Legal & Compliance

Terms of Service

Last Updated: November 10, 2026 • Applies to HelmCode Client & runner-core

Welcome to HelmCode. These Terms of Service (“Terms”) constitute a legally binding agreement between the HelmCode project contributors (“we”, “us”, or “our”) and you (“you”, “user”, or “developer”), governing your access to and use of the HelmCode iPad application, the runner-core sandbox daemon, related documentation, and associated software components (collectively, the “Software” or “Service”).

By downloading, compiling, installing, pairing, or using any part of HelmCode, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with any provision of these Terms, you must immediately refrain from installing or using the Software.

1. Architectural Model & Scope of Service

1.1 Decoupled Architecture & Platform Scope: HelmCode is designed as an AI coding console built exclusively for iPad. The front-end client operates natively on iPadOS (iOS and macOS are currently not supported) with a CodeMirror 6 editor engine, while the backend workspace execution, virtual filesystem (VFS), terminal PTY sessions, and AI harness dispatches are powered by the headless runner-core daemon.

1.2 Self-Hosted Infrastructure: HelmCode operates on a strictly decentralized, self-hosted model. We do not provide, manage, or operate central cloud relay servers that store, route, or inspect your source code. You choose and control where runner-core executes—whether on your local development machine, private homelab, virtual private server (VPS), or containerized cloud host.

1.3 Zero Proprietary Telemetry: The Software does not include proprietary tracking servers or code-surveillance backdoors. All interactions between your iPad client and runner-core occur directly across your designated network endpoints over HTTP and WebSocket protocols.

2. Open Source Licensing & Trademarks

2.1 Open Source License: Both the HelmCode iPad client codebase and the runner-core daemon are published as free and open-source software under the MIT License. You are granted the right to inspect, fork, modify, merge, distribute, and self-host the Software subject to the terms of the MIT License.

2.2 Trademarks & Brand Identity: While the underlying code is open source, the names “HelmCode”, the HelmCode logo, App Icon, visual assets, and distinctive design elements are proprietary trademarks of the HelmCode team. Nothing in these Terms grants you permission to use our trademarks to imply official endorsement or affiliation without prior written consent.

3. User Responsibilities & Server Security

Because HelmCode interfaces with shell environments and arbitrary code execution through runner-core, you acknowledge and agree to the following responsibilities:

3.1 Host Hardening & Network Exposure:

  • You are solely responsible for securing the host environment on which you deploy runner-core.
  • If you expose runner-core ports (e.g., port 18080 / 8080) to the public internet, you must implement adequate network protections, including TLS/SSL certificates, reverse proxies (such as Nginx, Caddy, or Cloudflare Tunnel), or secure overlay networks (such as Tailscale or WireGuard).
  • You are responsible for safeguarding your pairing setup codes and device authentication Bearer tokens. We cannot recover lost credentials or mitigate unauthorized access resulting from insecure host configurations.

3.2 Prohibited Uses: You agree that you will not use HelmCode or runner-core to:

  • Conduct unauthorized port scanning, vulnerability probing, or network penetration against systems without explicit permission;
  • Deploy, compile, or distribute malicious software, trojans, ransomware, or cryptomining malware;
  • Engage in activities that violate applicable local, national, or international laws or regulations.

4. Third-Party AI Models & ACP Harnesses

4.1 ACP Protocol Integration: HelmCode integrates the Agent Client Protocol (ACP) standard to connect with third-party Large Language Model (LLM) harnesses, including but not limited to OpenCode, Anthropic Claude, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, and xAI Grok.

4.2 Provider Keys & Costs: You supply your own API credentials or configure authorized harness tokens. Any usage fees, token consumption costs, rate limits, or billing disputes incurred with third-party model providers are solely between you and the respective provider.

4.3 AI Output Disclaimer:

  • Code suggestions, completions, refactorings, terminal commands, and architectural plans generated by AI agents are probabilistic in nature and may contain logical errors, vulnerabilities, or regressions.
  • You are solely responsible for reviewing, linting, testing, and verifying all AI-generated code prior to compiling, running, or pushing to production environments.
  • HelmCode and its contributors shall have no liability whatsoever for bugs, security vulnerabilities, downtime, data corruption, or financial loss resulting from AI-generated instructions or diffs.

5. Ownership of Work Products

5.1 User Code Ownership: We assert zero ownership over the source code, repositories, configuration files, prompts, and outputs that you create, edit, or compile using HelmCode.

5.2 Intellectual Property Retention: All intellectual property rights in your original code, commits, and derivative works remain exclusively yours. HelmCode does not claim any license, royalty, or proprietary interest in your software creations.

6. Disclaimer of Warranties

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE SOFTWARE AND ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTATION ARE PROVIDED STRICTLY ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, SYSTEM INTEGRATION, QUIET ENJOYMENT, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT:

  • THE SOFTWARE WILL MEET YOUR SPECIFIC PROGRAMMING OR OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS;
  • THE OPERATION OF HELMCODE OR RUNNER-CORE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, BUG-FREE, OR FREE FROM DATA TRANSMISSION DELAYS;
  • VIRTUAL FILESYSTEM (VFS) SYNCHRONIZATION OR TERMINAL PTY SESSIONS WILL REMAIN PERSISTENT ACROSS NETWORK DISCONNECTIONS.

7. Limitation of Liability

IN NO EVENT SHALL THE HELMCODE PROJECT, ITS FOUNDERS, CONTRIBUTORS, MAINTAINERS, OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF SOURCE CODE, LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF REPUTATION, OR HARDWARE FAILURE) ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE LEGAL THEORY (WHETHER CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE), EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

8. Modifications to Terms

We reserve the right to amend or replace these Terms at any time to reflect software updates, architectural changes, or evolving legal obligations. Updated Terms will be published on this site with a revised “Last Updated” date. Your continued use of the Software following any modification indicates your acceptance of the updated Terms.

9. Governing Law & Severability

9.1 Governing Law: These Terms shall be interpreted and governed by the laws applicable to general open-source software distributions, without regard to conflict of law principles.

9.2 Severability: If any provision of these Terms is deemed unlawful, void, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissible, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full legal force and effect.

10. Contact & Community

For legal inquiries, vulnerability reports, or questions regarding these Terms, please reach out via our official GitHub repository: