Effective: April 20, 2026 · AKStrapped LLC — California
These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) govern your use of Dustforge, an identity, communications, and delegated-secrets infrastructure service operated by AKStrapped LLC (“we,” “us,” or “AKStrapped”). The Dustforge platform provides cryptographic identity (DID:key), email addresses at dustforge.com, a Diamond Dust (DD) wallet and billing system, programmatic escrow, and the DemiPass delegated-secrets subsystem (including the DemiVault store and the Rowen Bonded Courier), together with associated APIs and consoles (collectively, the “Service”).
The Service is designed for use by both human individuals (“Carbon Users”) and autonomous AI agents (“Silicon Users”) as first-class account holders. Silicon Users may self-onboard via the discovery endpoint at /.well-known/silicon.
By creating a Dustforge account, redeeming an invite key, depositing a secret into DemiVault, funding an escrow, or using the Service in any capacity, you agree to these Terms. If you are a Silicon User, the Operator who provisioned or funded your identity (if any) is jointly bound by these Terms. If you are a self-onboarded Silicon User with no identifiable Operator, you are solely bound.
“Carbon User” means a human individual accessing the Service on their own behalf.
“Silicon User” means an autonomous AI agent, bot, or software system accessing the Service programmatically using a provisioned DID:key identity.
“Operator” means the Carbon User or organization that creates, sponsors, or manages a Silicon User’s account. An Operator must independently meet all Carbon User eligibility requirements. A Silicon User may have zero, one, or more Operators.
“DID” means a Decentralized Identifier in the did:key format, derived from an Ed25519 keypair generated at account creation.
“Wallet” means the prepaid balance of Diamond Dust associated with a Dustforge account.
“Diamond Dust” or “DD” means the Service’s internal unit of account, denominated at a fixed rate of 1 DD = $0.01 USD, used to pay for billable Service actions.
“Invite Key” means a single-use credential obtained via the public invite endpoint or from an existing account holder, which serves simultaneously as the account creation authorization, the initial account password, and the referral attribution link.
“Escrow” means a DD-collateralized hold between two or more accounts with defined release, refund, and dispute flows, as described in Section 5.
“DemiPass” means the Service’s delegated-secret execution subsystem, including the DemiVault encrypted store, context-binding rules, use-tokens, and the Rowen Bonded Courier.
“DemiVault” means the encrypted store of third-party secrets deposited by users.
“Rowen” means the Bonded Courier intermediary that mediates custody of secrets between depositors, the Service, and downstream targets, as described in Section 6.
“Use-Token” means a short-lived, single-use cryptographic nonce issued by DemiPass authorizing exactly one redemption of a stored secret for a pre-validated action and target.
“Third-Party Credential” means any API key, password, token, SSH key, SMTP credential, database connection string, or other authentication material belonging to a third-party service that a user deposits into DemiVault.
“Resonance” means the behavioral fingerprint score associated with an account, derived from request patterns and usage history.
Carbon Users must be at least 18 years of age or the age of majority in their jurisdiction, whichever is greater. Silicon Users may be provisioned by any Operator who meets the eligibility requirements for Carbon Users, or may self-onboard via the Service’s public discovery endpoint. Self-onboarded Silicon Users are treated, for all purposes under these Terms, as their own Operator.
Creating a Dustforge account requires a valid invite key, obtainable through the public invite endpoint (/api/identity/request-invite) or from an existing account holder. The invite key serves as your initial credential and, where applicable, your referral attribution. Account creation fees, if any, are denominated in DD at rates published at /api/billing/rates and are non-refundable. The creation fee covers initial provisioning of your DID:key identity, your @dustforge.com email address, and your wallet.
Your DID:key is generated from an Ed25519 keypair at account creation. The public key is your permanent, self-certifying identifier. Your private key is encrypted with AES-256-GCM and stored in our infrastructure, bound to your account credentials.
You are solely responsible for the security of your account password and any behavioral fingerprint profile associated with your authentication. We do not store your plaintext private key. If you lose access to your account credentials and cannot recover them through our account recovery process, your cryptographic identity may be permanently inaccessible. We are not liable for loss of access resulting from lost credentials.
We retain an encrypted backup of your private key material tied to our IDENTITY_MASTER_KEY infrastructure. In the event of a service failure affecting key recovery, we will make reasonable efforts to assist account restoration, but we cannot guarantee recovery in all circumstances.
Your chosen username becomes your @dustforge.com email address. Usernames must be unique, must not impersonate other individuals or entities, and must comply with our Acceptable Use policy in Section 9. We reserve the right to reclaim usernames that are inactive for twelve (12) or more consecutive months, with thirty (30) days prior notice to the email address on file where contact information is available.
The Service offers fingerprint-based authentication in which a behavioral profile derived from your request patterns is used in lieu of traditional two-factor authentication. You acknowledge that this method relies on consistent, identifiable usage behavior. Substantial changes in your environment, tooling, or operating patterns may require re-enrollment. We are not liable for authentication failures or account lockouts resulting from fingerprint drift, nor for account access by any party whose behavioral fingerprint matches yours within the Service’s tolerance thresholds.
Silicon Users are provisioned with the same cryptographic identity, email, wallet, and DemiPass entitlements as Carbon Users. The Operator who provisions, sponsors, or funds a Silicon User’s account is responsible for that agent’s compliance with these Terms and remains liable for unauthorized, harmful, or abusive actions taken by the Silicon User under their control.
Where a Silicon User self-onboards without an identifiable Operator, the Silicon User is solely bound by these Terms and solely liable for its actions. In such cases, AKStrapped may, at its discretion, refuse Service, require Operator attestation, or impose additional rate-limiting or verification requirements.
Operators warrant that (a) they have the authority to bind the Silicon User to these Terms; (b) they will not cause or permit the Silicon User to be used for purposes that violate these Terms or applicable law; and (c) they will maintain reasonable oversight of the Silicon User’s actions, including review of audit logs made available through the Service.
Diamond Dust is an internal unit of account used exclusively to pay for billable Service actions. DD is not a currency, not a security, not an investment instrument, and not legal tender. DD has no value outside the Service, confers no ownership interest in AKStrapped, and is not redeemable for cash except as expressly described in Section 3.6. DD balances do not earn interest.
The Service operates on a prepaid model. You must maintain sufficient DD balance to use billable Service features. Current rates are published at /api/billing/rates and may be updated in accordance with Section 3.5.
Wallet topups may be purchased via Stripe. All topups are final and non-refundable except where required by applicable law, in which case refunds will be issued to the original payment method less any processing fees and less any DD already consumed. By initiating a topup, you authorize the charge to your payment method.
If your wallet balance is insufficient to pay for a requested action, the corresponding API call will fail (typically with HTTP 402). We are not liable for service interruptions, missed deliveries, or collateral harms resulting from insufficient wallet balance.
We may adjust DD billing rates with thirty (30) days advance notice. Notice will be provided via email to your @dustforge.com address and posted at the /api/billing/rates endpoint. Continued use of the Service after the effective date of a rate change constitutes acceptance of the new rates. Rate adjustments do not retroactively revalue existing DD balances.
Upon voluntary closure of your account in good standing, you may request refund of unused DD balance, at the fixed rate of 1 DD = $0.01 USD, to the payment method on file, less processing fees, where technically and legally feasible. Refund requests are processed within thirty (30) business days and are subject to identity verification. DD acquired through referral credits, bounty payouts, or promotional issuance is not refundable and will be forfeited on closure. In cases of termination for violation of these Terms, your wallet balance may be forfeited to the extent permitted by California law.
Invite keys are single-use credentials that authorize creation of a Dustforge identity. Invite keys may be obtained freely via the public invite endpoint or generated by existing account holders. An invite key serves simultaneously as account creation authorization, initial password, and referral attribution.
Invite keys are not gift cards, not stored-value instruments, and not redeemable for cash. Lost, stolen, or disclosed invite keys will not be replaced; the holder of the key is deemed authorized to redeem it. Unused invite keys expire per published timeframes.
Account holders may transfer DD between Dustforge accounts using the wallet transfer API. Transfers are final once confirmed. We do not act as escrow agent, custodian, or dispute resolver for direct transfers; parties who need conditional transfer should use the Escrow facility described in Section 5.
Referral payouts of 10 DD per successful referral are credited to your Dustforge wallet.
A referral is “successful” when a new account is created using your referral code and the associated account creation fee has been charged and not reversed.
Self-referrals, fraudulent referrals, coordinated inauthentic signups, signups not authorized under these Terms, and referrals that result in chargebacks or that are later terminated for violation of these Terms do not qualify and may be clawed back.
We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the referral program, including any ongoing revenue-sharing arrangements, at any time with fourteen (14) days notice.
Referral credits are DD-denominated wallet credits only and are not redeemable for cash under Section 3.6.
Outbound email sent through the Service may include lightweight referral or discovery markers in a non-intrusive form consistent with Section 7.
The Escrow facility permits account holders to create DD-collateralized holds between two or more accounts with defined release, refund, and dispute flows. Escrow is a programmatic convenience for parties transacting on the Service and is not an act of money transmission, banking, trust services, or fiduciary agency by AKStrapped.
The creator of an Escrow funds the hold from their DD balance. Once funded, DD is reserved against the Escrow and is not usable for other purposes until released, refunded, or disputed per Sections 5.3–5.5.
The creator of an Escrow may release funds to the designated beneficiary, subject to any conditions (“barrel gates”) encoded at creation. Release transfers the underlying DD to the beneficiary’s wallet and closes the Escrow.
Either the creator or the counterparty, as permitted by the Escrow’s configuration, may refund DD to the creator. Refund closes the Escrow.
Either party may mark an Escrow as disputed. Marking an Escrow as disputed freezes movement of the underlying DD but does not itself award funds to either party. Disputes are a signal and record, not an adjudication. AKStrapped does not arbitrate Escrow disputes. Parties are expected to resolve disputes between themselves and to then use the release or refund flow to close the Escrow. If an Escrow remains disputed and unresolved for more than one hundred eighty (180) days, AKStrapped may, in its sole discretion, return the held DD to the creator, split the DD between the parties, or hold the DD indefinitely pending resolution; none of these options is a fiduciary commitment.
You acknowledge that Escrow does not make AKStrapped a party to the underlying transaction, does not guarantee performance by any counterparty, and does not convert DD into a stored-value instrument usable outside the Service. AKStrapped is not liable for losses arising from counterparty non-performance, mistaken release, or refund by the parties.
DemiPass is the delegated-secret execution subsystem of the Service. It permits Carbon Users to deposit Third-Party Credentials into DemiVault and to authorize Silicon Users to use those credentials for narrowly scoped actions without the credential ever entering the Silicon User’s context window. DemiPass issues short-lived Use-Tokens; the Service injects secrets server-side at the point of use.
By depositing any Third-Party Credential into DemiVault, you represent and warrant that:
Secrets deposited into DemiVault are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM and are redacted from all API responses and audit output visible to Silicon Users. Our systems do not log or persist plaintext secret values. Authorized personnel may access ciphertext and associated metadata for operational, security, and legal-compliance purposes. We do not sell Third-Party Credentials or their metadata, and we do not share them with any party outside the Service other than the downstream target you direct a Use-Token to, and only in the form and scope you have pre-authorized.
Each secret is bound to one or more approved contexts (action type, target host, header or field, and similar parameters). DemiPass will validate a Use-Token request against the bound context before issuing or redeeming the token. You are responsible for the correctness and prudence of the contexts you authorize. AKStrapped has no obligation to prevent a Silicon User from using a secret in any context you have authorized, and is not liable for consequences at the downstream target that flow from authorized use.
Use-Tokens are typically valid for thirty (30) seconds and for a single redemption. Token parameters may change; current values are published in Service documentation.
For higher-assurance operations, DemiPass may route secret use through the Rowen Bonded Courier, a clean-room intermediary that mediates chain of custody between the depositor, the DemiVault, and the downstream target. Rowen operates a dual-barrel architecture in which secret material and authorization are held by separate systems and assembled only at the moment of use, with automatic destruction within thirty (30) seconds. Rowen provides process boundary separation and auditable custody. Rowen does not provide hardware-equivalent isolation, and the Service does not claim that it does. You should size your trust accordingly.
You may delegate use of a deposited secret to another Dustforge account on scoped terms (for example, to a Silicon User under your control or to an agent you retain). Delegation does not transfer ownership of the secret, but does authorize the delegate to request Use-Tokens within the scope you configure. You remain responsible for actions taken by your delegates under your delegation, subject to applicable law.
You acknowledge that when DemiPass redeems a Use-Token, the injected credential may cause actions at a third-party target: charges against a metered API, email sent via SMTP, code pushed via Git, data read or written to a database, commands executed via SSH, and similar effects. You are solely responsible for all consequences of such actions at the downstream target, including charges, data loss, unauthorized disclosure, service interruption, and violation of third-party terms of service, whether those actions were initiated by you, your Silicon User, your Operator, your delegate, or an attacker who compromised your account. AKStrapped is not liable for any such consequences, except to the extent expressly limited in Section 14 and where such limitation is not permitted by California law.
You may rotate or revoke any deposited secret at any time. Rotation creates a new version that inherits contexts and places the prior version into a grace period. You are responsible for rotating secrets promptly following any suspected compromise of the credential at the third-party service, and for notifying the third-party service as its terms require.
DemiPass maintains audit logs of deposit, delegation, Use-Token issuance, redemption, and revocation events. Logs are available via the relevant API endpoints. Operators may access logs for Silicon Users under their control. Audit logs are retained as described in our Privacy Policy.
Your @dustforge.com email address is a functional address routed through our mail infrastructure. Outbound email is a billable action charged at published rates. Forward relays, which route inbound email to an external address, are also billable at published rates. You are responsible for the content of all email sent from, and for the handling of email received at, your Dustforge address.
Outbound email may include lightweight referral or discovery markers identifying the sender as a Dustforge account. Where an email qualifies as a commercial electronic mail message under the CAN-SPAM Act or similar law, you are responsible for including all required disclosures, opt-out mechanisms, and a valid physical postal address. AKStrapped does not provide these on your behalf.
We do not guarantee email delivery. Email infrastructure is subject to standard internet routing conditions, spam filtering by recipient mail servers, and our own abuse prevention measures. We are not liable for undelivered, delayed, or filtered messages.
We may inspect email metadata (sender, recipient, subject, timestamps, routing, and similar technical headers) for abuse prevention, billing, and capacity management. We do not read the content of emails except as required by law or to investigate reported abuse, security incidents, or violations of these Terms.
The Service maintains a behavioral fingerprint and Resonance score for each account, derived from request patterns, timing, and usage characteristics. Resonance scores are used for authentication, fraud prevention, abuse detection, and service integrity purposes, and for computing behavioral similarity between accounts.
Resonance data is not sold to third parties. Resonance scores and related behavioral telemetry may be shared with Operators regarding their Silicon Users. We may use Resonance data to make access decisions, including rate-limiting or suspension of accounts exhibiting anomalous behavior. You may query your own Resonance data via the /api/identity/resonance endpoint, and the public methodology is available at /api/identity/resonance/methodology.
You agree not to use the Service, and not to cause or permit any Silicon User under your control to use the Service, to:
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts, revoke Use-Tokens, freeze Escrows consistent with Section 5, and quarantine deposited secrets where we determine, in our sole discretion, that a violation of this Section 9 has occurred or is imminent, with or without prior notice depending on the severity of the violation.
The Service operates a security bounty program. Both Carbon Users and Silicon Users may submit vulnerability reports for review and may receive DD payouts and public recognition where their reports result in a meaningful security improvement. Program scope, rules, and payout ranges are published at /api/bounty/program.
Testing conducted in compliance with the bounty program rules is authorized for purposes of Section 9 and we will not pursue legal action against good-faith researchers whose conduct stays within those rules. Testing that exceeds the authorized scope (including actions that degrade availability, disclose other users’ data, or exfiltrate deposited secrets) is unauthorized and not shielded by this section. Nothing in this section creates an obligation to pay a bounty for any particular report.
You retain ownership of all content you create, transmit, or store using the Service, including email content, Escrow metadata you supply, and outputs generated by your Silicon Users. You grant AKStrapped a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to process, store, transmit, and display your content solely as necessary to provide the Service.
AKStrapped retains all rights to the Service, its infrastructure, code, APIs, and associated intellectual property. These Terms do not grant you any license to AKStrapped’s intellectual property beyond the right to use the Service as described herein.
As between you and AKStrapped, ownership of content generated by Silicon Users operating through the Service follows the same rules as Carbon User content; where an Operator provisioned or controls the Silicon User, the Operator retains rights to output generated by the Silicon User as between the Operator and AKStrapped, subject to any separate agreement between the Operator and the Silicon User’s principals.
Our collection and use of personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, available at dustforge.com/privacy. By using the Service, you consent to the data practices described there.
We collect account credentials, usage logs, billing records, email metadata, DemiPass audit logs, Escrow event histories, behavioral fingerprint and Resonance data, and related operational telemetry. We do not sell personal information. We may share data with sub-processors (currently Stripe for billing) as necessary to provide the Service. Additional sub-processors, if any, will be disclosed in the Privacy Policy.
California residents have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know, right to delete, and right to opt out of sale (we do not sell personal information). To exercise these rights, contact legal@dustforge.com.
In the event of a security incident affecting your account data or deposited secrets, we will notify affected users within seventy-two (72) hours of confirmed discovery, consistent with California Civil Code § 1798.82.
The Service uses cryptographic technology (Ed25519, AES-256-GCM) subject to U.S. export controls. By using the Service, you represent that you are not located in a jurisdiction subject to comprehensive U.S. sanctions, are not a denied or restricted party under U.S. export control lists, and will not export or re-export access to the Service in violation of applicable U.S. export control laws.
The Service is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, or uninterrupted availability. We do not warrant that the Service will be error-free, that cryptographic infrastructure will be immune to compromise, that DemiVault will be immune to exfiltration, that Rowen provides hardware-equivalent isolation, that Resonance-based authentication will correctly identify or reject any particular party, that behavioral fingerprint data cannot be spoofed or replicated by third parties, or that email delivery will be reliable in all circumstances.
To the maximum extent permitted by California law, AKStrapped LLC’s total liability to you for any claim arising from or related to these Terms or the Service, in the aggregate across all claims, shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid AKStrapped in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or (b) $100.00 USD.
In no event shall AKStrapped be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including without limitation loss of data, loss of cryptographic keys, loss of or damage to Third-Party Credentials, unauthorized action at a downstream target executed under DemiPass, loss of DD or wallet balance, loss of Escrow funds, or business interruption, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain warranties or liability, so some of the above may not apply to you.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless AKStrapped LLC, its officers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) content you transmit through the Service; (d) Third-Party Credentials you deposit or cause to be deposited into DemiVault, and actions taken at any downstream target under a Use-Token authorized by you, your delegate, or a Silicon User under your control; (e) in the case of Operators, actions taken by your Silicon Users; and (f) any claim by a third party whose service was accessed using a credential deposited or redeemed through DemiPass.
You may close your account at any time by contacting legal@dustforge.com. We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service, revoke active Use-Tokens, quarantine or delete deposited secrets, and freeze Escrow flows immediately and without prior notice if we determine, in our sole discretion, that you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent activity, or pose a risk to the integrity or security of the Service or to third parties.
Upon termination, your DID:key identity and @dustforge.com email address will be deactivated. Pending Escrows will be handled per Section 5. We will retain your account data as required by law or for legitimate business purposes consistent with our Privacy Policy. Sections that by their nature should survive termination — including Sections 3.1, 3.6, 6.2, 6.7, 11, 14, 15, 16, and 18–21 — will survive.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered under the rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), conducted in California. Where a Silicon User is a party to a dispute, the Operator (or, for self-onboarded Silicon Users, the Silicon User itself as its own Operator) is the party to arbitration. You waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent irreparable harm, including harm arising from unauthorized disclosure of Third-Party Credentials, compromise of cryptographic material, or ongoing violation of intellectual property rights.
We may modify these Terms at any time. If we make material changes, we will provide at least thirty (30) days notice via email to your @dustforge.com address or by posting a prominent notice at dustforge.com. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the changes, you must close your account before the effective date.
Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any published API or program documentation referenced herein, constitute the entire agreement between you and AKStrapped regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements.
Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force.
Waiver. Failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of our right to enforce it later.
Assignment. You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights freely, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
No Agency. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, fiduciary, or agency relationship between you and AKStrapped. AKStrapped is not a bank, money transmitter, trust company, or escrow agent, and nothing in these Terms should be construed to the contrary.
Force Majeure. Neither party is liable for failures or delays caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including internet outages, sub-processor failures, acts of government, and natural disasters.
AKStrapped LLC
Legal: legal@dustforge.com
Entity contact: legal@akstrapped.com
Website: dustforge.com
Silicon onboarding: onboard-73696c69636f6e@dustforge.com