Terms of Use for Minovative Mind VS Code Extension

Last Updated: May 19, 2026

1. Introduction and Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to the Minovative Mind VS Code Extension ("Minovative Mind" or "the Extension"), and the associated web platform at minovativemind.dev (collectively, "the Service"), provided by Ward Innovations ("we," "us," or "our").

By installing, accessing, or using the Extension or the web platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use ("Terms"), our Privacy Policy, our Code of Conduct, and the Apache 2.0 License under which the core software is distributed. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use the Service.

Minovative Mind is an open-source AI agent that automates various aspects of software development using AI models from Google. It assists with generating code, planning projects, fixing issues, explaining code, automating Git operations, and interacting with external tools via the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

The Service operates in two modes:

API Key Mode: You supply your own Google Gemini API key. The extension communicates directly with the Google Gemini API from your local machine. Ward Innovations does not process your AI requests in this mode.
Managed Billing Mode: You create an account at minovativemind.dev using GitHub OAuth, purchase credits, and the extension routes AI requests through a secure Cloud Function proxy operated by Ward Innovations. Requests are forwarded to Google via Vertex AI. Credits are deducted based on exact token usage as reported by the AI provider, adjusted for the model's specific pricing tier.

3. User Responsibilities

3.1 API Key Management and Costs (API Key Mode)

You are solely responsible for obtaining, securing, and managing your own Google Gemini API key. Ward Innovations does not store, transmit, or have access to your API key, which is managed exclusively by VS Code's SecretStorage API on your local machine. You are responsible for all costs and usage associated with your Google Gemini API key and for complying with Google's own terms of service.

3.2 Account Registration & Security (Managed Billing Mode)

To use Managed Billing, you must sign in with a valid GitHub account via Firebase Authentication. You are responsible for:

Maintaining the confidentiality and security of your GitHub account.
All activity that occurs under your account.
Notifying us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account.

You may not create accounts on behalf of others, share accounts, or use automated means to create multiple accounts.

3.3 Credit Purchases

Credits are purchased through minovativemind.dev. Credits have no monetary value and cannot be transferred, traded, or redeemed for cash. Credit deductions are calculated server-side using exact token counts from the AI provider's usageMetadata — not client-side estimates — to prevent manipulation or error. Deduction rates vary by model "Family" (Standard or Premium) to reflect the varied costs of different AI models. Ward Innovations reserves the right to adjust credit pricing at any time with reasonable notice. Price changes will not retroactively affect credits you have already purchased.

3.4 No Refund Policy

All credit purchases made through the Service are final and non-refundable, except as required by applicable law (e.g., for users in jurisdictions with statutory cooling-off periods). By purchasing credits, you acknowledge and agree that you will not be entitled to a refund for any unused credits, even upon termination of your account.

3.5 Payment Processing

All payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. and are subject to Stripe's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Ward Innovations does not store your payment card details.

3.4 Responsibility for Input and Output

You are solely responsible for all content you provide to the Service, including text prompts, selected code, uploaded images, and URLs. You are also solely responsible for reviewing, verifying, and deploying any code, plans, or other outputs generated by the AI. AI-generated content may be inaccurate, incomplete, or contain errors. You must exercise your own judgment and expertise when utilizing such output.

3.5 Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Service in compliance with all applicable local, national, and international laws and regulations, and to adhere to our Code of Conduct. Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to:

Using the Service for any illegal, harmful, or unethical activities.
Generating or promoting content that is infringing, defamatory, obscene, or harmful.
Attempting to circumvent any security features, including credit balance enforcement, identity verification, or rate limits.
Attempting to reverse-engineer, probe, or exploit the Cloud Function proxy or any backend infrastructure.
Using the Service to generate malicious code or engage in hacking activities.
Creating multiple accounts to circumvent credit or usage limits.

3.6 Third-Party Tool Integrations (MCP)

Minovative Mind allows you to connect to external tools and services via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). You are solely responsible for:

The security and configuration of any MCP servers you connect to.
Any actions the AI takes using these connected tools on your behalf.
Complying with the terms of service of any third-party APIs or services accessed via your configured MCP servers.

Ward Innovations is not responsible for any data loss, security breaches, or unexpected charges resulting from the AI's use of external tools you have configured.

3.7 Local Data and Environment Security

The Extension primarily operates on your local machine and processes your workspace data locally. You are responsible for the security of your local development environment, including your VS Code installation, project files, and network connections. We are not responsible for any security breaches or data loss originating from your local environment.

3.7 Autonomous AI Risks

Minovative Mind includes Autonomous Workflow and Self-Correction features that can create, modify, or delete files without per-action confirmation when these modes are active. By using these features, you acknowledge and agree that:

No Per-Step Manual Confirmation: The AI may make multiple changes in rapid succession without waiting for your distinct approval for each step.
Version Control Requirement: You are solely responsible for ensuring your project is under version control (e.g., Git) and that you have a clean working state before initiating any autonomous workflow.
Data Safety: Ward Innovations is not liable for any data loss, file corruption, or regressions resulting from the AI's autonomous actions.
Tool Execution: When utilizing MCP tools autonomously, the AI may query databases, modify external states, or trigger external processes based on your configured servers.

4. Intellectual Property Rights

4.1 Extension's Intellectual Property

The Minovative Mind VS Code extension, including its software, architecture, design, and documentation (excluding third-party components and libraries), is the intellectual property of Ward Innovations and is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License. You agree not to reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works of the Extension's core components beyond the scope permitted by the Apache 2.0 License.

The web platform at minovativemind.dev (including the billing, authentication, and pricing pages) is proprietary and is not covered by the Apache 2.0 License.

4.2 User Content and AI-Generated Output

You retain all intellectual property rights to the code, data, and other content you input into the Service. For content generated by the AI in response to your prompts, you typically own the output subject to any limitations imposed by the Google Gemini API's terms of service and applicable copyright laws. You are responsible for ensuring that your input and any AI-generated output comply with relevant intellectual property laws.

5. Data Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. Please refer to our comprehensive Privacy Policy for detailed information on how your data is processed, handled, and protected. Key aspects include:

API Key Mode: Most data, including your local workspace files and API key, is processed and stored locally on your machine. No data is transmitted to Ward Innovations.
Managed Billing Mode: Authentication data (GitHub identity, Firebase UID), credit balance, and per-request token usage records are stored in Google Firebase/Firestore. Workspace content passes through our Cloud Function proxy in transit to the Gemini API but is not persisted on our servers.
Payment data is processed by Stripe; Ward Innovations does not store payment card details.
Ward Innovations does not sell your personal data to third parties.

6. Disclaimers of Warranty

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS," WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT, AS STATED IN THE APACHE 2.0 LICENSE.

WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, Ward Innovations DOES NOT WARRANT THAT:

THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OR EXPECTATIONS.
THE SERVICE'S OPERATION WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE.
ANY AI-GENERATED OUTPUT WILL BE ACCURATE, COMPLETE, RELIABLE, OR FREE FROM HARMFUL CONTENT.
THE CLOUD FUNCTION PROXY, FIREBASE AUTHENTICATION, OR CREDIT BALANCE SYSTEM WILL BE FREE FROM ERRORS, OUTAGES, OR SECURITY VULNERABILITIES.
ANY DEFECTS OR ERRORS IN THE SERVICE WILL BE CORRECTED.

Specific AI Risks:

Hallucinations: The AI may occasionally generate code imports, function names, or libraries that do not exist. You are responsible for verifying all dependencies.
Regressions: In the process of Self-Correction, the AI may inadvertently break existing functionality while attempting to fix a specific error.
Credit Depletion: AI tasks — especially multi-step autonomous plans — can consume credits rapidly. You are responsible for monitoring your credit balance.

You assume all risks associated with your use of the Service, including the risks of data loss, system damage, AI-generated errors, unintended credit consumption, and any harm resulting from your reliance on AI output.

7. Limitation of Liability

IN NO EVENT SHALL Ward Innovations OR ITS CREATOR, DANIEL WARD, BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, GOODWILL, PURCHASED CREDITS, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM (I) YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICE; (II) ANY CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICE; (III) ANY CONTENT OBTAINED FROM THE SERVICE; (IV) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, USE, OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR CONTENT; (V) FAILURES OR OUTAGES OF THE CLOUD FUNCTION PROXY, FIREBASE, FIRESTORE, OR STRIPE; OR (VI) UNEXPECTED CREDIT DEDUCTIONS DUE TO AI MODEL BEHAVIOR, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. THIS LIMITATION OF LIABILITY IS IN LINE WITH SECTION 8 OF THE APACHE 2.0 LICENSE.

8. Third-Party Services

The Service relies on the following third-party services:

Service	Purpose	Applicable Terms
Google Gemini API	Core AI model	Google AI Terms
Google Search Grounding	Real-time web results integration	Google Terms of Service
Google Cloud Functions	Managed proxy (Billing Mode)	Google Cloud Terms
Google Firebase Auth	Authentication (Billing Mode)	Firebase Terms
Google Firestore	Credit ledger & account data (Billing Mode)	Firebase Terms
Stripe, Inc.	Payment processing (Billing Mode)	Stripe Terms
GitHub, Inc.	OAuth identity (Billing Mode)	GitHub Terms

Ward Innovations is not responsible for the availability, functionality, data handling, or security practices of any third-party service. Service availability is not guaranteed; AI workflows, especially multi-step autonomous plans, may fail or be interrupted if third-party APIs experience downtime or rate limiting. Ward Innovations is not liable for incomplete work or interruptions caused by third-party service failures.

9. Modifications to the Terms of Use

We reserve the right to modify or replace these Terms at any time. If a revision is material, we will make reasonable efforts to provide at least 30 days' notice prior to new terms taking effect. Material changes will be posted on our GitHub repository and announced via the VS Code Marketplace. By continuing to access or use the Service after revisions become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised terms.

10. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason including breach of these Terms. Upon termination of a Managed Billing account:

Your remaining credit balance will be forfeited unless applicable law requires otherwise.
Your Firebase account data will be retained for a period of 90 days before deletion, during which you may contact us to request early deletion.
Your right to use the Extension in API Key Mode (open-source) is governed solely by the Apache 2.0 License and is unaffected by account termination.

11. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States of America, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be considered a waiver of those rights.

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these Terms of Use, please contact us:

Security Reporting Form: https://forms.gle/QexZY2resdXpahUK6