Terms of Service

Last updated: October 13, 2026

Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using Buoy's services, including our CLI tool, website, and cloud features (collectively, the "Services"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Services.

Description of Services

Buoy provides design system drift detection tools, including:

  • Open source tools: The CLI, MCP server and GitHub Action, free under the MIT License
  • GitHub App: Hosted pull request reviews, the dashboard and history. Free for life for the first 100 installs (see below); after that, the Team plan
  • Organization plan: An annual plan for the team that owns a design system used across many teams, as described on the pricing page or in the applicable order form

Account Registration

To use certain features, you must create an account. You agree to:

  • Provide accurate and complete information
  • Maintain the security of your account credentials
  • Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access
  • Accept responsibility for all activities under your account

Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

  • Use the Services for any unlawful purpose
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
  • Interfere with or disrupt the Services
  • Reverse engineer or decompile the software (except as permitted by law)
  • Use the Services to transmit malware or malicious code
  • Resell or redistribute the Services without authorization

Intellectual Property

Our IP: The Buoy name, logo, and Services are owned by Buoy Design, Inc. and protected by intellectual property laws.

Your Code: You retain all rights to your source code and scan results; we never claim ownership of them. The CLI runs locally. The GitHub App processes your code only to provide the Services, as described in our Privacy Policy.

Open Source: The Buoy CLI is open source under the MIT License. Additional terms may apply to specific components.

Payment Terms

For paid plans:

  • Fees are billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis
  • All fees are non-refundable except as required by law
  • We may change paid plan pricing with 30 days notice. This never ends free for life for an install that has it
  • You are responsible for all applicable taxes
  • Failure to pay may result in suspension of services

Free Use

The open source tools are provided "as is" under the MIT License, without warranty.

Free for life: if a GitHub organization or account installs the Buoy GitHub App while it is one of the first 100 installs, that organization uses the GitHub App free of charge for as long as Buoy operates the GitHub App, including features later added to the Team plan. It belongs to the organization that installed, does not transfer to another organization, and does not include the Organization plan. Public repositories are free on every install.

We may change or discontinue other free features with reasonable notice when possible.

Service Availability

We strive for high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted service. We may perform maintenance, updates, or experience outages. Check buoy.design/status for current status.

Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE.

Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, BUOY SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Buoy and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from your use of the Services or violation of these Terms.

Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Services at any time for violation of these Terms or for any other reason with notice. You may cancel your account at any time.

Upon termination, your right to use the Services will cease. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination will survive (including intellectual property, disclaimers, and limitations of liability).

Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes via email or through the Services. Continued use of the Services after changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Delaware.

Contact

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at: