These Terms of use (“Terms”) apply when you download, install, run, or redistribute Capsule (the “Software”), free software by Oisin McGrath (“I”, “me”, “the developer”).
Short version: the Software is free. You use it at your own risk. There is no warranty. Capsule builds containers that run with broad permissions on your machine — you are responsible for what runs inside them and for your host's security. Read the disclaimer below.
These Terms are written in plain language for users of free software. They are not legal advice and do not create a paid professional engagement.
1. What the Software is
Capsule is a host-side shell script that scaffolds a sandboxed DevPod +
Podman + VSCodium development container from a folder you choose. It runs on
your machine and drives tools already on your machine (or that it
installs at your direction, such as the devpod CLI). I do not
operate a hosted Capsule service.
2. Licence — MIT
The Software is free software licensed under the
MIT License, as set out in the LICENSE file
distributed with the source. That licence gives you broad freedom to use,
copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and sell copies of the
Software, subject to including the copyright notice and licence text.
If anything in these Terms conflicts with the MIT License regarding your rights to copy, modify, or redistribute the Software, the MIT License controls for those rights. These Terms restate the no-warranty / risk rules for clarity and add product-use notes.
3. Free software — no paid service, no support contract
I make Capsule available free of charge in the hope that it is useful. Unless we separately agree in writing:
- you are not buying a service, SLA, or guaranteed update schedule;
- I am not obliged to provide support, training, or custom work;
- I may stop maintaining the project at any time;
- any help I give (email, issues, chat) is voluntary and does not create a duty of care beyond what the law requires for free software distribution.
4. Entire risk is yours (no warranty)
The Software is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY. To the extent permitted by applicable law:
The Software 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. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the Software is with you. Should the Software prove defective, you assume the cost of all necessary servicing, repair, or correction.
In practical terms: if the wizard misconfigures a container, a GPU/NPU passthrough fails, a script step damages local files, or a scaffolded repo is unsuitable for your use, you bear that risk, not me — except only where a law says a disclaimer cannot apply.
5. Limitation of liability
In no event, unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, will the author or any other party who modifies and/or redistributes the Software as permitted by the MIT License be liable to you for damages, including any general, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the Software (including but not limited to loss of data, data being rendered inaccurate, losses sustained by you or third parties, or a failure of the Software to operate with any other programs), even if such holder or other party has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Without limiting the above, I am not liable for lost time, lost work, damage to a host system, or reputational harm connected with your use of the Software, to the maximum extent the law allows.
6. Australian Consumer Law (important honesty note)
If you are a consumer under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and the ACL applies to a particular supply, some guarantees cannot be excluded. Where the ACL applies and liability cannot be excluded, then to the extent the law allows liability to be limited, my liability is limited to one or more of: re-supply of the Software; or the cost of re-supply. Where the Software is supplied free of charge, remedies may be limited further by the nature of a free supply.
Nothing in these Terms is intended to exclude liability that cannot legally be excluded (for example, fraud or certain non-excludable guarantees). Everything else is disclaimed to the fullest extent allowed. No disclaimer is a magic shield in every situation — that is true of all free software.
7. Not professional or security advice
The Software is a tool only. It does not provide security, infrastructure, or legal advice. Sandbox isolation reduces but does not eliminate risk from anything you choose to run inside a container. You alone are responsible for:
- reviewing what a scaffolded container is configured to do before you rely on it;
- what code, agents, or commands you run inside a Capsule-built container;
- keeping your own host, credentials, and backups secure;
- getting qualified advice when you need it for a production or sensitive environment.
8. Your responsibilities
- Configuration: the accuracy of paths, ports, device passthrough, and identity values you supply to the wizard.
- Authorisation: only use device passthrough (GPU/NPU), SSH keys, and git remotes you are permitted to use.
- Security: protect your host machine, its credentials, and the containers Capsule builds (see the Privacy policy).
- Lawful use: no use of the Software for unlawful purposes.
9. Third-party services and tools
Capsule drives third-party tools (DevPod, Podman, VSCodium, git, ssh) and may
download the devpod CLI release binary on your behalf. Those
tools are not mine, can change or break independently of Capsule, and are
governed by their own licences and terms. I am not responsible for
third-party tool defects, outages, or policy changes.
10. Privacy
How the Software handles data is described in the Privacy policy. In short: nothing is collected by me. That policy is part of how the product is meant to work; it does not turn free software into a paid hosting service.
11. Website
These pages are informational. They are provided “as is”. I do not promise continuous availability. No tracking cookies or analytics are intentionally embedded by me on these static pages.
12. Acceptable use
You must not use the Software to:
- bypass security controls on systems you do not own or have permission to test;
- infringe others' rights;
- misuse device passthrough or credentials beyond what you are authorised to access; or
- violate applicable law.
13. Changes
I may update these Terms by publishing a new version on this site with a new “Last updated” date. The MIT licence text for the Software changes only if a new version is adopted. If you do not agree with updated Terms, stop using the Software.
14. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of Australia and, where they apply, the laws of Western Australia. Courts of Australia have non-exclusive jurisdiction. Mandatory consumer protections in your place of residence may still apply.
15. Contact
Questions: [email protected]