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Terms of Service

Last updated: June 10, 2026

1. Overview

TomSparkBox is self-hosted software. You install it on your own hardware — a VPS, NAS, or local machine. We (Tom Spark, an individual, not a corporation) provide the TomSparkBox software and a free personal-use license key for activation. That is the extent of what we provide. Your server, your data, your responsibility.

2. License

  • TomSparkBox is free, forever. Every app and module is included at no cost, and you never need a license to install, run, or update it — auto-updates with one-click rollback are free for everyone. Backing the project is optional: the $49 Legend supporter tier is a one-time purchase that adds the Tom AI assistant, the enhanced dashboard, extra modules, and priority support (details on the backer page). It is not required to use TomSparkBox.
  • A Legend supporter key covers up to 3 installations — generous enough for hardware migrations, reinstalls, and backup boxes.
  • Personal, family, and small-business use only. You may not run TomSparkBox as a managed service for paying third parties or otherwise resell it.
  • No redistribution. You may not redistribute, resell, sublicense, or create derivative works of TomSparkBox for distribution.
  • No tampering. You may not remove or circumvent license checks, branding, or affiliate disclosures.

3. Supported Platforms

  • Officially supported: UGREEN NASync (DXP2800, DXP4800), Windows WSL2, and major Debian-, RHEL-, and Arch-based Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, Mint, Pop!_OS, Raspberry Pi OS, Rocky, AlmaLinux, Fedora, Arch, and more) — see the docs for the full tested list.
  • Other platforms may work but are not officially supported or tested by us.
  • Support is best-effort and primarily delivered through the TomSparkBox community on d/sparkbox.

4. Payment

  • TomSparkBox is free — no payment is required to install, run, or update it.
  • The $49 Legend supporter tier is optional — a one-time purchase (no subscription, no recurring charge) processed through Stripe. It funds full-time development and adds Tom AI, the enhanced dashboard, extra modules, and priority support.
  • Refunds: if the Legend tier isn't for you, request a refund within 14 days of purchase — message @tomspark on d/sparkbox or email [email protected] from the email you used at checkout. Billing errors (double charges, wrong amounts) are corrected at any time. Nothing in this section limits any non-waivable refund or withdrawal rights you have under the consumer law of your country.
  • No subscriptions, no per-app upcharges. The free core is complete on its own; the one-time Legend tier is the only paid offering.
  • Founding Members: users who purchased a paid-beta license before the free-beta pivot retain their key, lifetime access, and a Founding Member badge. Refund inquiries via [email protected].

5. Your Responsibilities

Because TomSparkBox runs on your hardware, you are responsible for:

  • Your own hardware, network configuration, and internet connectivity.
  • Backups of your data. We cannot recover data from your server.
  • Providing your own VPN subscription if you use the media module (TomSparkBox does not include a VPN service).
  • Configuring any indexers, trackers, or content sources you use with the bundled *arr applications (Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr). TomSparkBox does not pre-populate or recommend any. See Section 6 (Lawful Use).

6. Lawful Use & Anti-Piracy

TomSparkBox is general-purpose, self-hosted infrastructure software. The bundled application modules (Jellyfin, Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, qBittorrent, Seerr, Immich, Nextcloud, etc.) are open-source third-party software included for the convenience of users running their own personal media, photo, file, and document servers.

  • TomSparkBox does not provide, host, distribute, or recommend any media content, indexers, trackers, or sources of any kind. We do not include or pre-configure any indexer, tracker, or content source.
  • We do not endorse, encourage, condone, or facilitate copyright infringement, piracy, or any other unlawful use of the software, in any jurisdiction.
  • You are solely responsible for the legality of any content you store, stream, download, share, or otherwise process using your TomSparkBox installation, and for compliance with all applicable laws (including but not limited to copyright, computer-misuse, telecommunications, and data-protection laws) in every jurisdiction in which you or your users are located.
  • We strongly recommend using TomSparkBox only with content you legally own (e.g. ripped from physical media you own), content in the public domain, or content licensed to you by its rightsholder.
  • Where local law restricts certain types of network traffic (including but not limited to VPN traffic, peer-to-peer file sharing, or operation of certain server software), you are responsible for compliance with your jurisdiction's laws. TomSparkBox does not provide a VPN service; if you choose to use a third-party VPN, your relationship and obligations are with that VPN provider, not with TomSparkBox.
  • If you receive a takedown notice, DMCA notice, or any legal claim relating to content on your TomSparkBox installation, that notice is between you and the claimant. TomSparkBox is not the host, publisher, or distributor of your content.
  • We reserve the right to terminate licenses (without refund) for any user found to be using TomSparkBox to facilitate piracy at scale, distribute malware, operate command-and-control infrastructure, or otherwise abuse the software.

7. No Warranty / Limitation of Liability

TomSparkBox is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, express or implied.

  • We are not liable for data loss, downtime, security breaches on your hardware, or any damages of any kind.
  • Self-hosted means you control the server. We cannot access, monitor, or recover your data.
  • We are not liable for any unlawful use of TomSparkBox by any user, in any jurisdiction. See Section 6 above.
  • Our maximum liability for any claim of any kind is limited to the amount you paid for TomSparkBox (zero, for free personal-use licenses; $49 for Legend purchases; the original paid-beta price for Founding Members).
  • To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we disclaim all implied warranties including but not limited to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

8. Privacy

  • TomSparkBox runs entirely on your hardware. We don't track you, profile you, or run ads, and nothing from your self-hosted apps ever leaves your box. The software sends an anonymous release-health ping when you update (which version, did it succeed — no identifier), plus optional, off-by-default crash reporting. See the Privacy Policy for specifics.
  • Communication with our servers is limited to: update checks + the anonymous release-health ping, license key validation, and — only if you use the optional Tom AI assistant — sanitized diagnostic conversations (see the Privacy Policy).
  • We store your email address for license delivery and billing/refund handling. Product support is provided through the public d/sparkbox community forum; [email protected] handles billing and refunds only.
  • We do not sell or share your information with anyone.

9. Updates

  • TomSparkBox includes automatic updates for the software and module configurations when activated with a valid license key (paid or free personal-use).
  • We do not guarantee updates on any specific schedule.
  • Updates are delivered as new releases — your server pulls them when available.

10. Termination

  • Your license is perpetual — it does not expire.
  • We reserve the right to revoke licenses for abuse, license violations, or use that contradicts Section 6 (Lawful Use).
  • If a license is revoked, the existing installation continues to work but loses auto-updates.

11. Changes to Terms

  • We may update these terms from time to time. Continued use of TomSparkBox after changes constitutes acceptance.
  • Material changes will be communicated via the website — and, for changes affecting the paid Legend tier, also by email to the address from your purchase where we have it.

12. Third-Party & Open-Source Software

  • The application modules TomSparkBox installs (Jellyfin, Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, qBittorrent, Seerr, Immich, Nextcloud, Vaultwarden, Pi-hole, Home Assistant, and others) are independent third-party open-source projects, provided under their own licenses by their own maintainers. TomSparkBox automates their installation and configuration; it does not author, modify the substance of, or warrant them.
  • Your use of each third-party application is governed by that application's own license and terms. We make no warranty of any kind for third-party software and are not responsible for its behavior, security, or availability.
  • License texts and source for each project are available from the respective upstream repositories.

13. Trademarks

UGREEN, Synology, Jellyfin, Plex, Emby, qBittorrent, Surfshark, Hostinger, Amazon, Stripe, and all other third-party names and logos referenced on this site or in the software are trademarks of their respective owners. They are used only to identify the products and services concerned (nominative use). TomSparkBox is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of these companies or projects unless expressly stated.

14. Affiliate Disclosure

Some outbound links on this site (including Surfshark, Hostinger, and Amazon links) are affiliate links: if you buy through them, we earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This funds TomSparkBox development. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Recommendations are based on what we actually use and test, but you should assume any link to a commercial product on this site may be an affiliate link.

15. Tom AI & Agentic Features

  • The Tom AI assistant (including its beta "agent" features) is an AI system. Its answers are generated automatically, may be incomplete or wrong, and are not professional advice of any kind. Verify before acting on anything important.
  • To answer your questions, sanitized diagnostic data from your box (logs and configuration with secrets redacted) is processed by our API provider (Anthropic), and sanitized conversations are logged to improve the product, as described in the Privacy Policy. Don't paste passwords, keys, or other secrets into the chat.
  • Agent actions (e.g. restarting a service, fixing permissions) run only after you approve them on a confirmation prompt. Approved actions run on your hardware under your authority, and you are responsible for their results — review what the agent proposes before approving it.
  • Agentic features are beta and may be changed, limited, or withdrawn at any time.

16. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless TomSparkBox and Tom Spark from any claims, damages, liabilities, and reasonable legal fees arising out of: (a) your use or misuse of TomSparkBox or the bundled third-party applications; (b) any content you store, stream, download, share, or process using your installation; (c) your violation of these terms or of any applicable law. This section does not apply where prohibited by applicable consumer law.

17. General

  • Governing law & venue: these terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, USA (excluding its conflict-of-laws rules), and disputes are subject to the courts located in California — except that if you are a consumer in a jurisdiction whose law grants you non-waivable rights or a home-court forum, those rights are unaffected.
  • Severability: if any provision of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.
  • Entire agreement: these terms plus the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and us regarding TomSparkBox, and supersede prior communications.
  • No waiver: our not enforcing a provision is not a waiver of it.
  • Assignment: you may not assign these terms; we may assign them in connection with a reorganization or sale of the project (your license and any non-waivable rights survive).
  • Force majeure: we are not liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control.
  • Age: you must be at least 18 (or the age of majority where you live) to purchase the Legend tier.

18. Contact