Terms of Service

Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the HB Code desktop and mobile applications, website, browser-assisted features, and related online services provided by helpful bits GmbH (the "Service"). By accessing or using our Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use our Service.

Eligibility and Accounts

You must be at least 18 years old or the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction, whichever is greater, to use our Service. This Service is not intended for or directed at anyone under 18 years of age. By creating an account, you represent that you have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account.

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when creating your account and to update such information as necessary to keep it accurate, current, and complete.

Service Description

HB Code is a coding-agent workspace. The desktop application runs and displays coding sessions for selected projects; the mobile companions can connect to an authorized desktop; and optional browser, transcription, review, billing, notification, and provider integrations support user-requested actions. Available features depend on platform, version, account, and configuration.

Fees, Credits, and Billing

Depending on platform and availability, HB Code may offer prepaid service credits through Stripe and recurring mobile subscriptions through Apple App Store or Google Play. The price, period, included access, taxes, and renewal terms shown in the applicable purchase flow control that purchase.

Billing and Payments

• Prepaid credits, when offered, are purchased in advance and consumed under the usage terms shown at purchase
• Mobile subscriptions are purchased and managed through Apple App Store or Google Play
• Fees are not refunded unless a statutory right (for example, withdrawal or warranty rights), a defect in the Service, or the rules of the store or payment channel give a refund
• Price changes apply as disclosed in the relevant purchase or renewal flow and subject to applicable law and store rules
• You are responsible for all taxes associated with your use of the Service

Automatic Top-Up (Recurring Payment Authorization)

By enabling automatic top-up, you expressly authorize us to charge your saved payment method for your selected amount whenever your balance falls below your chosen threshold. This authorization remains in effect until you cancel it.

How to Cancel: Use the billing control provided with the feature, if available, or contact Email. A cancellation does not reverse a charge that was already completed.

Mobile Subscriptions

Mobile subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled through the Apple or Google account used for purchase. The store purchase screen displays the current price, billing period, trial (if any), and renewal terms. Manage or cancel the subscription in the applicable store. Deleting an HB Code account or app does not itself cancel a store subscription. Refunds and withdrawal handling follow applicable law and the store's purchase process.

Consumer Right of Withdrawal

If you are a consumer resident in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you have the right to withdraw from distance contracts within 14 days without giving any reason.

Withdrawal Period: The withdrawal period expires 14 days after the day on which the contract is concluded.

Exercise of Withdrawal Right: To exercise your right of withdrawal, you must inform us at Email of your decision to withdraw by means of a clear statement. You may use the withdrawal form available at /legal/eu/withdrawal-policy, but it is not obligatory.

Immediate Performance: If the law requires an express request for performance during the withdrawal period, or an acknowledgement concerning loss of the withdrawal right, that request or acknowledgement must be collected in the relevant purchase flow. This Terms page alone is not such a request or acknowledgement.

Effects and Payment Channel: Refunds, any lawful deduction for service already provided, and required confirmations are handled under applicable law and through the payment channel used for the purchase. Apple App Store and Google Play purchases are also subject to the store's withdrawal and refund process. Contact us if the purchase flow did not provide the information or control required for your purchase.

Service Availability & Territorial Restrictions

HB Code availability varies by product surface, deployment, app-store territory, payment provider, and account configuration. Store listings and payment providers may impose availability rules that differ from the country rules used by HB Code website or service edges.

You must provide accurate account and billing information and may not deliberately bypass a product-availability control in violation of law, store rules, or these Terms.

Country-Level Controls: Certain service and download edges infer a country code from the request IP address. This can be inaccurate and is used for configured availability and security rules; it is not identity, residence, citizenship, or restricted-party screening.

Provider Controls: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Stripe, Auth0, and other providers may make separate territory, payment, or account decisions under their own rules.

Sanctions and Export Controls: You must not use, export, re-export, or provide the Service where doing so is prohibited by applicable sanctions or export-control law. Country availability alone does not determine whether a person or transaction is legally restricted.

Suspension and Refunds: We may restrict a product surface or account when required by law or a provider rule, or when a configured availability control applies. Any refund is handled under applicable law and the terms of the payment channel.

License

Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use our Service for your personal or business purposes. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive the source code of any part of the Service, except where such acts are permitted by mandatory law (e.g., for interoperability under EU law).

Prohibited Uses

You may NOT use our Service for any of the following prohibited activities:

• Illegal Use: Using the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws or regulations
• Intellectual Property Infringement: Infringing or violating the intellectual property rights of others
• Scraping and Abuse: Systematically scraping data, overwhelming our systems, or using automated tools to abuse the Service
• Circumvention: Attempting to circumvent usage limits, payment requirements, or security measures
• Interference and Malware: Interfering with or disrupting the Service, its servers, or introducing malware, viruses, or harmful code
• Reverse engineering, decompiling, or disassembling the Service, except where mandatory law permits it
• Sharing your account credentials with others
• Using the Service to generate illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, or invasive content

High-Risk and Regulated Uses

Without a signed written agreement and appropriate safeguards, you may not use our Service for:

• Medical Applications: Medical diagnosis, treatment recommendations, or healthcare decision-making
• Emergency Services: Emergency response systems, crisis management, or time-critical safety applications
• Critical Infrastructure: Power grids, transportation systems, water treatment, or other critical infrastructure control
• Weapons Systems: Design, control, or operation of weapons or defense systems
• Biometric Identification: Facial recognition, fingerprint analysis, or other biometric identification systems
• High-Stakes Decisions: Employment screening, credit decisions, housing applications, insurance underwriting, or legal proceedings

If you require the Service for any of these high-risk applications, please contact Email to discuss a specialized agreement with appropriate safeguards, liability provisions, and compliance requirements.

Third-Party AI Providers

HB Code can use different third-party AI providers depending on the feature, account, selected model, and configuration. Provider data use and retention follow the applicable provider agreement and settings. Where HB Code controls a provider account, we use available controls that limit training or secondary use; settings for a provider account you supply remain your responsibility. See our provider list. Your use may also be subject to the provider's terms and policies:

• OpenAI: Terms of Service | Privacy Policy
• Anthropic: Commercial Terms | Consumer Terms | Privacy Policy
• Google Gemini: Terms of Service | Privacy Policy
• xAI: Terms of Service | Privacy Policy
• OpenRouter: Terms of Service | Privacy Policy

User Content

You retain ownership of any content you create or input into our Service ("User Content"). By using our Service, you grant us a limited license to use, process, and transmit your User Content as necessary to provide the Service. You are solely responsible for your User Content and must ensure it complies with applicable laws and these Terms.

Code Ownership and Intellectual Property

Your Code Remains Yours: You retain all ownership rights to any code, workflows, or other content you create, upload, or process through our Service ("Your Code"). We do not claim any ownership rights to Your Code.

Limited License to Us: By using our Service, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide license to use, process, store, and transmit Your Code solely as necessary to provide the Service to you. This includes the right to:

• Process Your Code through AI models as you direct
• Store Your Code temporarily during processing
• Display Your Code back to you through the Service interface
• Retain local or provider-side copies where the requested operation, your settings, or the provider's terms require them

Model Training: HB Code does not use Your Code to train an HB Code-owned model. A third-party provider's use of content depends on the provider agreement, account type, and settings described above.

Confidentiality: We treat Your Code as confidential information and will not disclose it to third parties except as necessary to provide the Service (e.g., to AI API providers for processing) or as required by law.

Confidentiality and IP

We respect the confidentiality of your data and workflows. We will not access, use, or disclose your User Content except as necessary to provide the Service or as required by law. All intellectual property rights in the Service remain our property or the property of our licensors.

Feedback

If you provide feedback, suggestions, or ideas about our Service, you grant us the right to use such feedback without compensation or attribution. We appreciate your input in helping us improve our Service.

No Professional Advice

The outputs and responses generated by our AI-powered Service are for informational purposes only and do not constitute professional advice. The Service does not provide legal, financial, medical, or other professional advice. You should not rely on any AI-generated content as a substitute for professional consultation. Always consult with qualified professionals for specific advice related to your circumstances.

Warranty & Liability

We provide our Service with commercially reasonable care and skill. The following liability provisions comply with German law and applicable consumer protection regulations:

Unlimited Liability

Our liability shall be unlimited for:

• Death or personal injury caused by our negligence
• Damage caused by intent (Vorsatz) or gross negligence (grobe Fahrlässigkeit)
• Fraudulent misrepresentation
• Claims under the German Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz)
• Any express guarantees we have provided

Limited Liability

For damages caused by slight negligence (leichte Fahrlässigkeit), our liability is limited to:

• Breach of cardinal contractual duties (Kardinalpflichten) - limited to foreseeable, contract-typical damages
• For business customers only: aggregate liability cap of the fees paid by you in the 12 months preceding the claim

Statutory Warranty for Consumers

If you are a consumer, the statutory warranty rights for digital products apply in full, including the rights to remedy of defects and to updates under sections 327 et seq. of the German Civil Code (BGB) or the corresponding law of your country of residence. Nothing in these Terms limits those rights or your rights under guarantee and product liability law.

Warranty for Business Customers

If you are a business customer, we do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free, that every AI-generated output will be accurate, complete, or suitable for your purpose, or that the Service will meet requirements that we did not expressly agree. The liability rules above remain unaffected.

AI Output: AI-generated content can contain errors, biases, or inaccuracies. Review and test AI output before you use it, in particular before you run, publish, or deploy generated code.

Indemnification

Business Customers: To the extent you are responsible for the underlying breach, you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold us harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use or misuse of the Service; (b) your User Content; (c) your violation of these Terms; (d) your violation of any applicable laws or regulations; or (e) your infringement or violation of any third-party rights, including intellectual property rights.

Consumers: This indemnity applies to business customers. It does not apply to consumers except to the extent required by law for unlawful use of the Service.

Termination

You may terminate your account at any time: delete it in the settings of the iOS or Android app, or contact us. We may suspend or terminate your access for good cause, in particular for a material or repeated breach of these Terms; where the law requires it, we will first warn you or give you a period to remedy the breach. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ends, and we delete your account data as described in our Privacy Policy. Statutory rights to a refund of prepaid amounts remain unaffected.

Export Controls

The Service may be subject to export-control and sanctions laws. You agree not to use, export, re-export, transfer, or provide the Service in a transaction prohibited by law. Restrictions can be program-, person-, entity-, sector-, item-, end-use-, or destination-specific; a country list on this website would not replace the official rules that apply to a transaction.

IP Notice & Takedown

We respect intellectual property rights and respond to valid takedown notices under applicable laws, including the US DMCA and EU Copyright Directive. If you believe your intellectual property rights have been infringed, please contact us at Email with the following information:

• Identification of the copyrighted work or other intellectual property claimed to be infringed
• Identification of the allegedly infringing material and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate it
• Your contact information (name, address, telephone number, email address)
• A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use is not authorized
• A statement that the information is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the rights holder
• Your physical or electronic signature

We will review and process valid notices in accordance with applicable law and these Terms.

Beta Features

We may offer beta or experimental features that are provided with limited warranty and may be unstable, incomplete, or subject to change without notice. Beta features may be discontinued at any time. Statutory warranty rights of consumers remain unaffected. Important: Beta features must not be used in high-risk contexts including medical, emergency, critical infrastructure, or safety-critical applications.

Your use of beta features acknowledges their experimental nature and inherent limitations.

Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations under these Terms if such failure or delay results from circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, labor disputes, government actions, or technical failures of third-party systems.

No Third-Party Beneficiaries

These Terms are for the sole benefit of you and us. Nothing in these Terms creates or is intended to create any third-party beneficiary rights. These Terms do not provide any third party with any remedy, claim, liability, reimbursement, or cause of action.

Assignment

We may transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms, in whole or in part, to a third party. We will inform you of the transfer in advance. If you are a consumer, you may terminate the contract with immediate effect when we inform you of such a transfer. You may transfer this contract as a whole, or your obligations under it, to a third party only with our prior consent in text form. You may assign monetary claims against us without our consent.

Dispute Resolution

Informal Resolution: Before you start formal proceedings, please contact us at Email so that we can try to resolve the dispute. For business customers, this attempt for 30 days is a precondition for arbitration.

Business Customers (B2B)

For business customers, any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service that cannot be resolved informally shall be settled by binding arbitration under the Rules of the German Institution of Arbitration (DIS). The arbitration shall be conducted with Munich, Germany as the seat of arbitration, and proceedings shall be conducted in English. The arbitrator's award shall be final and binding.

Consumers (EEA/UK)

If you are a consumer resident in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom:

• The arbitration provisions above do NOT apply to you
• You may bring proceedings in the courts of your country of residence or Germany
• Nothing in these Terms affects your right to rely on the mandatory provisions of the consumer protection laws of your country of residence
• You retain any rights to collective redress or representative actions available under the laws of your residence

Court Jurisdiction: Either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in the courts of Munich, Germany (or for consumers, the courts of their residence) for matters that require urgent interim relief.

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the documents referenced in them, govern the use of the Service between you and us. Individual agreements between you and us take precedence over these Terms. Changes to these Terms follow the section “Changes to Terms”.

Severability and Waiver

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not be deemed a waiver of such right or provision.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Germany, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

Consumer Protection: If you are a consumer resident in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, the application of German law shall be without prejudice to the mandatory consumer protection provisions of the law of your country of residence that cannot be derogated from by agreement.

Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms by publishing a revised version and date. A change takes effect on the date stated in the revised version or in any additional notice, subject to applicable law and an executed agreement. Where applicable law requires notice or express consent, continued use alone does not replace that requirement.

Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at Email. We are committed to addressing your concerns promptly and fairly.