Legal
Terms of Service
Plain language. No gotcha clauses. We want you to actually read this.
Key points
Open-core model. Discovery and pipeline layers are MIT. AI features are BSL 1.1 — free for personal self-hosting, converting to MIT after 4 years.
30-day refunds. Request a refund within 30 days and under 30 AI actions — no questions asked. We'd rather you be happy.
Your account is yours. No key sharing, no reselling, no running a service on top of ours. One human per license.
Privacy-first. We do not sell your data, we do not train on it without your consent, and most of it never leaves your machine in the first place.
CircuitForge LLC — Terms of Service
Last updated: DATEEffective date: DATE
These Terms apply to all CircuitForge LLC products and services. Individual products may have supplemental terms referenced in their documentation.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By creating an account or using any CircuitForge product or service (collectively, the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
You must be at least 18 years old to use the Service. By agreeing to these Terms, you represent that you meet this requirement.
These Terms apply alongside our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference. If there is a conflict between these Terms and the Privacy Policy, the Privacy Policy governs with respect to data handling.
CircuitForge LLC reserves the right to update these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by email or in-app notice. Continued use of the Service after notice constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
2. Description of Services and License Tiers
CircuitForge provides AI-assisted software tools designed to help individuals navigate complex, time-consuming processes (collectively, "Products"). Each Product operates under a tiered access model:
| Tier | Description |
|---|---|
| Free | Core pipeline features, basic AI assist, local inference only |
| Paid | Cloud-hosted inference, integrations, full AI generation suite |
| Premium | Fine-tuned models, multi-user access, advanced analytics |
Specific features available at each tier are described in the documentation for each Product. CircuitForge reserves the right to modify tier contents with reasonable notice.
3. Account Registration and Eligibility
You must provide accurate and complete information when creating an account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.
You may not:
- Create an account on behalf of another person without their explicit authorization
- Share account credentials or provide access to your account to any third party
- Create multiple accounts to circumvent tier restrictions, usage limits, or refund eligibility
CircuitForge reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.
4. Software Licensing
CircuitForge Products are built on an open-core model. Different components of the software are released under different licenses.
MIT License — The discovery pipeline, data fetching, and monitoring layers of each Product are released under the MIT License. You may use, copy, modify, and distribute these components freely under the terms of that license.
Business Source License 1.1 (BSL 1.1) — AI-powered features, including but not limited to document generation, AI research assist, and fine-tuned model inference, are licensed under BSL 1.1.
Under BSL 1.1:
- Personal, non-commercial self-hosting is permitted at no cost
- Commercial use, SaaS re-hosting, or offering the AI features as a service to third parties requires a paid commercial license from CircuitForge LLC
- BSL 1.1 components automatically convert to the MIT License four (4) years after each version's release date
Fine-tuned model weights, where provided, are proprietary to CircuitForge LLC and licensed on a per-user, non-transferable basis. You may not redistribute, sell, or sublicense model weights under any circumstances.
Nothing in these Terms grants you ownership of CircuitForge software, trademarks, or intellectual property.
5. Acceptable Use and Prohibited Conduct
The Service is intended to assist individual users with personal, legitimate tasks as described in each Product's documentation. You agree to use the Service only for its intended purpose.
Account and Access Abuse
You may not:
- Share your account, credentials, or license key with any other person or entity
- Use a single account or license key on behalf of multiple individuals
- Circumvent tier restrictions, usage limits, or feature gates through any technical or non-technical means
- Create or use automated scripts to interact with the Service in ways not explicitly supported
Platform and Queue Abuse
You may not:
- Submit requests to the Service at a volume or rate that exceeds normal individual use, or that degrades service quality for other users
- Use the Service to send automated, bulk, or repetitive requests to third-party platforms (job boards, government portals, or other external services) in a manner that violates those platforms' own terms of service or that could result in your IP address or CircuitForge's infrastructure being blocked or penalized
- Intentionally or recklessly overload the task queue, background processing pipeline, or any shared infrastructure
Harmful and Malicious Use
You may not:
- Use the Service to generate content that is fraudulent, defamatory, harassing, threatening, obscene, or otherwise unlawful
- Adapt, repurpose, or extend the Service for any use other than its documented intended purpose, including but not limited to: generating disinformation, producing content designed to deceive or manipulate third parties, or facilitating any activity that would constitute a violation of applicable law
- Use the Service in any way that infringes the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party
Catch-All
The above list is illustrative, not exhaustive. CircuitForge reserves the right to determine, at its sole discretion, that any use of the Service is inconsistent with these Terms and to take appropriate action, including suspension or termination of access.
6. Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)
Certain tiers allow you to connect your own third-party API key (e.g., an Anthropic, OpenAI, or compatible provider key) to unlock AI features ("BYOK"). If you use BYOK:
- You are solely responsible for your API key, including its security, any costs incurred through its use, and compliance with your API provider's terms of service
- You may not share your API key through the Service or configure the Service in a way that allows other users or third parties to benefit from your key
- CircuitForge is not liable for any charges, overages, or account actions taken by your API provider as a result of your use of the Service
- BYOK access does not alter your software license under BSL 1.1. AI features accessed via BYOK remain subject to all applicable licensing terms
- CircuitForge reserves the right to revoke BYOK access if it determines, at its sole discretion, that a key is being used in violation of these Terms or in a manner that poses risk to CircuitForge's infrastructure or third-party platforms
7. Billing and Subscriptions
Subscription Plans
Paid tiers are available on monthly or annual billing cycles. By subscribing, you authorize CircuitForge to charge your payment method on a recurring basis at the rate displayed at the time of purchase, until you cancel.
Annual subscriptions are billed in full at the start of each billing period. Cancellation of an annual subscription takes effect at the end of the current paid period — no partial-period refunds are issued except as described in Section 8.
Lifetime Licenses
Lifetime licenses are available as a one-time purchase and grant access to the specified tier for the life of the Product, subject to these Terms. Lifetime licenses are non-transferable and are issued to a single named user account.
Automatic Renewal
Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled before the renewal date. You will receive a reminder before each annual renewal. CircuitForge is not responsible for charges resulting from failure to cancel before renewal.
Payment Processing
Payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. and PayPal Holdings, Inc. Donations may be accepted via Venmo (US users only). By providing payment information, you agree to the applicable processor's terms of service. CircuitForge does not store full payment card or bank account details. Supported payment methods vary by region and are listed at checkout.
Failed Payments
If a payment fails, CircuitForge will retry the charge according to the processor's standard retry schedule. If payment cannot be collected after reasonable attempts, your account may be downgraded to the Free tier until payment is resolved. You will be notified by email before any downgrade occurs.
Price Changes
CircuitForge reserves the right to change subscription pricing with at least 30 days' written notice. Price changes take effect at the start of your next billing period after the notice period. Lifetime license pricing is fixed at the time of purchase and is not subject to change.
8. Refund Policy
CircuitForge wants you to feel confident trying our Products. We offer refunds subject to the following conditions. A standalone version of this policy is also available at circuitforge.tech/refund-policy.
Eligibility
You may request a refund if both of the following are true:
- Your request is submitted within 30 calendar days of your original purchase date, and
- Your account has logged fewer than 30 AI actions under the subscription or license being refunded
An "AI action" is any request that invokes cloud-hosted or BYOK AI inference — including but not limited to document generation, AI-assisted research, and AI-powered analysis. Actions that use local inference only do not count toward this threshold.
Lifetime Licenses
Lifetime licenses are subject to the same 30-day / 30 AI action eligibility criteria. After this window, lifetime license purchases are final.
How to Request
Contact support@circuitforge.tech with your account email and order confirmation. Refunds are typically processed within 5–10 business days and returned to your original payment method.
Non-Refundable Circumstances
Refunds will not be issued if:
- The 30-day window has passed
- Your account has logged 30 or more AI actions under the relevant subscription or license
- The account has been suspended or terminated for a Terms of Service violation
- The refund request appears to be part of a pattern of abuse (e.g., repeated purchase-refund cycles across accounts)
Discretionary Refunds
CircuitForge may, at its sole discretion, issue refunds outside these criteria in exceptional circumstances (e.g., extended service outages, billing errors). Such decisions do not create any obligation to issue similar refunds in the future.
9. Privacy and Data
Your privacy is a founding principle of CircuitForge, not an afterthought. This section summarizes our approach. Full details are in our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference and should be read alongside them.
What We Collect
To provide the Service, CircuitForge collects information you provide directly (such as account details and documents you upload), data generated by your use of the Service (such as usage logs and AI action history), and payment information processed on our behalf by Stripe and PayPal. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
How We Use It
We use your data to operate and improve the Service, process payments, communicate with you about your account, and comply with legal obligations. We do not use your personal data to train AI models without your explicit, opt-in consent.
Third-Party Processors
Certain features involve third-party services that process data on our behalf, including Stripe (payments), PayPal (payments), and, where you have enabled BYOK, your chosen AI inference provider. These providers are subject to their own privacy policies. You are responsible for reviewing those policies before enabling BYOK.
California Residents (CCPA)
If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, request deletion of your personal information, opt out of the sale of your personal information (we do not sell personal information), and non-discrimination for exercising any of these rights. To exercise your California privacy rights, contact privacy@circuitforge.tech.
European Users (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, port, and object to processing of your personal data. Data transfers from the EEA to the United States are made in accordance with Standard Contractual Clauses where required. To exercise your GDPR rights, contact privacy@circuitforge.tech. We will respond within 30 days.
10. Disclaimer of Warranties
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, CIRCUITFORGE LLC EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.
CircuitForge does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components, or that any content generated by the Service is accurate, complete, or suitable for any particular purpose. AI-generated content is provided as a starting point and should be reviewed by you before use. CircuitForge is not responsible for outcomes resulting from your use of AI-generated content.
11. Limitation of Liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, CIRCUITFORGE LLC AND ITS OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND CONTRACTORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL CIRCUITFORGE'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO CIRCUITFORGE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100.00 USD).
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. In those jurisdictions, the above limitations apply to the maximum extent permitted by law.
12. Termination
By You
You may cancel your subscription or close your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting support@circuitforge.tech. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period for subscriptions, or immediately for free accounts. Cancellation does not entitle you to a refund except as described in Section 8.
By CircuitForge
CircuitForge may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if we determine that you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent activity, or pose a risk to other users or our infrastructure. In cases of termination for cause, no refund will be issued.
Effect of Termination
Upon termination, your right to access the Service ceases immediately. CircuitForge will retain your data for up to 90 days following termination, after which it will be deleted in accordance with the Privacy Policy. You may request early deletion by contacting privacy@circuitforge.tech. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination — including Sections 4, 10, 11, and 13 — shall survive.
13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Contra Costa County, California, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.
Informal Resolution
Before filing any formal claim, you agree to contact CircuitForge at legal@circuitforge.tech and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days. CircuitForge will do the same.
Class Action Waiver
To the extent permitted by law, you waive any right to bring claims against CircuitForge as a plaintiff or class member in any class action, collective action, or representative proceeding.
14. Changes to Terms
CircuitForge reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. For material changes, we will provide at least 30 days' notice via email or in-app notification before the changes take effect. Non-material changes (such as clarifications or corrections) may take effect immediately.
Your continued use of the Service after the notice period constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the Service and may request a refund in accordance with Section 8 if you are within the eligibility window.
15. Contact
For general support: support@circuitforge.tech
For privacy and data requests: privacy@circuitforge.tech
For legal notices: legal@circuitforge.tech
CircuitForge LLC Crockett, CA 94525 United States