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Terms of Service
These terms govern use of the thoughtbot.digital website, operated by thoughtbot, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. By using the site, you agree to them. They cover the website only, not the terms of any consulting engagement, which is handled separately in a written agreement.
Latest revision published on this page. Continued use after a change means you accept the revised terms.
Use of the website
You may use this site for lawful purposes and in line with these terms. You agree not to interfere with its operation, attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of it, or use automated tools to scrape content at a rate that affects availability. We may restrict access where we reasonably believe the site is being misused.
That access standard applies to every part of the site, including the pages you reach from the main navigation and any material you download for reading. If you spot something that looks like an error in an article, a broken link, or a page that behaves differently than described here, write to us and we will look at it.
Content and intellectual property
Text, images, and other content on this site are owned by thoughtbot or used with permission, and are protected by copyright and related laws. You may read, share links to, and quote short passages with attribution. Republishing content in full, or using it commercially, requires our written permission.
Linking to a page is welcome, and quoting a few sentences in a discussion or article is fine as long as you name thoughtbot as the source. Copying a full article onto another website, repackaging our explanations as training material, or reusing our images in your own product is not covered by that permission — ask first, and we will explain what we can agree to.
No professional advice
Content on this site, including articles and notes, is general information about software development and product work. It is not professional advice for your specific situation, and it does not create a client relationship or any obligation on our part. Decisions you make based on it are your own responsibility.
Where an article describes a technology choice, a delivery method, or a design approach, it describes how we have seen that work carried out — not a recommendation for your project. Anything we write about web, mobile, software, AI integration, or user-experience design becomes useful only when it is read against the requirements, constraints, and existing systems of a specific engagement.
Enquiries and communications
When you send an enquiry, you confirm that the information you provide is accurate to the best of your knowledge and that you are entitled to share it. We handle that information as described in our Privacy Policy. Sending an enquiry does not commit either side to an engagement.
Please do not send confidential material, credentials, or proprietary source code with a first message. If a conversation continues and technical detail is genuinely needed, we will agree on a suitable way to exchange it before anything sensitive changes hands. Replies are sent from the address you write to, and we ask that you keep the details you provided accurate so we can answer the right person.
Third-party links and services
The site may link to third-party websites and use third-party services. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content, availability, or practices. Any dealings you have with a third party are between you and that party.
Links appear where they help explain a topic — a specification, a tool, or a reference we think is worth reading. Following one takes you to a site with its own terms and its own privacy choices, so check those before you rely on anything you find there.
Disclaimer and limitation of liability
The website is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the extent permitted by law, we exclude implied warranties and are not liable for indirect or consequential losses arising from use of the site. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
We keep the site maintained and try to keep it available, but availability depends on hosting and network providers we do not control, so we cannot promise that every page will load at every moment. If the site is unreachable when you need it, the contact details below still work.
Changes to these terms
We may revise these terms at any time. The current version is always the one published on this page, and the date of the latest revision applies from publication. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the revised terms.
If you want to check whether anything has changed since your last visit, simply reload this page and read the revision note at the top.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Questions about these terms can be sent to [email protected].
Common questions
Do these terms cover a consulting engagement?
No. They cover the website only. Any engagement is set out in a separate written agreement that covers scope, deliverables, and the commercial terms for that work.
Can I quote an article on my own site?
Short passages with attribution to thoughtbot are fine, and so is linking to a page. Republishing an article in full, or using it commercially, needs written permission from us first.
Does sending an enquiry start a contract?
It does not. An enquiry opens a conversation, and nothing is committed on either side until a written agreement is signed.
Where to go next
Read how we approach web, mobile, software, AI integration, and UX/UI design work, see what that looks like in practice, or start a conversation about your own product.