Terms of Service – Piecelet Connect

1. Scope and relationship with Piecelet app

1.1 These Terms apply only to your use of Piecelet Connect, including any web interface or API that exposes authentication, account linking, and related functionality.

1.2 Piecelet Connect is separate from the Piecelet app itself. Your use of the Piecelet iOS/macOS or other platform apps is governed by the Piecelet Terms of Use and Piecelet Privacy Policy. Using Piecelet Connect does not modify those terms, and using the Piecelet app does not automatically grant you any additional rights under these Terms.

1.3 Unless expressly stated otherwise, these Terms do not alter any agreement you have with Apple, NeoDB, individual NeoDB instance operators, your internet service provider, or any other third party.

2. Description of the Service

2.1 The Service is designed to help you establish a secure connection between one or more NeoDB instances and the Piecelet Connect backend operated on your behalf. In particular, Piecelet Connect:

• lets you select or enter a NeoDB instance domain;
• initiates an OAuth / Mastodon-compatible authorization flow on that instance;
• receives and stores access tokens returned by the instance so that it can, where authorized, call that instance’s APIs on your behalf; and
• manages those tokens, including logout, revocation, and periodic cleanup of stale tokens.

2.2 The Service does not host or operate any NeoDB instance and does not provide a social network by itself. Any NeoDB instance you connect to is operated by its own provider and is subject to that instance’s terms and privacy policy.

3. Eligibility and accounts

3.1 You may use the Service only if you have the power to form a contract with us and are not barred from doing so under any applicable laws. If you are using the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent and warrant that you are authorized to bind that organization to these Terms.

3.2 Using the Service generally requires that you hold a valid account on at least one NeoDB instance and that you authorize Piecelet Connect to access that account on your behalf. You are responsible for keeping your NeoDB account credentials, including any passwords and multi-factor authentication methods, secure.

3.3 The Service creates an internal user record that maps to your NeoDB account and maintains your login state using session cookies. You are responsible for securing your devices and minimizing the risk that third parties can access your authenticated sessions.

3.4 If you become aware of any unauthorized use of your account or any security breach, you should contact us promptly using the contact channels described below so we can take reasonable steps to assist you.

3.5 The Service is not offered to, and you may not use the Service if you are located in, ordinarily resident in, or organized under the laws of jurisdictions that do not have effective legal jurisdiction over the Service, including the People’s Republic of China, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the Macao Special Administrative Region. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you do not fall within these categories and that you will not use technical or contractual arrangements to circumvent this restriction.

4. Third‑party services and NeoDB instances

4.1 The Service relies on third‑party infrastructure and services, including but not limited to Cloudflare (for networking and edge compute) and the NeoDB instances you choose to connect to. Those services are operated independently and are outside our direct control.

4.2 Your conduct on each NeoDB instance – including any content you create, publish, or interact with – is governed by that instance’s own rules, terms, and policies. We are not responsible for the availability, compliance, security, or content of any NeoDB instance.

4.3 During the OAuth flow, Piecelet Connect registers a client application on the target NeoDB instance and, with your explicit authorization, receives tokens that allow it to call that instance’s APIs on your behalf. The authorization relationship is ultimately between you and the NeoDB instance; Piecelet Connect acts as a technical intermediary.

4.4 You understand and agree that we are not liable for any limitations, outages, or policy changes on NeoDB instances or other third‑party services, even if those events affect your ability to use Piecelet Connect.

5. License and acceptable use

5.1 Subject to your compliance with these Terms, we grant you a limited, non‑exclusive, non‑transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service for lawful purposes.

5.2 You agree that you will not:

• resell, lease, sublicense, or otherwise provide the Service as a standalone paid product to third parties;
• reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Service, except to the extent permitted by law;
• bypass or attempt to bypass any rate limits, access controls, or security measures;
• use the Service to engage in unlawful, infringing, abusive, harassing, or otherwise objectionable behavior; or
• use the Service in a way that could harm Piecelet, NeoDB instances, other users, or our infrastructure.

5.3 The Service depends on open‑source software and third‑party components that are each governed by their own licenses. Where applicable, those licenses apply in addition to these Terms.

6. Security and abuse

6.1 You agree not to use the Service to:

• access, interfere with, or disrupt any system, network, or data without authorization;
• probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of any system or network without consent;
• send spam, malware, or other harmful content;
• impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with anyone; or
• interfere with or attempt to interfere with the normal functioning of the Service.

6.2 To protect users and the Service, we may apply rate limits, anomaly detection, and other security controls. If we detect suspicious activity, we may temporarily or permanently restrict your access to the Service.

7. Privacy and data processing

7.1 We take your privacy seriously. When you use the Service, we collect and process a limited amount of personal data in order to provide authentication, session management, security, and debugging.

7.2 Our data practices for Piecelet Connect, including what data we collect, how we use and store it, and when we delete it, are described in the Piecelet Connect Privacy Policy. These Terms and the Privacy Policy should be read together; if there is any inconsistency regarding privacy matters, the Privacy Policy will prevail.

7.3 In particular, when you authorize via NeoDB, the Service stores the access token returned by the instance so that it can call that instance’s APIs on your behalf. When you sign out, or when an access token has not been updated for more than 24 hours and is classified as inactive by our scheduled job, we will:

• attempt to revoke the token on the corresponding NeoDB instance; and
• replace the stored token value in our database with an irreversible placeholder so that the original token can no longer be used.

7.4 Where permitted by law, we may further anonymize or aggregate data for analytics and service improvement, after removing or obfuscating direct identifiers.

8. Changes, suspension, and termination

8.1 We may modify, update, or discontinue all or part of the Service at any time. Where feasible, we will provide reasonable notice via the interface, documentation, or repository.

8.2 Service interruptions may occur due to maintenance, infrastructure failures, legal or regulatory requirements, or other events beyond our control. We will make reasonable efforts to restore functionality but do not guarantee any specific level of availability or response time.

8.3 If you materially violate these Terms or applicable law, we may, without prior notice, suspend or terminate your access to the Service and, where appropriate, revoke and/or redact tokens associated with your accounts.

8.4 When you stop using the Service, voluntarily close your account, or when we terminate your access, some data may be retained for a reasonable period for security, logging, or legal compliance purposes, as described in the Privacy Policy.

9. Disclaimer of warranties

9.1 To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Service is provided on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis, without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non‑infringement, and continuous availability.

9.2 We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error‑free, or completely secure, or that any defects will be corrected. You are solely responsible for evaluating the suitability of the Service for your needs.

9.3 We are not responsible for any acts or omissions of third‑party services, including NeoDB instances, hosting providers, or network operators.

10. Limitation of liability

10.1 To the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event shall we be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunities, arising out of or in connection with your use of or inability to use the Service, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

10.2 To the extent permitted by law, our aggregate liability arising out of or relating to the Service shall be limited to the lowest amount permitted by applicable law. If the law allows us to exclude monetary damages entirely, these Terms shall be interpreted as doing so.

10.3 Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation of liability for certain types of damages. In such cases, the limitations in this section shall apply only to the extent permitted by applicable law.

11. Intellectual property

11.1 Piecelet, Piecelet Connect, and associated names, logos, designs, and documentation (excluding portions that are explicitly open‑sourced or licensed separately) are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

11.2 Except as expressly permitted by open‑source licenses or other written agreements, your use of the Service does not grant you any ownership interest in or license to our intellectual property, other than the limited right to use the Service as described in these Terms.

11.3 For open‑source components used within the Service, please refer to the respective project repositories and license files for applicable terms.

12. Governing law and jurisdiction

12.1 These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to the Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, and, where applicable, the federal laws of the United States, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.

12.2 References in these Terms and in the Piecelet Connect Privacy Policy to “applicable law”, “legal obligations”, or similar concepts are intended to refer primarily to the laws and binding orders of competent authorities in the United States (including the State of Delaware), Canada, and member states of the European Union, and not to the laws of other countries that do not have effective jurisdiction over the Service.

12.3 Any legal action or proceeding arising under or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be brought exclusively in a court of competent jurisdiction located in Delaware, United States, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction and venue of such courts.

13. Changes to these Terms

13.1 We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in the Service, technology, legal requirements, or our business. Updated Terms will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.

13.2 If we make changes that we consider material, we will use reasonable efforts to provide additional notice, such as highlighting changes in the interface or repository. Your continued use of the Service after the updated Terms become effective constitutes your acceptance of those changes.