Terms of use

Account registration requires a valid invitation code from Ryan Benhase, the sole administrator. The administrator alone approves access and may send any number of invitations, directly or to people on the waitlist. There is no fixed administrator invitation quota. Uninvited visitors may browse public recipes, generate guest meal-plan drafts, and open valid shopping-list share links, but may not register for an account or use features that require one.

Invitations are personal and nontransferable. An invited user cannot invite or admit anyone else, forward an invitation for someone else to use, or share account access. You may point others to the waitlist, but doing so does not give them access.

You do not need an invitation to request a place on the waitlist. Use the form on the homepage to join, or email ryan.benhase@gmail.com to request to join or withdraw. A waitlist request does not create an account or guarantee an invitation, a place in a particular order, or admission by any date. The administrator decides whom to invite and when.

You must be at least 18 and able to enter into this agreement to join the waitlist or participate in the beta. Use an email you control, provide accurate account information, and protect your email account and sign-in links. Do not impersonate someone, register on another person's behalf, or share your account or sign-in links. Tell us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access. You are responsible for your content and your use of the service.

Participation is free. Forkmade is a prototype for limited testing and feedback. Features may be incomplete, change, or become unavailable. We may reset or delete test content, change the size or duration of the beta, or end it. Keep your own copies of anything you want to retain. We will give notice of significant disruptions or resets where reasonably practical.

Beta participation does not guarantee continued access, a public release, or free access to a future paid service. Any future purchase requires a separate offer and your express agreement before you are charged. Joining the waitlist or beta does not authorize a charge.

You keep whatever ownership rights you have in your content. You give us a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free permission to store, copy, format, and process it to operate Forkmade, and to display or share it according to your visibility choices. This permission is limited to providing the service, including backups and service providers acting for us; it does not let us sell your private recipes or use them in ads.

When you publish a recipe during the beta, anyone may view it, and you allow registered participants to save, copy, and adapt it through Forkmade, including making forks with attribution and using it for personal cooking. Existing lawful forks and copies may remain after you make the original private or remove it. This does not grant a blanket license to republish protected expression elsewhere. Our permission ends when content is removed, except for existing lawful forks and copies and retention described in the privacy policy.

Only submit content you have the right to use. Imports start private; publishing an imported recipe requires your explicit confirmation that you own the relevant rights or have permission or a license to publish it. Importing, changing wording, or using AI does not itself provide those rights. Respect source-site restrictions and keep required source attribution. Keeping an import private does not excuse infringement.

To report infringement or harmful content, email us with the recipe URL, a description of the problem, and enough information to investigate. We may remove or restrict content that violates these terms. Our policy is to terminate accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances. Affected users can contact us to challenge a removal.

• Do not use Forkmade for unlawful activity, fraud, threats, harassment, or posting someone else's private information.
• Do not upload malicious code, disrupt the service, bypass access controls or usage limits, collect private account data, or use automation in a way that materially burdens the service.
• Do not falsely claim authorship, fabricate ratings, or copy protected content without the rights needed to do so.
• Report a security issue privately to our contact email and avoid accessing or exposing other users' information.

Forkmade's software, design, and branding belong to us or their respective owners. You may use them as part of the service, but these terms do not transfer ownership or authorize misleading use of our name. Separate open-source licenses and users' content rights remain in effect.

Forkmade is a cooking and planning tool, not medical or nutritional advice. Recipes, dietary tags, serving calculations, and substitutions can be incomplete or wrong. Check ingredients, package labels, allergens, cross-contact risks, and safe preparation and storage for your situation. Consult a qualified professional about medical dietary needs. A dietary filter is not a guarantee that a meal is safe for you.

If AI features become available, their output may be inaccurate. Review suggestions before using them, especially ingredient substitutions and cooking instructions. The privacy policy governs any AI processing; these terms do not authorize sending personal information to AI providers.

Users and external sources are responsible for their own content. We do not promise that every recipe or linked site has been reviewed. External websites have their own applicable terms and privacy practices. A source link is attribution, not an endorsement.

You can stop using Forkmade at any time. Email us to close your account, withdraw a waitlist request, or request deletion of your personal information.

The administrator may withdraw an invitation or end participation as testing needs change. We may also restrict content, suspend access, or terminate an account for a breach of these terms, legal requirements, or a credible security or safety risk. Where practical, we will give notice and an explanation; urgent situations may require immediate action. You can ask us to review a decision. Content retention and existing forks are covered by the privacy policy and content section. These rights are subject to applicable law.

To the extent permitted by law, Forkmade is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or noninfringement. We do not warrant uninterrupted or error-free service, accuracy of content, preservation of data, or any particular cooking outcome. This does not exclude express commitments or warranties and consumer protections required by law.

To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or lost profits, revenue, or data arising from these terms or the use of, or inability to use, Forkmade, even if advised of the possibility. Our total aggregate liability for all claims connected to Forkmade or these terms for this free beta is limited to $100. These limits apply regardless of the legal theory of the claim, including contract or negligence.

These limits do not apply to fraud, willful misconduct, gross negligence, death or personal injury where liability cannot be limited, or any liability or remedy the law does not allow us to exclude. They do not override applicable privacy and consumer-protection rights.

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to reimburse us for reasonable costs, including reasonable legal fees, and damages from third-party claims to the extent caused by content you submit in violation of another person's rights or your unlawful or intentional misuse of Forkmade. This does not cover losses caused by our own breach, negligence, or misconduct. We will promptly notify you of a claim, allow you to participate in its defense, and take reasonable steps to limit costs. We will not agree to a settlement that imposes an obligation on you without your consent, which you may not unreasonably withhold.

Ohio law governs this agreement, subject to any mandatory protections where you live. You may email us to try to resolve a concern, but doing so is not a prerequisite to exercising your rights. Unless applicable law gives you the right to use another court, disputes must be brought in a state or federal court in Ohio with jurisdiction, and you and we consent to those courts. Either party may use an eligible small-claims court. These terms do not require arbitration or waive participation in a class action.

We will update the effective date when these terms change. Material changes will be announced by email or a prominent site notice normally at least 30 days before taking effect, unless an earlier change is necessary for legal or security reasons. Changes apply going forward, not to existing disputes or charges already incurred. We will seek consent when required; otherwise, continuing to use the service after the notified effective date means you accept the updated terms. You can stop using the service or withdraw from the waitlist if you disagree.

If one provision cannot be enforced, the others still apply to the extent lawful. Not enforcing a provision is not a waiver of it. The provisions on existing content licenses, warranties, liability, third-party claims, and disputes survive account closure to the extent relevant. These terms form the agreement for the beta. We may transfer this agreement with the business, subject to your existing rights and applicable law.

Questions, waitlist requests, content reports, and appeals go to ryan.benhase@gmail.com.