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OpenSpec Index Terms of Service

Effective date: EFFECTIVE_DATE

These Terms govern your use of the OpenSpec Index website at openspecindex.com, the API at api.openspecindex.com, the official Python client, and any related pages, files, or endpoints we publish (together, the "Service").

The Service is operated by KnightDevs, a sole proprietorship organized under the laws of [STATE] ("KnightDevs", "we", "us"). Mailing address: [MAILING ADDRESS].

By using the Service you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service. This applies whether you are a person using a browser, a script, an automated agent, or an AI system acting on someone's behalf. If you are using the Service on behalf of a company, you represent that you have authority to bind that company, and "you" means that company.

1. What the Service Is

1.1 OpenSpec Index is a searchable index of manufacturer part specifications. As of EFFECTIVE_DATE it covers approximately 22 million part records.

1.2 The records are gathered by automated collection from public manufacturer and distributor product pages. We do not collect from pages behind logins or paywalls.

1.3 Every record stores the source URL it came from and the date that URL was read.

1.4 A record may include: manufacturer part numbers, normalized specifications (for example thread specifications, materials, pressure and temperature ratings, and dimensions), distributor prices as observed on a stated date, and links to manufacturer-hosted CAD files, datasheets, and images.

1.5 Images and documents are hotlinked to the manufacturer's own servers. We do not copy or rehost them. When you view or download one of those files, you are retrieving it from the manufacturer, and the manufacturer's own terms apply to that file.

1.6 On top of the collected data we apply an original normalization layer. That layer includes part classification, tiered specification facts, and an equivalence engine that determines when two parts may be interchangeable.

2. Reference Only: Verify Before You Rely

Read this section. It is the most important section in these Terms.

2.1 The Service is a reference index and a research aid. It is not an engineering authority and it is not a manufacturer's published specification. Treat it the way you would treat a well-organized catalog someone else compiled: useful for finding candidates and narrowing choices, and not a substitute for the manufacturer's own documentation.

2.2 Data in the Service may be inaccurate, incomplete, misclassified, or out of date. Source pages change. Manufacturers revise parts, discontinue parts, and correct their own published values. Automated collection can misread a page. Normalization can assign a value to the wrong field or the wrong unit.

2.3 Verify every parameter against the manufacturer's current published documentation before you incorporate it into a design, a purchase, or a submittal. Use the Service to find and compare parts. Confirm the numbers at the source before you commit to them.

This matters most, and verification is your responsibility, for:

Every record carries the source URL it was read from and the date it was read, so verification is one click. That link is there precisely so you can check us.

2.4 Cross-reference and equivalence results are informational only. When the Service indicates that two parts are equivalent, interchangeable, or comparable, that is the output of our own algorithm. It has not been reviewed, verified, approved, or endorsed by any manufacturer. It is not a certification of form, fit, or function. Two parts that our engine calls equivalent may differ in ways the Service does not capture, including grade, coating, tolerance, revision level, country of origin, certification status, and qualification to a specific standard.

2.5 Prices are observations, not offers. Any price shown is a price we observed at a specific distributor on a specific date, and that date is displayed with the price. It is not a quote, not an offer to sell, not a commitment by us or by any distributor or manufacturer, and not a representation that the price is current, available, or applicable to you. We do not sell parts.

2.6 You are responsible for the consequences of what you build, buy, specify, or ship. If a decision matters, confirm it with the manufacturer.

3. Access, Accounts, and API Keys

3.1 Free tier. The public web catalog and a free tier of the API are available without a key or an account. As of EFFECTIVE_DATE the free API tier is limited to 100 row-pulls per IP address, lifetime. We may change that limit at any time, up or down, without notice.

3.2 Keyed tiers. Higher usage tiers require an API key, which we issue by email request. Keys are issued at our discretion.

3.3 Keys are yours to protect. Do not share, resell, publish, or sublicense your API key. You are responsible for all activity under your key, including activity by anyone you gave it to and by any automated system you configured. Tell us at [email protected] promptly if you believe your key has been exposed.

3.4 One identity, one key. Do not create multiple keys, rotate IP addresses, use proxy pools, or otherwise split your traffic in order to get around a rate limit or a usage tier. That is a breach of these Terms.

3.5 No account data on site. There are no user accounts with passwords on the Service, and we do not process or hold payment data on the Service. Paid arrangements, where they exist, are handled under a separate written agreement.

4. Acceptable Use

4.1 You may use the Service to look up parts, compare parts, research specifications, and cite what you find, subject to the limits below.

4.2 You may not do any of the following:

(a) Bulk extraction. Systematically download, scrape, harvest, or otherwise extract the Service's data at scale, whether by crawler, script, headless browser, agent, or manual repetition, beyond the volume your tier allows.

(b) Database reconstruction. Assemble, or help another party assemble, a copy or a substantial part of the OpenSpec Index database, catalog, or normalization output, whether in one pass or by accumulating results over time or across multiple keys, IP addresses, accounts, or people.

(c) Redistribution. Republish, resell, sublicense, syndicate, or otherwise make the Service's data available to third parties as a dataset, a feed, a bulk file, a mirror, or a competing lookup service.

(d) Rate limit evasion. Circumvent, disable, or interfere with rate limiting, throttling, key checks, quota accounting, or any other technical control.

(e) Attribution stripping. Present the Service's data as your own compilation, or remove or obscure source URLs, observation dates, or attribution where we provide them.

(f) Security interference. Probe, scan, overload, disrupt, or attempt unauthorized access to the Service or its infrastructure, or attempt to access data you are not authorized to access.

(g) Unlawful use. Use the Service in violation of any applicable law, including export control, sanctions, and trade laws.

(h) Misrepresentation. State or imply that we, or any manufacturer whose data appears in the index, has verified, certified, approved, or endorsed your product, your output, or your use of the data.

4.3 A violation of Section 4.2 is a material breach of these Terms. It is not merely a limit on your access. We may pursue any remedy available to us, including injunctive relief, and we do not need to show monetary loss to do so.

4.4 Nothing in this section restricts your use of underlying factual specifications that you obtain independently from the manufacturer. What is restricted is taking our compilation, our normalization, and our presentation.

5. AI, Agents, and Machine Access

5.1 Machine access is welcome. We publish an /llms.txt file that invites AI agents to query the API. We want AI systems, research agents, and search crawlers to read the Service and to answer questions using it.

5.2 Permitted, and encouraged:

(a) crawling and indexing public pages within our published robots and rate limits,

(b) querying the API within your tier's limits,

(c) reading, summarizing, reasoning over, and answering user questions with results retrieved from the Service,

(d) using retrieved results in model context, retrieval-augmented generation, and agent workflows,

(e) citing the Service, with attribution to OpenSpec Index and a link to the relevant page or endpoint where the medium allows it.

5.3 We do not prohibit use of retrieved data in model training. We ask that you attribute the Service and that you preserve the source URL and observation date where your format allows it.

5.4 Still prohibited, for humans and machines alike: everything in Section 4.2. In particular, an AI agent, crawler, or pipeline may not be used to accumulate the database. Retrieval to answer a question is fine. Retrieval to build a copy is not.

5.5 Agent operators are responsible for their agents. If you run an agent, a crawler, or a hosted service that queries the Service on behalf of others, you are responsible for its traffic and its compliance with these Terms.

5.6 Pass the warning through. If your system presents our data to an end user, do not present it as verified manufacturer data. Section 2 applies to your users too, and you should make that clear to them.

6. API Terms and Availability

6.1 Rate limits. We set rate limits, quotas, and tier limits, and we may change them at any time. Current limits are published on the Service and may also be communicated by email or returned in API responses.

6.2 Throttling, suspension, and revocation. We may throttle, degrade, suspend, or revoke your access, with or without notice, if we believe you have breached these Terms, if your traffic threatens the stability of the Service, or if we are required to by law. We may do this by IP address, by API key, or by account.

6.3 No SLA on the free tier. The free tier is provided with no service level agreement, no uptime commitment, no support commitment, and no guarantee of continued availability. We may discontinue the free tier at any time.

6.4 No general availability guarantee. We do not guarantee that the Service, the website, or the API will be available, uninterrupted, error free, or performant. We may take the Service down for maintenance or for any other reason.

6.5 Changes to the API. We may add, change, deprecate, or remove endpoints, fields, response shapes, and data. We will make reasonable efforts to give notice of breaking changes to keyed users at the email address on file, but we do not commit to a fixed deprecation window on the free tier.

6.6 Data changes and removal. Records may be corrected, reclassified, republished, or removed at any time, including under Section 9. Do not assume a record will still be present tomorrow.

6.7 Separate agreements control. If you have signed a written agreement with KnightDevs that covers uptime, support, volume, or indemnity, that agreement controls over this Section 6 to the extent of any conflict.

7. Ownership and License

7.1 What we claim. As between you and us, KnightDevs owns:

(a) the compilation, selection, coordination, and arrangement of the index,

(b) the normalization layer, including part classification, the tiered specification fact model, the equivalence engine, and their outputs,

(c) the website, the API, the client libraries, the documentation, and the presentation and structure of all of it,

(d) the OpenSpec Index and KnightDevs names and logos.

These are protected by copyright, database and compilation rights where they apply, and trade secret law. We reserve all rights not expressly granted.

7.2 What we do not claim. We do not claim ownership of the underlying factual specifications of any part. A thread pitch is a fact. A pressure rating is a fact. Facts belong to no one. We do not claim ownership of manufacturer datasheets, CAD files, drawings, catalogs, or images. Those remain the property of the manufacturers and distributors who publish them, we do not host them, and we link to them where they live.

7.3 Trademarks. All manufacturer names, brand names, part number formats, logos, and other marks that appear on the Service belong to their respective owners. They are used for identification and reference only, to describe which manufacturer's part a record describes. Their appearance does not indicate any affiliation with, sponsorship by, endorsement by, or authorization from any of those owners. We claim no affiliation with any manufacturer or distributor named in the index unless we say so in writing.

7.4 Your license. Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service, and to use individual results you retrieve, including in your internal work, your documents, and your products, provided you comply with Section 4 and Section 5. This license does not permit bulk extraction, redistribution, or reconstruction of the database.

7.5 Attribution. Where you publish or display results from the Service, we ask that you credit "OpenSpec Index" and, where your format allows, retain the source URL and observation date.

7.6 Feedback. If you send us suggestions, bug reports, or ideas, we may use them without obligation to you and without compensation.

8. Third Party Content and Links

8.1 The Service links to pages, files, and resources hosted by manufacturers, distributors, and other third parties. We do not control those resources, we do not endorse them, and we are not responsible for their content, accuracy, availability, security, or terms.

8.2 When you follow a link from the Service, you leave the Service. The destination site's terms and privacy practices apply to you there.

9. Takedown and Removal Policy

9.1 We publish an index of public product data, and we take removal requests seriously.

9.2 Who can request removal. A manufacturer, distributor, rights holder, or their authorized representative may request that we remove or stop publishing specific records, a brand, or an entire manufacturer's data.

9.3 How to request. Send an email to [email protected] with the subject line "Takedown Request". Include:

(a) your name, organization, and role,

(b) the manufacturer, brand, part numbers, URLs, or record identifiers at issue,

(c) the basis for the request (for example: intellectual property claim, inaccuracy, confidentiality, or a request that we simply stop publishing your data),

(d) a statement that you are the rights holder or are authorized to act for the rights holder,

(e) a reply address we can use to confirm.

9.4 What we do. We acknowledge credible requests within 5 business days and we de-publish on credible request. We do not require you to prove a court-tested legal claim before we act. If you are the manufacturer and you want your data out of the public index, that alone is enough.

9.5 De-publish, not necessarily delete. De-publishing means the data stops being served through the website, the API, and any client. We may retain internal copies for audit, dispute, and legal compliance purposes. We may also record the brand or manufacturer on an internal blocklist so that later collection does not republish it.

9.6 Copyright claims. For claims under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, send notice to the same address, addressed to the OpenSpec Index copyright agent at [DMCA AGENT NAME AND ADDRESS]. Include everything required by 17 U.S.C. 512(c)(3). We will process compliant notices and counter-notices under that statute.

9.7 Corrections. If you believe a specific record is wrong rather than improper, write to [email protected]. We will review it and correct or remove it if we agree.

9.8 Business contact. For commercial, licensing, and partnership matters, write to [email protected].

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

10.1 THE SERVICE AND ALL DATA IN IT ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE", WITH ALL FAULTS.

10.2 TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, KNIGHTDEVS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, AND STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, CURRENCY, AND QUIET ENJOYMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE.

10.3 We specifically make no warranty that:

(a) any specification, price, dimension, rating, classification, or equivalence result is accurate, complete, or current,

(b) any record corresponds to the part you believe it corresponds to,

(c) any linked file is available, correct, or the current revision,

(d) the Service will be available, secure, uninterrupted, or free of errors,

(e) the Service is fit for any engineering, procurement, regulatory, or safety-critical purpose.

10.4 No advice or information, oral or written, obtained from us or through the Service creates any warranty not expressly stated in these Terms.

10.5 Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties. In those jurisdictions, the exclusions above apply to the fullest extent permitted, and any warranty that cannot be excluded is limited in duration to 30 days from your first use of the Service.

11. Limitation of Liability

11.1 TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, KNIGHTDEVS AND ITS OWNER, CONTRACTORS, AND SUPPLIERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, BUSINESS, GOODWILL, DATA, PRODUCTION, OR ANTICIPATED SAVINGS, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER THEORY, AND EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

11.2 THIS EXCLUSION APPLIES IN PARTICULAR TO: PARTS ORDERED IN ERROR, PARTS THAT DO NOT FIT OR DO NOT PERFORM, PRODUCTION STOPPAGES, SCRAP, REWORK, RECALLS, FAILED INSPECTIONS, REJECTED SUBMITTALS, LOST BIDS, DELAY, PERSONAL INJURY, PROPERTY DAMAGE, AND ANY CLAIM ARISING FROM RELIANCE ON A SPECIFICATION, A PRICE, OR AN EQUIVALENCE RESULT.

11.3 Total cap. OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF:

(a) the total fees you actually paid to KnightDevs for access to the Service in the 12 months immediately before the event giving rise to the claim, or

(b) one hundred US dollars (USD 100).

11.4 If you use the Service on the free tier, you have paid nothing, and clause 11.3(b) is the cap.

11.5 The limits in this section apply in the aggregate across all claims and all causes of action. Multiple claims do not raise the cap.

11.6 The disclaimers in Section 10 and the limits in this Section 11 are a fundamental basis of the bargain. Without them, the Service would not be offered, and certainly would not be offered for free. They apply even if a limited remedy fails of its essential purpose.

11.7 Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. In those jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

12. Your Responsibilities and Indemnity

12.1 You will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless KnightDevs and its owner from and against any claim, demand, proceeding, loss, liability, damage, fine, cost, and expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to:

(a) your use of the Service,

(b) your breach of these Terms, in particular Section 4 and Section 5,

(c) your reliance on Service data in design, procurement, or any safety-critical application without verifying it at the source,

(d) any product, service, dataset, or output you distribute that incorporates Service data,

(e) your violation of any law or of any third party's rights.

12.2 We will notify you of any claim we seek indemnity for, and you may control the defense with counsel we reasonably approve. You may not settle a claim in a way that imposes any obligation or admission on us without our written consent.

13. Governing Law, Venue, and Disputes

13.1 Governing law. These Terms and any dispute arising out of them or the Service are governed by the laws of the State of [STATE], without regard to its conflict of laws rules. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply.

13.2 Venue. The state and federal courts located in [COUNTY], [STATE] have exclusive jurisdiction. You and KnightDevs consent to personal jurisdiction there and waive any objection based on venue or inconvenient forum.

13.3 Class action waiver. YOU AND KNIGHTDEVS EACH AGREE TO BRING CLAIMS ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY CLASS, COLLECTIVE, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. THE COURT MAY NOT CONSOLIDATE MORE THAN ONE PERSON'S CLAIMS OR PRESIDE OVER ANY FORM OF REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. If this waiver is found unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim, and only that claim, will proceed in court, and the rest of this section stays in force.

13.4 Jury trial waiver. TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, YOU AND KNIGHTDEVS EACH WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL.

13.5 Time limit. Any claim arising out of or relating to the Service must be filed within one year after the claim arose, or it is permanently barred, except where a longer period is required by law.

13.6 Injunctive relief. Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive or equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to protect intellectual property or to stop a breach of Section 4.

14. Government and Export Matters

14.1 The Service is a commercial item consisting of commercial computer software and commercial data, provided with only those rights granted in these Terms. Any use by or on behalf of a US government entity is subject to these Terms, and no additional government data rights are granted by our providing access.

14.2 You may not use or export the Service in violation of US export control or sanctions laws, and you represent that you are not located in, and are not acting for a person located in, an embargoed country or on a restricted party list.

14.3 The Service is not certified, qualified, or approved for any specific defense, aerospace, or regulated program. Nothing in the index constitutes a qualification, a certificate of conformance, or evidence of compliance with any standard or specification.

15. Changes to These Terms

15.1 We may update these Terms. When we do, we will change the effective date at the top and post the new version at openspecindex.com.

15.2 For material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify keyed API users by email at the address on file, at least 14 days before the change takes effect.

15.3 Continued use of the Service after the effective date of a change means you accept the updated Terms. If you do not accept them, stop using the Service.

16. General

16.1 Entire agreement. These Terms are the entire agreement between you and KnightDevs about the Service, and they replace any earlier understanding on the subject. A signed written agreement between you and KnightDevs controls over these Terms to the extent of a conflict.

16.2 Severability. If any provision is held unenforceable, it will be modified to the minimum extent needed to make it enforceable, or struck if it cannot be. The rest stays in force.

16.3 No waiver. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it.

16.4 Assignment. You may not assign these Terms without our written consent. We may assign them in connection with a sale, merger, or transfer of the business or its assets.

16.5 No third party beneficiaries. These Terms do not create rights in anyone other than you and KnightDevs.

16.6 Force majeure. We are not liable for any failure or delay caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including network failures, hosting provider outages, upstream site changes, power loss, and acts of government.

16.7 Survival. Sections 2, 4, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 16 survive any termination of your access.

16.8 Termination. You may stop using the Service at any time. We may terminate or suspend your access at any time under Section 6.2.

17. Contact