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Terms of Service

Last updated October 6, 2026

These terms are an agreement between you and Tesser Labs (“Tesser”, “we”) for using tesser.sh, the tesser CLI and daemon, and the cloud machines (boxes) we run for you (together, the “Service”). By using the Service you accept them. If you use it for a company or other organization, you accept them on its behalf and confirm you are allowed to.

The short version

  • Your code stays yours. We use it only to run the Service.
  • Boxes are working copies. Keep anything you need in your repo.
  • You pay by the second while boxes are awake, including usage past your credit.
  • No mining, attacks, or abuse. We stop boxes that do it.
  • Tesser is in beta and comes without warranties.

The beta

Tesser is in private beta. Features, limits, and prices will change, the Service may be unavailable at times, and there is no uptime commitment. We'll tell you about changes that affect you before they happen whenever we can.

Accounts and orgs

You need an account to use the Service, and you must be at least 16. Keep your sign-in, API tokens, and SSH keys secure. You are responsible for everything done through your account and your org, including by API tokens, CI jobs, and coding agents you give access to. Tell us at jeffreychenlin@gmail.com if you think someone has used them without permission.

The CLI

We grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to install and use the tesser CLI and daemon to access the Service while these terms apply. Don't copy, modify, or reverse engineer them except where the law allows it.

Your code and data

You own your code and everything else you put on a box (“Your Content”). You give us permission to store, copy, run, and transmit Your Content only as needed to provide the Service to you, keep it secure, and comply with the law. You confirm that you have the rights to Your Content and to run it.

Boxes are working copies, not backups. A box's disk is deleted when the box is removed, including when an idle box is removed automatically. Keep anything you need in your repo. The Privacy Policy explains what we collect and how we handle it.

Acceptable use

Don't use the Service to:

  • Break the law or infringe anyone's rights.
  • Mine cryptocurrency, send spam, or host malware or phishing.
  • Scan, attack, or send abusive traffic to systems you don't own or have permission to test.
  • Run open proxies or relays for other people's traffic.
  • Store payment card data or health records that need PCI or HIPAA compliance.
  • Get around limits, billing, or the security of the Service.
  • Resell the Service or offer it to third parties as a hosting product without our written permission.

Hosted boxes also run under the AWS Acceptable Use Policy. We may stop or remove boxes that break these rules. When something puts the Service, other users, or third parties at risk, we may act right away and tell you afterwards.

Fees

Boxes are billed by the second while awake, plus a daily rate while asleep, at the rates on the pricing page. Paid plans also have a monthly fee. Payments are processed by Stripe, and you authorize us to charge your payment method for fees and applicable taxes. Fees are non-refundable except where the law requires otherwise.

New orgs get starting credit. Credit has no cash value, can't be transferred, and ends when the org closes. When an org runs out, we stop launching and waking its boxes. Boxes that are already awake keep running until they sleep or you stop them, and you owe for that usage. If a payment fails or a balance goes unpaid, we may suspend the org until it's paid. We'll give at least 30 days' notice before raising a price you are paying.

Your own AWS account

If you connect your AWS account, boxes run there and AWS bills you for them directly. You grant Tesser the permissions in the role you create, and you can revoke them at any time by deleting it. You are responsible for your AWS account and its charges.

Other services

The Service works with tools we don't control, such as GitHub, coding agents, and your cloud provider. Their terms govern your use of them, and we aren't responsible for them.

Feedback

If you send us ideas or feedback, you give us a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use them without owing you anything.

Ending the agreement

You can stop using Tesser at any time, and we'll delete your org if you ask at jeffreychenlin@gmail.com. We may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms, goes unpaid, or puts the Service at risk, and we'll give notice first unless the risk calls for acting right away. We may also discontinue the Service with at least 30 days' notice, and refund fees you paid for time after it ends. When an org closes, its boxes and their disks are deleted. You still owe fees for usage before then. The sections on fees, Your Content, disclaimers, liability, and indemnity continue to apply after the agreement ends.

Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DON'T PROMISE THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT DATA ON A BOX WILL BE PRESERVED.

Limitation of liability

TO THE EXTENT THE LAW ALLOWS, TESSER WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, REVENUE, OR DATA. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM RELATED TO THE SERVICE IS LIMITED TO THE GREATER OF THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM AND US$100.

Indemnity

You will defend and indemnify Tesser against claims, damages, and costs arising from Your Content or from your breach of these terms.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. We'll change the date above and email org admins about material changes before they take effect. Continuing to use the Service after that means you accept the new terms.

General

  • These terms, the Privacy Policy, and the pricing page are the whole agreement between us about the Service.
  • If a court finds part of these terms unenforceable, the rest still applies.
  • Not enforcing a term right away doesn't mean we give up the right to enforce it later.
  • You can't transfer these terms without our written consent. We may transfer them to a company that acquires Tesser or its business.
  • Neither of us is liable for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control.
  • You may not use the Service where export control or sanctions laws forbid it, or if you are a person those laws restrict.
  • We send notices to the email on your account. Send yours to jeffreychenlin@gmail.com.
  • If you are a consumer, you keep any rights the law gives you that a contract can't take away. Nothing in these terms limits them.