Is BotHearth free for business?
One business bot is free under the limited-time perpetual offer. The BotHearth Business and Output Permission covers your own work and paid client deliverables. An optional certificate records your organisation’s shared grant; check availability on the work-domain certificate; the published permission does not require registration. Additional business bots are US$99 US$49 each, once in the limited-time introductory offer (over 50% below the planned standard price), for businesses outside India. A bot is one concurrently running installation; its profiles and sequential tasks are included. Model and hosting costs remain separate.
Can I make money from what it creates?
Yes. Sell reports, code, websites and other outputs without BotHearth royalties or revenue sharing. Outputs must not contain or derive from BotHearth’s protected program code or assets. Model-provider terms and third-party rights still apply.
Can I sell or host a modified copy?
The free and US$49 licences do not permit that. Commercial redistribution, resale, sublicensing and offering BotHearth’s underlying functionality as a hosted, managed, white-label, API or customer-facing service require a separate signed agreement. Modifying the code, changing its name or wrapping it in another website does not remove that restriction. Delivering completed client work is allowed.
Is it open source?
It is source-available, not OSI open source. The unchanged PolyForm Noncommercial licence remains available, with the separate business and output permission adding limited commercial rights. Preserve all applicable notices. Third-party components keep their own licences; independently written software is not restricted by this grant.
What does the perpetual purchase include?
It grants permission to use and modify the recorded source version within the licence terms, without renewal fees. It includes no commitment to support, maintenance, fixes, security patches, updates, hosting, uptime, compatibility or successful results. The software is supplied as is; mandatory legal rights still apply.
Does it need a licence key?
No. There is no mandatory activation, licence-server connection, hidden installation reporting or DRM. These are legal permissions, not a copying barrier. Existing grants remain governed by their accepted terms. Read the paid terms and no-voluntary-refunds policy.
What could still cost money?
| Item | What to expect |
|---|---|
| BotHearth software | One business bot free under the offer; additional business bots US$49 each, once. PolyForm noncommercial uses remain available. |
| Model access | Your provider account, plan eligibility, usage limits, and charges. Not included with BotHearth. |
| Container runtime | Runtime-specific licensing. Review Docker Desktop or OrbStack eligibility if using either. |
| Machine & network | Your computer, storage, electricity, and connectivity; a rented server is optional. |
Does the dollar meter show my model bill?
No. The receipt shows an estimate of tool use, not a bill. By default, native Codex and Claude Code tasks count each BotHearth computer-tool call as an estimated cent. Settings → Usage shows recorded estimates by task and day.
Standalone API estimates depend on usage reporting and configured prices. An in-flight request can exceed an estimate. Native Codex and Claude Code tasks have no BotHearth spend cap or call cap. API-adapter tasks can set max tool calls and a spend cap under Settings → Sensitive actions (0 = no limit). A task runs until done, until you stop it, until a set cap is reached, or until your model subscription’s usage limit is reached; then it pauses and can resume. Configure and monitor limits with the provider where available.
Does my existing model plan definitely work?
That depends on the provider, account, installed CLI, and task. Native sign-in is the supported authentication route. Codex is verified live; Claude Code is listed and not yet verified live. API adapters and local endpoints are a separate YAML path. Provider terms and usage limits still apply. Check provider requirements; BotHearth is independent of OpenAI and Anthropic.
Which operating systems work?
The documented source installation path is macOS or Linux with Node.js 22.18+ and a supported container runtime. Windows via WSL2 and Podman are advanced or experimental paths, not equivalent launch-validated native builds. The optional Mac app is not notarized; ad-hoc signing limits notifications.
Can I install it with npx or pull an image?
No verified published npm install or prebuilt image path is offered in this release. Clone the source, build it, and use bothearth image build. The quickstart is the supported entry point.
Is this a hosted agent service?
No. This website explains the project and links to the source. The daemon runs on your own host or privately accessed VM. Do not expose the operator interface as a public service or use this single-operator alpha as a multi-tenant platform.
Can it run scheduled tasks?
Scheduled tasks currently require a standalone provider adapter. Native Codex and Claude Code task connections are not the scheduler path. Read the configuration and routine commands before enabling unattended work.
Does it work with every website?
No. Sites can block automation or disallow a proposed use. CAPTCHAs may require you, and passkeys or hardware security keys generally cannot be used inside the container's browser. Only automate accounts and data you are authorized to use; local approvals do not override a site's terms.
Will it ask me before anything leaves?
Review prompts are off by default. A task runs on its own and pauses when a human is needed: password, OTP, passkey, CAPTCHA, or a payment-card field, via Take control. Optional Settings → Sensitive actions → Ask before sensitive actions reviews detected sends, uploads, deletes, checkout steps, and new-site form submits taken through BotHearth’s browser tools; expand the section to choose which gates fire, and to set API-adapter max tool calls and spend cap (0 = no limit). Native Codex and Claude Code tasks have no BotHearth cap. Detection is not complete. Strict mode also restricts destinations. Native CLI shell and network tools bypass those checks. Keep sensitive tasks in view and read the control limits.
Does self-hosting keep everything offline?
No. Remote models receive model-visible task context; websites, connectors, notifications, and paired clients receive data needed for their operations. Browser profiles and task databases are not encrypted by BotHearth. Records do not have an automatic general expiry. Read data flows and retention before adding private information.
What changes during human control?
Model capture and ordinary agent tools are blocked while the authenticated operator drives. The site still sees your input. Control expiry pauses rather than automatically resuming the agent, and later page content can become model-visible after handback.
Authoritative project references: licence text, licence scope, model requirements, security, privacy.