Terms of Service

1 Acceptance of Terms

By downloading, installing, accessing, or using Cortex (the "Software"), you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you are using the Software on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Software. Your continued use of the Software constitutes ongoing acceptance of these Terms.

2 Bring Your Own Key

Cortex supports a "Bring Your Own Key" (BYOK) model for certain AI providers. When using BYOK mode:

• You supply your own API key from a third-party AI provider (e.g., OpenAI, Qwen, OpenRouter).
• You are solely responsible for all usage, fees, and charges billed by that provider.
• Cortex does not resell AI usage through BYOK providers and adds no markup to BYOK requests.
• Your relationship with each AI provider is governed by that provider's own terms of service.
• API keys are stored locally on your device and are never transmitted to Cortex servers.

3 Subscriptions & Credits

Cortex offers subscription plans that include credits for use with included AI models (e.g., DeepSeek, MiMo). The following terms apply:

3.1 Billing Cycle

• 30-day subscription period. All paid plans (Pro) are billed as a single 30-day cycle starting from the date of purchase.
• Automatic expiration. Your subscription expires at the end of day 30 — there are no recurring charges. On day 31, your access to included AI models and premium features is revoked.
• Manual renewal required. To continue using the service after expiration, you must manually purchase a new subscription through the Cortex dashboard or website.

3.2 Credits

• Credit allocation is determined by your subscription tier as described on the Pricing page.
• Credits expire with your subscription and do not roll over. See §3.1 for billing cycle details.
• Credit exhaustion. If you consume all credits before day 30, your access to included models is paused until you renew (BYOK models remain unaffected).
• Fair usage limits apply. Excessive usage that degrades service for other users may result in throttling or suspension.

3.3 Refunds & Changes

• Refunds are handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact us within 14 days of purchase if you believe a charge was made in error.
• No mid-cycle upgrades. If you wish to switch plans, you may purchase a new plan at any time. Your current plan continues until it expires.
• Cortex reserves the right to modify credit allocations with 30 days' notice to active subscribers.

4 Premium Features & Access

Cortex provides certain advanced features that are available exclusively through an active subscription. These features enhance the AI-assisted development experience beyond standard code generation and editing.

4.1 Subscription Services

• Web Search — enables the AI to search the internet in real-time for up-to-date documentation, library versions, API references, and solutions to recent technical issues.
• OCR fallback — for models without native vision, extracts text from images, screenshots, diagrams, and PDF documents so those models can still work with them.
• Semantic-search embeddings — powers meaning-based code search across your project.

4.2 How Images Are Handled (BYOK)

• If your selected model natively supports vision (e.g., Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, MiMo vision models), pasted images are sent directly to that model through your own API key. No subscription is required and no image data passes through Cortex's servers.
• If your selected model does not support vision (e.g., DeepSeek), Cortex routes the image through its own OCR infrastructure as a fallback, which requires an active subscription.
• The OCR fallback also activates if a native vision request fails, so image workflows degrade gracefully rather than erroring.

4.3 Without a Subscription

Without an active subscription, BYOK users retain full access to their chosen AI provider at no cost from Cortex — including native image understanding on vision-capable models. Only the server-side services in Section 4.1 (web search, embeddings, OCR fallback for non-vision models) are unavailable.

5 Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Software in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. You must not:

• Use the Software to generate content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable.
• Use the Software to build or distribute malware, exploits, or tools designed to compromise system security.
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Software, except as permitted by applicable law.
• Circumvent usage limits, rate limits, or access controls implemented by the Software or connected AI providers.
• Use the Software in any manner that violates the terms of service of connected AI providers.
• Redistribute, sell, lease, or sublicense the Software without prior written consent from Cortex.

You are responsible for reviewing and testing any code generated by AI agents before relying on it in production environments.

6 AI-Generated Output

• No warranty on AI output. Cortex does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of AI-generated content.
• User responsibility. You are solely responsible for reviewing, testing, and deciding whether to use any generated code, commands, or suggestions.
• No professional advice. AI-generated output does not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice.
• Third-party models. AI output is generated by third-party models. Cortex does not control the training data, behavior, or policies of these models.

7 Intellectual Property

The Software, including all code, design, graphics, documentation, and other content, is the intellectual property of Cortex and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

• License grant. Cortex grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Software for personal or internal business purposes in accordance with these Terms.
• Your content. You retain all rights to code and content you create using the Software. Cortex does not claim ownership of your work.
• AI-generated content. Ownership of AI-generated output is subject to the terms of the applicable AI provider. You are responsible for understanding these terms.
• Feedback. If you provide suggestions or feedback about the Software, you grant Cortex a perpetual, royalty-free license to use such feedback for any purpose.

8 Privacy & Data

Your privacy is important to us. Key points:

• Local-first architecture. As described in §2, code context and API keys are stored locally on your device and are never transmitted to Cortex servers.
• Telemetry. The Software may collect anonymous usage telemetry and crash reports. You can opt out at any time in Settings.
• AI provider data. When you use AI features, your prompts are sent to the configured AI provider. Review that provider's privacy policy.
• Subscription data. If you subscribe to a paid plan, we collect billing information necessary to process your subscription. Payment processing is handled by our third-party payment processor.

For full details, see our Privacy Policy.

9 Disclaimer of Warranties

Cortex specifically disclaims all warranties, including but not limited to:

• Implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
• Warranties that the Software will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or free of viruses or other harmful components.
• Warranties regarding the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of any AI-generated content.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties. In such cases, the above exclusions may not apply to you.

10 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• No indirect damages. Cortex shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, business opportunities, or goodwill.
• Cap on liability. Cortex's total aggregate liability under these Terms shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid for the Software in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) $100 USD.
• Third-party charges. Cortex is not liable for charges incurred from third-party AI providers, including unexpected API usage or billing errors.

Some jurisdictions do not allow limitation of liability for certain damages. In such cases, liability is limited to the fullest extent permitted by law.

11 Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Cortex, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from or related to:

• Your use of the Software or AI-generated content.
• Your violation of these Terms or any applicable law.
• Your violation of any third-party rights, including intellectual property rights.
• Any content you submit or generate through the Software.

12 Termination

• By you. You may stop using the Software at any time. Uninstalling the Software terminates your license under these Terms.
• By Cortex. We may suspend or terminate your access to the Software at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice.
• Effect of termination. Upon termination, your right to use the Software ceases immediately. Sections 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 13 survive termination.
• Subscriptions. Since subscriptions do not auto-renew (see §3.1), no cancellation action is needed. Your access continues until the current 30-day period expires.

13 Changes to Terms

Cortex reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the updated Terms on this page with a new "Last updated" date.
• Displaying an in-app notification for significant changes.
• Sending an email to registered subscribers for material changes affecting billing or data practices.

Your continued use of the Software after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you disagree with any changes, you must stop using the Software.

14 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which Cortex operates, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles.

Any disputes arising under or in connection with these Terms shall be resolved through binding arbitration or in the courts of competent jurisdiction in that location, except where prohibited by applicable law.

15 Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us: