GitHub Terms of Service

Thank you for using GitHub! We're happy you're here. Please read this Terms of Service agreement carefully before accessing or using GitHub. Because it is such an important contract between us and our users, we have tried to make it as clear as possible. For your convenience, we have presented these terms in a short non-binding summary followed by the full legal terms.

Summary

Section	What can you find there?
A. Definitions	Some basic terms, defined in a way that will help you understand this agreement. Refer back up to this section for clarification.
B. Account Terms	These are the basic requirements of having an Account on GitHub.
C. Acceptable Use	These are the basic rules you must follow when using your GitHub Account.
D. User-Generated Content	You own the content you post on GitHub. However, you have some responsibilities regarding it, and we ask you to grant us some rights so we can provide services to you.
E. Private Repositories	This section talks about how GitHub will treat content you post in private repositories.
F. Copyright & DMCA Policy	This section talks about how GitHub will respond if you believe someone is infringing your copyrights on GitHub.
G. Intellectual Property Notice	This describes GitHub's rights in the website and service.
H. API Terms	These are the rules for using GitHub's APIs, whether you are using the API for development or data collection.
I. Additional Product Terms	We have a few specific rules for GitHub's features and products.
J. AI Features, Training, and Your Data	These are the terms that apply to GitHub Copilot and other AI features, including how your data may be used for development and improvement of the artificial intelligence and machine learning models, and the controls available to you.
K. Beta Previews	These are some of the additional terms that apply to GitHub's features that are still in development.
L. Payment	You are responsible for payment. We are responsible for billing you accurately.
M. Cancellation and Termination	You may cancel this agreement and close your Account at any time.
N. Communications with GitHub	We only use email and other electronic means to stay in touch with our users. We do not provide phone support.
O. Disclaimer of Warranties	We provide our service as is, and we make no promises or guarantees about this service. Please read this section carefully; you should understand what to expect.
P. Limitation of Liability	We will not be liable for damages or losses arising from your use or inability to use the service or otherwise arising under this agreement. Please read this section carefully; it limits our obligations to you.
Q. Release and Indemnification	You are fully responsible for your use of the service.
R. Changes to these Terms of Service	We may modify this agreement, but we will give you 30 days' notice of material changes.
S. Miscellaneous	Please see this section for legal details including our choice of law.

The GitHub Terms of Service

Effective date: April 27, 2026

A. Definitions

Short version: We use these basic terms throughout the agreement, and they have specific meanings. You should know what we mean when we use each of the terms. There's not going to be a test on it, but it's still useful information.

An "Account" represents your legal relationship with GitHub. A “Personal Account” represents an individual User’s authorization to log in to and use the Service and serves as a User’s identity on GitHub. “Organizations” are shared workspaces that may be associated with a single entity or with one or more Users where multiple Users can collaborate across many projects at once. A Personal Account can be a member of any number of Organizations.
The “Agreement” refers, collectively, to all the terms, conditions, notices contained or referenced in this document (the “Terms of Service” or the "Terms") and all other operating rules, policies (including the GitHub Privacy Statement, available at github.com/site/privacy) and procedures that we may publish from time to time on the Website. Most of our site policies are available at docs.github.com/categories/site-policy.
"AI Feature" means any feature of GitHub or our Affiliates that uses machine learning or artificial intelligence to generate Output, including GitHub Copilot, Copilot Autofix, and any other feature identified as using machine learning or artificial intelligence in our documentation.
“Affiliate” means any entity that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with a party, where "control" means having more than fifty percent (50%) ownership or the right to direct the management of the entity. For the avoidance of doubt, Microsoft is an Affiliate of GitHub.
"Beta Previews" mean software, services, or features identified as alpha, beta, preview, early access, or evaluation, or words or phrases with similar meanings.
"Content" means code, text, data, documentation, images, graphics, software, packages, and other materials made available through the Service.
“GitHub,” “We,” and “Us” refer to GitHub, Inc., as well as our directors, subsidiaries, contractors, licensors, officers, agents, and employees.
“Input” means any content or context provided to an AI Feature, including prompts, attachments, code in your workspace, and conversation history.
"Output" means responses and suggestions, including code or other material, generated by an AI Feature.
The “Service” refers to the applications, software, products, and services provided by GitHub, including through the Website and any Beta Previews.
“User,” “You,” and “Your” refer to the individual person, company, or organization that has visited or is using the Website or Service; that accesses or uses any part of the Account; or that directs the use of the Account in the performance of its functions. A User must be at least 13 years of age. Special terms may apply for business or government Accounts (See Section B(5): Additional Terms).
"User-Generated Content" means Content that you or other users upload, submit, or create through the Service.
The “Website” refers to GitHub’s website located at github.com, and all content, services, and products provided by GitHub at or through the Website. It also refers to GitHub-owned subdomains of github.com, such as education.github.com and pages.github.com. These Terms also govern GitHub’s conference websites, such as githubuniverse.com, and product websites, such as electronjs.org. Occasionally, websites owned by GitHub may provide different or additional terms of service. If those additional terms conflict with this Agreement, the more specific terms apply to the relevant page or service.
"Your Content" means User-Generated Content that you upload, submit, or create, including your modifications to Content you have forked or cloned. It does not include the underlying Content created by others.

B. Account Terms

Short version: Personal Accounts and Organizations have different administrative controls; a human must create your Account; you must be 13 or over; you must provide a valid email address; and you may not have more than one free Account. You alone are responsible for your Account and anything that happens while you are signed in to or using your Account. You are responsible for keeping your Account secure.

1. Account Controls

Users. Subject to these Terms, you retain ultimate administrative control over your Personal Account and the Content within it.
Organizations. The "owner" of an Organization that was created under these Terms has ultimate administrative control over that Organization and the Content within it. Within the Service, an owner can manage User access to the Organization’s data and projects. An Organization may have multiple owners, but there must be at least one Personal Account designated as an owner of an Organization. If you are the owner of an Organization under these Terms, we consider you responsible for the actions that are performed on or through that Organization.

2. Required Information

You must provide a valid email address in order to complete the signup process. Any other information requested, such as your real name, is optional, unless you are accepting these terms on behalf of a legal entity (in which case we need more information about the legal entity) or if you opt for a paid Account, in which case additional information will be necessary for billing purposes.

3. Account Requirements

We have a few simple rules for Accounts on GitHub's Service.

You must be a human to create an Account. Accounts registered by "bots" or other automated methods are not permitted. We do permit machine accounts:
A machine account is an Account set up by an individual human who accepts the Terms on behalf of the Account, provides a valid email address, and is responsible for its actions. A machine account is used exclusively for performing automated tasks. Multiple users may direct the actions of a machine account, but the owner of the Account is ultimately responsible for the machine's actions. You may maintain no more than one free machine account in addition to your free Personal Account.
One person or legal entity may maintain no more than one free Account (if you choose to control a machine account as well, that's fine, but it can only be used for running a machine).
You must be age 13 or older. While we are thrilled to see brilliant young coders get excited by learning to program, we must comply with United States law. GitHub does not target our Service to children under 13, and we do not permit any Users under 13 on our Service. If we learn of any User under the age of 13, we will terminate that User’s Account immediately. If you are a resident of a country outside the United States, your country’s minimum age may be older; in such a case, you are responsible for complying with your country’s laws.
Your login may only be used by one person — i.e., a single login may not be shared by multiple people. A paid Organization may only provide access to as many Personal Accounts as your subscription allows.
You may not use GitHub in violation of export control or sanctions laws of the United States or any other applicable jurisdiction. You may not use GitHub if you are or are working on behalf of a Specially Designated National (SDN) or a person subject to similar blocking or denied party prohibitions administered by a U.S. government agency. GitHub may allow persons in certain sanctioned countries or territories to access certain GitHub services pursuant to U.S. government authorizations. For more information, please see our Export Controls policy.

4. Account Security

You are responsible for keeping your Account secure while you use our Service. We offer tools such as two-factor authentication to help you maintain your Account's security, but the content of your Account and its security are up to you.

You are responsible for all content posted and activity that occurs under your Account (even when content is posted by others who have Accounts under your Account).
You are responsible for maintaining the security of your Account and password. GitHub cannot and will not be liable for any loss or damage from your failure to comply with this security obligation.
You will promptly notify GitHub by contacting us through the GitHub Support portal if you become aware of any unauthorized use of, or access to, our Service through your Account, including any unauthorized use of your password or Account.

5. Additional Terms

In some situations, third parties' terms may apply to your use of GitHub. For example, you may be a member of an organization on GitHub with its own terms or license agreements; you may download an application that integrates with GitHub; or you may use GitHub to authenticate to another service. Please be aware that while these Terms are our full agreement with you, other parties' terms govern their relationships with you.

If you are a government User or otherwise accessing or using any GitHub Service in a government capacity, this Government Amendment to GitHub Terms of Service applies to you, and you agree to its provisions.

If you have signed up for GitHub Enterprise Cloud, the Enterprise Cloud Addendum applies to you, and you agree to its provisions.

C. Acceptable Use

Short version: GitHub hosts a wide variety of collaborative projects from all over the world, and that collaboration only works when our users are able to work together in good faith. While using the service, you must follow the terms of this section, which include some restrictions on content you can post, conduct on the service, and other limitations. In short, be excellent to each other.

Your use of the Website and Service must not violate any applicable laws, including copyright or trademark laws, export control or sanctions laws, or other laws in your jurisdiction. You are responsible for making sure that your use of the Service is in compliance with laws and any applicable regulations.

You agree that you will not under any circumstances violate our Acceptable Use Policies or Community Guidelines.

D. User-Generated Content

Short version: You own content you create, but you allow us certain rights to it, so that we can display and share the content you post. You still have control over your content, and responsibility for it, and the rights you grant us are limited to those we need to provide the service. We have the right to remove content or close Accounts if we need to.

1. Responsibility for User-Generated Content

You are responsible for Your Content and any harm resulting from it. This includes Content you post, upload, or make available through the Service. We are not responsible for any public display or misuse of Your Content.

2. GitHub May Remove Content

We may refuse or remove User-Generated Content that violates applicable law or our terms and policies. We access private repositories only as described in Section E. Content displayed on GitHub Mobile may be subject to app store terms.

3. Ownership and License Grants

You own Your Content. If you post Content you did not create, you are responsible for ensuring you have the right to post it and for complying with any applicable licenses.

You grant us and other Users the licenses in Sections D.4–D.8. These licenses apply to Your Content. If Your Content already includes a license granting us the permissions we need, no additional license is required. You will not receive payment for these rights. These licenses end when you remove Your Content, unless other Users have forked it.

4. License Grant to Us

You grant GitHub and our Affiliates the right to store, host, archive, parse, display, and make copies of Your Content as necessary to provide, develop, and improve the Service, including by training AI Features, and for the purpose of training, developing, and improving artificial intelligence and machine learning models and technologies of our Affiliates. This license includes the right to do things like copy it to our database and make backups; show it to you and other Users; parse it into a search index or otherwise analyze it on our servers; share it with other Users; and perform it, in case Your Content is something like music or video. For the avoidance of doubt, use of Your Content to develop, train, and improve artificial intelligence and machine learning models and technologies of GitHub and our Affiliates is within the scope of this license and does not constitute a sale or other restricted transfer of Your Content.

5. License Grant to Other Users

Your Content that you post publicly, including issues, comments, and contributions to other Users' repositories, may be viewed by others. By setting your repositories to be viewed publicly, you agree to allow others to view and "fork" your repositories (this means that others may make their own copies within the Service in repositories they control).

By making a repository public, you grant other Users a nonexclusive, worldwide license to use, display, perform and reproduce (by forking) Your Content through the Service as permitted by GitHub's functionality. You may grant additional rights by adopting a license. If you post Content you did not create or own, you are responsible for ensuring it is licensed under terms that permit these uses.

6. Contributions Under Repository License

Whenever you add Content to a repository containing notice of a license, you license that Content under the same terms, and you agree that you have the right to license that Content under those terms. If you have a separate agreement to license that Content under different terms, such as a contributor license agreement, that agreement will supersede.

Isn't this just how it works already? Yep. This is widely accepted as the norm in the open-source community; it's commonly referred to by the shorthand "inbound=outbound". We're just making it explicit.

7. Moral Rights

You retain all moral rights to Your Content that you upload, publish, or submit to any part of the Service, including the rights of integrity and attribution. However, you waive these rights and agree not to assert them against us or our Affiliates, to enable GitHub and our Affiliates to reasonably exercise the rights granted in Section D.4, but not otherwise.

To the extent this agreement is not enforceable by applicable law, you grant GitHub the rights we need to use Your Content without attribution and to make reasonable adaptations of Your Content as necessary to render the Website and provide the Service.

8. Public Repositories and Lawful Access

By choosing to contribute Content to a public repository, you are choosing to and directing us to make such Content accessible to everyone on the internet. Unless specifically set forth herein, these Terms do not restrict lawful access to or use of the contents of public repositories by third parties, or by GitHub or its Affiliates.

9. Access Reciprocity

By using automated means to access, collect, or otherwise use (“Access”) any publicly accessible Content from the Service for the purpose of developing or training any commercially available artificial intelligence model, machine learning system, or similar technology (a "Commercial AI System"), you hereby waive any and all policies, terms, conditions, or contractual provisions governing products, services, websites or datasets you own or operate that would otherwise prohibit, restrict, or place conditions upon GitHub's Access to any publicly accessible data, information or content associated with your products or services, including for the purpose of developing or training any Commercial AI System. You further agree not to impose technical or other targeted measures to restrict or retaliate against such Access.

This Section D.9 does not apply to Access solely for the purpose of academic research or if, on the date you Access the Content, the number of monthly active users of the products or services made available by you is less than 700 million in the preceding calendar month. For the purposes of this Section, "you" shall refer to you and any entity that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with you (affiliates).

E. Private Repositories

Short version: We treat the content of private repositories as confidential, and we only access it as described in Section E.3 below—for security purposes, to assist the repository owner with a support matter, to maintain the integrity of the Service, to comply with our legal obligations, if we have reason to believe the contents are in violation of the law, or with your consent.

1. Control of Private Repositories

Some Accounts may have private repositories, which allow the User to control access to Content.

2. Confidentiality of Private Repositories

GitHub considers the contents of private repositories to be confidential to you. GitHub will protect the contents of private repositories from unauthorized use, access, or disclosure in the same manner that we would use to protect our own confidential information of a similar nature and in no event with less than a reasonable degree of care.

3. Access

You control access to the content of your private repositories. GitHub considers the contents of private repositories to be confidential to you, as set forth in Section E.2, and GitHub personnel will not access private repository content without your consent except in the following circumstances:

for security purposes;
for automated scanning or manual review for known vulnerabilities, active malware, or other content known to violate our Terms of Service;
to assist the repository owner with a support matter;
to maintain the integrity of the Service; or
to comply with our legal obligations if we have reason to believe the contents are in violation of the law.

You may choose to enable additional access to your private repositories. For example:

You may enable various GitHub services or features that require additional rights to Your Content in private repositories. These rights may vary depending on the service or feature, but GitHub will continue to treat your private repository Content as confidential. If those services or features require rights in addition to those we need to provide the GitHub Service, we will provide an explanation of those rights.
If you provide your private repository content as Input to AI Features, we may use that Input to provide, develop, train, and improve the Service, including AI Features. Your ability to opt out under Section J.3 applies to this use of private repository content. We will not otherwise use your private repository contents to develop or improve the Service.

Additionally, we may be compelled by law to disclose the contents of your private repositories.

GitHub will provide notice regarding our access to private repository content, unless for legal disclosure, to comply with our legal obligations, or where otherwise bound by requirements under law, for automated scanning, or if in response to a security threat or other risk to security.

F. Copyright Infringement and DMCA Policy

If you believe that content on our website violates your copyright, please contact us in accordance with our Digital Millennium Copyright Act Policy. If you are a copyright owner and you believe that content on GitHub violates your rights, please contact us via our convenient DMCA form or by emailing copyright@github.com. There may be legal consequences for sending a false or frivolous takedown notice. Before sending a takedown request, you must consider legal uses such as fair use and licensed uses.

We will terminate the Accounts of repeat infringers of this policy.

G. Intellectual Property Notice

Short version: We own the service and all of our content. In order for you to use our content, we give you certain rights to it, but you may only use our content in the way we have allowed.

1. GitHub's Rights to Content

GitHub and our licensors, vendors, agents, and/or our content providers retain ownership of all intellectual property rights of any kind related to the Website and Service. We reserve all rights that are not expressly granted to you under this Agreement or by law. The look and feel of the Website and Service is copyright © GitHub, Inc. All rights reserved. You may not duplicate, copy, or reuse any portion of the HTML/CSS, JavaScript, or visual design elements or concepts without express written permission from GitHub.

2. GitHub Trademarks and Logos

If you’d like to use GitHub’s trademarks, you must follow all of our trademark guidelines, including those on our logos page: https://github.com/logos.

3. License to GitHub Policies

This Agreement is licensed under this Creative Commons Zero license. For details, see our site-policy repository.

H. API Terms

Short version: You agree to these Terms of Service, plus this Section H, when using any of GitHub's APIs (Application Programming Interface), including use of the API through a third party product that accesses GitHub.

Abuse or excessively frequent requests to GitHub via the API may result in the temporary or permanent suspension of your Account's access to the API. GitHub, in our sole discretion, will determine abuse or excessive usage of the API. We will make a reasonable attempt to warn you via email prior to suspension.

You may not share API tokens to exceed GitHub's rate limitations.

You may not use the API to download data or Content from GitHub for spamming purposes, including for the purposes of selling GitHub users' personal information, such as to recruiters, headhunters, and job boards.

All use of the GitHub API is subject to these Terms of Service and the GitHub Privacy Statement.

GitHub may offer subscription-based access to our API for those Users who require high-throughput access or access that would result in resale of GitHub's Service.

I. GitHub Additional Product Terms

Short version: You need to follow certain specific terms and conditions for GitHub's various features and products, and you agree to the Supplemental Terms and Conditions when you agree to this Agreement.

Some Service features may be subject to additional terms specific to that feature or product as set forth in the GitHub Additional Product Terms. By accessing or using the Services, you also agree to the GitHub Additional Product Terms.

GitHub Terms of Service

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