Last updated: September 2026 | View online
Three things about Helm that are easy to miss and that change what you are agreeing to:
By downloading, installing, or using Helm ("the Software"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Software.
These Terms apply whether you use Helm at no charge or on a paid plan. In exchange for the license granted in Section 6 and access to the Software, you and Helm Dev, Inc. each make the promises in these Terms, and those mutual promises and that license are the consideration for this agreement.
Helm is a desktop application that orchestrates AI-assisted software development. It is provider-agnostic: it drives whichever AI coding tool or model provider you configure — for example Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, or a local model — and it adds project management, execution control, verification, and review on top of them.
Helm does not supply the AI model. It does not resell provider capacity. It is the cockpit; the provider you choose is the engine.
Helm is in beta. This means, concretely:
Your responsibility for what Helm does under your control is set out in Section 4.
This section describes the single largest risk of using Helm. Read it.
Helm's automation modes act on your machine and on your projects without asking for confirmation before each action. Depending on the mode and settings you choose, Helm may:
You control this. You choose the automation mode, you choose which projects Helm may touch, you choose which credentials it holds, and you can stop a run. Because you control it, you are responsible for it.
You direct where Helm runs, which projects and credentials it may use, and whether it acts against a development or a production environment. You represent that you have authorized the actions Helm takes within the scope you configure, and that you keep current and tested backups and version control for every project Helm can reach. Helm Dev, Inc. is not responsible for loss, deletion, corruption, or unintended modification of files, repositories, databases, deployments, or production data that result from autonomous execution you enabled.
You are also responsible for the code and content Helm produces. AI-generated code can be wrong, insecure, non-functional, or subject to third-party rights. You must review generated code before you rely on it, deploy it, or ship it to anyone else. Helm's checks, tests, verification, and review features are aids to that review — they are not a substitute for it, and they do not certify that anything is correct, secure, or fit for purpose.
Do not point Helm at a system whose loss or unintended modification you could not tolerate.
Verification artifacts and Proof Receipts. Helm can produce signed verification artifacts, including receipts and integrity seals, that summarize what the Software checked at a point in time. These artifacts establish only what they state on their face and that their contents were not altered after issue. They are not a certification, audit, guarantee, or representation by Helm Dev, Inc. that any project, code, or application is correct, secure, complete, or fit for any purpose. Helm Dev, Inc. makes no representation to, and assumes no duty toward, any person who is not its customer and who relies on such an artifact, and any such reliance is at that person's own risk.
Helm does not provide AI models and does not act as an intermediary between you and the provider you choose. Instead:
The one exception is any limited trial or demonstration capacity we may make available so you can evaluate Helm before connecting a provider of your own. Where you use that capacity, requests are routed through infrastructure we operate; this is described in our Privacy Policy, is capped, and is not a general-purpose service.
Some features require a paid plan. Paid plans are billed through our third-party payment processor acting as merchant of record, and Helm does not receive or store your payment-card details.
You agree NOT to:
(a) "Competitive Product" means any software product or service that provides substantially similar functionality to Helm, including but not limited to: AI-assisted development environment management, autonomous code execution orchestration, multi-model strategic review, plan detection and conversion, task verification, or integrated project scaffolding and import — where such functionality is offered as a standalone product or material feature of a larger product.
(b) "Competitive Purpose" means (i) developing, improving, training, or testing a Competitive Product; (ii) reverse-engineering, benchmarking, or analyzing Helm's functionality, output, or performance for use in a Competitive Product; or (iii) providing consulting, integration, or development services for a third party's Competitive Product using knowledge or techniques derived from use of Helm.
You may not use Helm, directly or indirectly, for any Competitive Purpose. This restriction applies to all tiers of access, including free trials, beta programs, and paid subscriptions.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, you shall not:
(a) Use Helm to generate, scaffold, or develop source code for a Competitive Product;
(b) Study Helm's autonomous execution patterns, plan detection heuristics, verification workflows, review orchestration, or gamification systems for the purpose of replicating substantially similar functionality;
(c) Use Helm's output (including generated plans, task structures, review feedback, or scaffolded projects) as training data, reference material, or specification input for a Competitive Product;
(d) Permit any employee, contractor, or agent engaged in the development of a Competitive Product to access or use Helm.
For clarity, this Section does not restrict:
(a) Use of Helm to develop software products that are not Competitive Products, even if such products include AI-assisted features unrelated to development environment management or code execution orchestration;
(b) General knowledge, skills, or experience retained by your personnel in the ordinary course of their duties ("residual knowledge"), provided such knowledge is not used to replicate Helm's specific proprietary implementations;
(c) Independent development of similar functionality without reference to or use of Helm;
(d) Fair-use commentary, review, or criticism of Helm.
Any use of Helm in violation of this Section constitutes a material breach of these Terms. In addition to any other remedies available at law or in equity, Helm Dev, Inc. may:
(a) Immediately terminate your license and access to Helm;
(b) Seek injunctive relief without the requirement of posting bond;
(c) Recover damages, including disgorgement of profits attributable to the Competitive Product to the extent derived from unauthorized use of Helm.
The obligations in this Section survive termination or expiration of these Terms for a period of twenty-four (24) months.
Helm can generate starter documents for the applications you build with it — including privacy policy, terms of service, and cookie notice templates, along with a section listing the third-party services Helm detected in your project's code.
You need to understand exactly what those are:
The same applies to every other scaffold, template, configuration, security check, test, and recommendation Helm produces: they are aids to your judgment, not replacements for it.
Please refer to our Privacy Policy for details on what data Helm collects, stores, and transmits. In summary:
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT. HELM DEV, INC. DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE, THAT IT WILL PRESERVE YOUR DATA, OR THAT ANY CODE, DOCUMENT, CHECK, TEST, REVIEW, OR RECOMMENDATION IT PRODUCES WILL BE CORRECT, SECURE, COMPLETE, OR LEGALLY SUFFICIENT. NO CHECK, TEST, VERIFICATION, REVIEW, RECEIPT, OR INTEGRITY SEAL THE SOFTWARE PRODUCES CERTIFIES OR GUARANTEES THAT ANY CODE, PROJECT, OR APPLICATION IS CORRECT, SECURE, COMPLETE, OR FIT FOR ANY PURPOSE. NO STATEMENT, ORAL OR WRITTEN, CREATES ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS.
IN NO EVENT SHALL HELM DEV, INC. BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, OR BUSINESS, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SOFTWARE, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS INCLUDES DAMAGES ARISING FROM AUTONOMOUS EXECUTION (SECTION 4), FROM CODE OR DOCUMENTS GENERATED THROUGH THE SOFTWARE (SECTIONS 4 AND 10), AND FROM ANY AI PROVIDER YOU SELECT (SECTION 5).
THE EXCLUSIONS AND THE LIABILITY CAP IN THIS SECTION DO NOT APPLY TO LIABILITY THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, INCLUDING LIABILITY FOR FRAUD, WILLFUL INJURY TO A PERSON OR PROPERTY, GROSS NEGLIGENCE, OR A VIOLATION OF LAW.
HELM DEV, INC.'S TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF THE AMOUNT YOU PAID FOR THE SOFTWARE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM OR ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).
This cap and these exclusions apply to paid and free users alike. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages, so parts of this section may not apply to you.
We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date and may notify you through the application.
For changes that materially affect your rights or obligations, Helm will give notice through the application or by email before they take effect, and those changes apply only going forward. If you do not agree to a material change, your remedy is to stop using the Software before the change takes effect. For other changes, continued use after the Last updated date means you accept them.
16.1 Governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules.
16.2 Informal resolution first. Before starting an arbitration, you agree to contact Helm at legal@helm.dev with a short description of the dispute and to allow 30 days to resolve it informally. Helm will do the same for any claim it has against you.
16.3 Binding individual arbitration. If a dispute is not resolved informally, it will be settled by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules and, where they apply, its Mass Arbitration Supplementary Rules, seated in Sacramento County, California, with judgment on the award enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction.
16.4 Class-action waiver. You and Helm each waive any right to bring or participate in a class, collective, consolidated, or representative action. The arbitrator may award relief only in favor of the individual party seeking it. If this waiver is held unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim proceeds in court under Section 16.7, and the rest of this Section stays in force.
16.5 Public injunctive relief. Nothing in these Terms waives your right to seek public injunctive relief where the law provides it. A claim for public injunctive relief may be brought in the courts identified in Section 16.7, is not subject to arbitration or to the class-action waiver, and is severable from any claim that proceeds in arbitration.
16.6 Small-claims exception. Either party may bring an individual claim in small-claims court instead of arbitration, so long as it stays individual.
16.7 Court fallback. Where arbitration does not apply, the state and federal courts located in Sacramento County, California have exclusive jurisdiction, and both parties consent to that venue and to personal jurisdiction there.
16.8 Your right to opt out. You may opt out of Sections 16.3 and 16.4 by emailing legal@helm.dev within 30 days of first accepting these Terms, stating your name and that you opt out of arbitration. Opting out costs you nothing and does not affect your license or any other part of these Terms. If you opt out, Section 16.7 governs your disputes.
16.9 Fees. Arbitration fees are allocated under the administrator's Consumer Arbitration Rules. Helm will pay the filing, administrative, and arbitrator fees that exceed the cost you would pay to file the same claim in the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento. Where a large number of similar demands are filed, the administrator's mass-arbitration or batching procedures apply.
16.10 Severability and entire agreement. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, that provision is limited or removed to the minimum extent necessary and the remaining provisions stay in full effect. These Terms are the entire agreement between you and Helm Dev, Inc. about the Software and replace any prior understanding on that subject.
For questions about these Terms, please contact us at legal@helm.dev.
Helm Dev, Inc., 1401 21st Street, Suite 12332, Sacramento, CA 95811, USA.