Terms of Service

These Terms form a binding agreement between you and Stacktower. Please read them carefully. Section 18 contains a binding arbitration agreement and a class-action waiver that affect how disputes are resolved. You can opt out of arbitration within 30 days of first accepting these Terms — see §18.4. Section 15 contains a warranty disclaimer and section 16 limits our liability.

1. Who we are

Stacktower is operated by Matthias Huels, a sole proprietor doing business as “Stacktower” (“Stacktower”, “we”, “us”).

Postal address: PO Box 20096, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States.
Contact: support@stacktower.io (general) · legal@stacktower.io (legal & notices).

2. The Service

“the Service” means the Stacktower web application at app.stacktower.io, the public API at api.stacktower.io, the open-source stacktower command-line interface when used with our hosted backend, and any related documentation, badges, and embeds we make available. The Service helps you generate, compare, and share visualizations and analyses of software-package dependency graphs.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old (16 in the EEA / UK) to use the Service. If you use the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind that organization, in which case “you” refers to that organization. The Service is not available to persons on US, UK, or EU sanctions lists, or ordinarily resident in an embargoed jurisdiction.

4. Account & security

Most features require you to sign in with GitHub. By signing in you authorize Stacktower to read the profile data and, at your option, the repository data permitted by the OAuth scopes you grant. You can revoke these permissions at any time from your GitHub settings.

You are responsible for safeguarding your GitHub account and any API keys you create inside the Service. Notify us at support@stacktower.io promptly if you suspect unauthorized access.

5. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service to violate any law or anyone else’s rights
• Submit content you do not have the right to submit
• Attempt to access systems, accounts, or data that do not belong to you, or to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service without our written consent
• Abuse rate limits, bypass quotas, or run the Service on hardware or infrastructure that is not yours
• Scrape, mirror, or resell the Service or its outputs as a substitute offering, or use our API to train any competing generative-AI or SCA product
• Interfere with, disrupt, or overload the Service or the networks connected to it
• Upload malware, phishing content, or content that is unlawful, defamatory, or sexually explicit

We may investigate suspected violations, and we may suspend or terminate access (including paid access) for material or repeat violations.

6. Plans, billing & cancellation

6.1 Plans

We offer Free, Pro, and Enterprise plans with different feature sets and usage quotas. Current prices and features are published at /pricing. We may change quotas or features with reasonable notice (at least 30 days for changes that materially reduce functionality of a paid plan you are on).

6.2 Payment & auto-renewal

Paid subscriptions are billed in advance through Stripe on a monthly or annual cycle you choose. Subscriptions renew automatically at the then-current price for the same billing period until you cancel. You authorize us and Stripe to charge your payment method on each renewal.

You can cancel at any time from Settings → Billing. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; you keep access to the paid plan until then.

California residents: as required by the California Automatic Renewal Law, you can cancel online without calling us — use the Settings → Billing page or email support@stacktower.io.

6.3 Refunds

14-day money-back guarantee on your first paid month. If Stacktower isn’t right for you, email support@stacktower.io within 14 days of your first subscription charge and we will refund that charge in full.

After the first 14 days, subscription fees are non-refundable, including on renewals and on cancellations of annual plans. We do not pro-rate refunds for partial billing periods or unused quota.

Consumers in the EEA and UK retain the 14-day statutory right of withdrawal for newly purchased subscriptions; exercising withdrawal after you have started using a paid feature waives that right under Directive 2011/83/EU Art. 16(m).

6.4 Taxes

Prices are quoted exclusive of taxes. You are responsible for any VAT, GST, sales, or similar taxes applicable to your subscription, which Stripe will collect on our behalf where required.

6.5 Free plan

The Free plan is offered “as is” with no SLA, and may be rate-limited, degraded, or discontinued at any time.

7. Your content & our licenses

You retain all ownership of the manifests, lockfiles, repository references, and prompts you submit (“Your Content”). You grant Stacktower a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, process, render, and store Your Content solely in order to provide the Service to you, and for the retention periods set out in our Privacy Policy.

Visualizations, badges, and embeds you choose to share publicly (including any visualization of a public package or public repository) may be cached and shown to other users through the Service, our public badge URLs, and our public API.

We do not use Your Content to train any generative-AI model.

8. Our intellectual property

Except for Your Content and third-party open-source components, the Service and its underlying software, branding, and design are owned by us or our licensors. We grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Service in accordance with these Terms. “Stacktower” and the Stacktower logo are trademarks of Matthias Huels; you may reference them factually but may not use them in a way that implies endorsement.

The open-source stacktower CLI is licensed separately under the license stated in its repository; those license terms govern your use of the CLI.

9. AI features

The AI “Investigator” uses large-language-model inference and may produce outputs that are inaccurate, incomplete, or inappropriate for your use case. You are responsible for reviewing AI output before acting on it, and you should not rely on it as professional security, legal, or compliance advice. We do not warrant AI outputs; the disclaimers in section 15 apply with particular force to AI-generated content.

10. Third-party services & content

The Service integrates with GitHub, Stripe, Anthropic, Resend, and other third-party services. Your use of those services is governed by their respective terms. We are not responsible for third-party services or the content, availability, or accuracy of any open-source package metadata, advisories, or license information surfaced through the Service.

11. Copyright & DMCA

We respond to clear and complete notices of alleged copyright infringement. If you believe your copyright has been infringed through the Service, send a written notice to our designated agent containing the information required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3):

DMCA Designated Agent — Matthias Huels
PO Box 20096, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States
legal@stacktower.io

We terminate the accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances.

12. Suspension & termination

You may terminate your account at any time from Settings → Delete Account, or by contacting support@stacktower.io. We may suspend or terminate your access (including paid access) if you materially breach these Terms, if your use creates a legal or operational risk, or if we are required to do so by law. We will give reasonable notice unless doing so would defeat the purpose of the suspension.

On termination, sections 7–9, 13–19, and any provisions that by their nature should survive, will continue to apply.

13. Export controls & sanctions

You represent that you are not subject to any US, UK, or EU sanctions, are not located in a comprehensively embargoed jurisdiction, and will not use the Service in a way that violates export-control laws.

14. Indemnification

To the maximum extent permitted by law, you will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Stacktower and its owner from and against any third-party claim arising out of (a) Your Content, (b) your violation of these Terms, or (c) your violation of any law or third-party right. We will notify you of the claim and cooperate, at your expense, in its defense; you will not settle any claim in a way that imposes obligations on us without our prior written consent.

15. Warranty disclaimer

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT DEPENDENCY DATA, VULNERABILITY ADVISORIES, OR AI OUTPUTS WILL BE ACCURATE OR COMPLETE. NOTHING IN THESE TERMS EXCLUDES WARRANTIES THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED BY LAW (INCLUDING STATUTORY CONSUMER GUARANTEES WHERE APPLICABLE).

16. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, STACKTOWER WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, GOODWILL, OR DATA, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM, OR (B) USD 100. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THESE LIMITS; IN THOSE JURISDICTIONS OUR LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

17. Changes to the Service or Terms

We may change the Service and these Terms from time to time. For changes to these Terms that are material to paid customers, we will give at least 30 days’ notice by email or through the Service. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree, you may stop using the Service and cancel your subscription under section 6.

18. Governing law & dispute resolution

These Terms are governed by the Federal Arbitration Act and, for any issues not pre-empted by it, by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply.

18.1 Informal resolution first

Before starting an arbitration or lawsuit, you and we agree to try to resolve the dispute informally. Send a written Notice of Dispute to legal@stacktower.io describing the claim and the relief you seek. We will do the same if we have a claim against you. If the dispute is not resolved within 30 days of the notice, either party may start an arbitration under §18.2.

18.2 Binding individual arbitration

Any dispute not resolved informally must be resolved by binding individual arbitration, administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules (available at adr.org). The arbitration will be conducted by a single arbitrator, seated in New York County, New York, in English. The arbitrator may award the same remedies a court could, but only on an individual basis. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

For claims of USD 10,000 or less, the arbitration may, at your option, be conducted entirely on written submissions or by phone/video, without an in-person hearing. AAA filing fees will be paid as provided by the AAA Consumer Rules; if those rules would make arbitration cost-prohibitive for you, we will pay the filing fees that exceed what you would have paid to file in state court.

18.3 Exceptions: small claims & injunctive relief

Either party may (a) bring an individual claim in small-claims court if the claim qualifies and stays in that court, or (b) seek injunctive or equitable relief in the state or federal courts located in New York County, New York to protect its intellectual property or confidential information.

18.4 How to opt out of arbitration

You can opt out of §18.2 and §18.5 by emailing legal@stacktower.io within 30 days of first accepting these Terms, with the subject line “Arbitration Opt-Out” and your account email in the body. Opting out will not affect any other part of these Terms. If you opt out, disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in New York County, New York.

18.5 Class-action waiver

You and Stacktower agree that each may bring claims against the other only on an individual basis, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, consolidated, or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person’s claims and may not preside over any form of representative proceeding. If this §18.5 is found unenforceable as to any claim, that claim (and only that claim) will be severed from arbitration and brought in court under §18.3; the rest of §18 will remain in effect.

18.6 Consumer protections (EEA, UK, Switzerland)

If you are a consumer resident in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, nothing in this §18 deprives you of the protection of the mandatory consumer-protection laws of your country of residence. You may bring proceedings in the courts of that country, and the arbitration and class-action provisions above apply to you only to the extent permitted by those laws.

19. Miscellaneous

• Entire agreement. These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service, and supersede any prior agreements.
• Severability. If any provision is held unenforceable, the rest will remain in effect.
• No waiver. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of future enforcement.
• Assignment. You may not assign these Terms without our consent. We may assign them to an affiliate or in connection with a sale, merger, or reorganization.
• Force majeure. Neither party is liable for delays caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control.
• Notices. Legal notices to us must be sent to legal@stacktower.io. We may give notice to you by email to the address on your account or through the Service.
• Independent contractors. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, agency, employment, or joint venture.

20. Contact

Matthias Huels, d/b/a Stacktower
PO Box 20096, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States
legal@stacktower.io