keeps it in step across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Can I have more than one library?
Yes. Pro adds more libraries, and you can create a new library at a path you choose.