Terms of Service

1. Who we are & what these terms cover

"merido", "we", "us", or "our" refers to the maintainers and operators of the merido project and the website at merido.dev. "You" means the individual or entity using the website, software, or service.

These Terms apply to three distinct things, and some sections apply only to one:

• The website — the marketing site, blog, documentation, and tools published at merido.dev.
• The self-hosted software — the merido binary you download and run on your own infrastructure.
• The hosted service — the optional cloud deployment of merido that we operate and that you access with an account.

2. Acceptance of these terms

By accessing the website, downloading or running the software, or creating an account on the hosted service, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you are using merido on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization, and "you" includes that organization. If you do not agree, do not use merido.

3. The self-hosted software

The merido software is proprietary and licensed, not sold. Your rights to install and use the software are granted by — and limited to — the license that accompanies it. Except as that license expressly permits, you may not copy, modify, distribute, reverse engineer, or create derivative works of the software.

When you self-host merido, you are solely responsible for:

• The infrastructure it runs on and its security configuration.
• Any data it stores or processes on your systems (by default, merido is local-first and keeps data in an embedded database under your control).
• The upstream LLM provider accounts and API keys you configure, and all charges those providers bill you.
• Complying with the terms of every upstream provider you route traffic to through merido.

We do not operate, monitor, or have access to your self-hosted instance, and we provide no service-level commitments for it.

4. The hosted (cloud) service

We may offer an optional hosted version of merido. When you use it, the following additional terms apply.

4.1 Accounts

You must provide accurate registration information and keep your credentials secure. You are responsible for all activity under your account. Notify us promptly at [email protected] if you suspect unauthorized access.

4.2 Bring your own key

The hosted service is designed to route requests using the upstream provider API keys you supply. You remain in a direct billing relationship with those providers and are responsible for all usage and charges they incur. We are not a reseller of upstream model capacity unless expressly stated.

4.3 Acceptable use

You agree not to use the hosted service to:

• Violate any law, regulation, or third-party right.
• Breach the terms or usage policies of any upstream provider.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to, disrupt, overload, or reverse engineer the service or its infrastructure.
• Transmit malware, or use the service to generate content that is unlawful, infringing, or harmful.
• Resell or sublicense the service except as expressly permitted.

4.4 Availability & changes

We aim to keep the hosted service available but provide it without any uptime guarantee unless a separate written agreement says otherwise. We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the hosted service, and we may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

5. Fees

The website and the self-hosted software are currently provided free of charge under their license. Any paid features of the hosted service, if offered, will be described at the point of purchase, including price and billing cycle. Upstream provider charges are always separate and billed to you by those providers.

6. Intellectual property

The merido software, name, logo, website content, and documentation are owned by us or our licensors; your use of the software is governed by its license. These Terms do not grant you any trademark rights. Content you submit or generate through the service remains yours; you grant us only the limited rights necessary to operate the service for you.

7. Third-party providers

merido routes requests to third-party LLM providers that you choose. We do not control those providers and are not responsible for their services, availability, pricing, output, or terms. Your use of each provider is governed by that provider's own agreement with you.

8. Disclaimer of warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the website, software, and hosted service are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the software or service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that any model output will be accurate or suitable for your purposes.

9. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event will we be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of or relating to your use of merido — including upstream provider charges you incur. Our total aggregate liability for any claim relating to the hosted service will not exceed the amounts you paid us for that service in the twelve months before the claim (or, where the software is provided free of charge, will not exceed USD 100).

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from claims, damages, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of merido, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any law or third-party right, including any upstream provider's terms.

11. Termination

You may stop using merido at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access to the hosted service if you breach these Terms. Sections that by their nature should survive termination — including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and indemnification — will survive.

12. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above and, for material changes to the hosted service, take reasonable steps to notify account holders. Your continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

13. Governing law & disputes

These Terms are governed by applicable law, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Where required, disputes will be resolved by the competent courts of the jurisdiction in which we operate. Nothing here removes any mandatory consumer-protection rights you may have under your local law.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email us at [email protected].