Circuit-Forge/circuitforge-core
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circuitforge-core/docs/developer/licensing.md
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feat: platforms module + docs + scripts 
- platforms/: eBay platform adapter (snipe integration layer)
- docs/: developer guide, module reference, getting-started docs
- scripts/: utility scripts for development and deployment
2026-04-24 15:23:16 -07:00

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BSL vs MIT — Licensing Boundaries

circuitforge-core contains both MIT and BSL 1.1 licensed code. Understanding the boundary matters for contributors and for deciding where new modules belong.

The rule

Code category License
Discovery, ingestion, data pipeline MIT
LLM inference, AI generation, fine-tuned model access BSL 1.1
UI scaffolding, process management MIT
Tier gates, license validation BSL 1.1
Database, storage, configuration MIT

Heuristic: If a competitor could use the module to build a commercial AI product without building the hard parts themselves, it's BSL 1.1. If it's plumbing that any software project might need, it's MIT.

BSL 1.1 in practice

BSL 1.1 means:

  • Free for personal non-commercial self-hosting
  • Free for internal business use (using the software, not selling it)
  • Commercial SaaS re-hosting requires a paid license from Circuit Forge LLC
  • Converts to MIT after 4 years

"Commercial SaaS re-hosting" means: taking cf-core's AI features and building a competing product that charges users for them without a license. It does NOT restrict:

  • Running cf-core on your own server for your own use
  • Modifying cf-core for personal use
  • Contributing back to cf-core

What this means for contributors

If you're adding a module:

  • Add MIT code to the MIT section of pyproject.toml
  • Add BSL 1.1 code to the BSL section
  • Don't mix MIT and BSL code in the same module
  • If uncertain, ask before submitting — wrong license on a module causes legal headaches

The Co-Authored-By policy

Do NOT add Co-Authored-By: Claude (or any AI attribution trailer) to commits in CircuitForge repos. This is required for BSL 1.1 commercial viability — AI-assisted code with attribution claims can complicate licensing in ways that affect the ability to enforce BSL terms.

This is not about hiding AI use. It's a legal precaution for a company that depends on BSL enforcement to fund its mission.

BSL conversion timeline

Module BSL since MIT date
tiers 2025-01-01 2029-01-01
llm 2025-01-01 2029-01-01

The conversion dates are tracked in LICENSE and will be updated as modules are added.