Terms of Service

1. Agreement and eligibility

By creating an account or using the Pauli API or website (the “Service”), you agree to these Terms. You represent that: (a) you are at least 18 and can form a binding contract; (b) if acting for an entity, you have authority to bind it; (c) you are not located in, organized under the laws of, or ordinarily resident in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, or the Crimea, Donetsk, or Luhansk regions of Ukraine (each an “Embargoed Jurisdiction”); and (d) neither you nor any party owning 50% or more of you appears on any U.S. government restricted-party list, including the OFAC SDN List, the BIS Entity List or Denied Persons List, or the U.S. Consolidated Screening List (each a “Restricted Party”).

2. The Service

Pauli is an independent API gateway that provides metered access to quantum computing hardware and simulators operated by third-party providers (each a “Provider”). Pauli is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any Provider. Provider names and device identifiers are used solely to identify the hardware your jobs run on. Pauli does not own or operate quantum hardware; your circuits are transmitted to and executed by Providers under Pauli’s Provider accounts or, where you register your own provider credentials (Section 8), under your own Provider accounts.

3. Accounts, identity, and screening

You must provide and keep current: your full legal name (and, for entities, the entity’s legal name and the name of the individual acting), a valid email address, and your country. Pauli screens all accounts against U.S. restricted-party lists and applies jurisdiction controls (including IP-based geolocation) at signup and at job submission. Pauli may suspend or deny access, hold jobs pending review, or close accounts as required to comply with export-control and sanctions law, and may retain records of such decisions as described in the Privacy Policy. Providing false identity or location information (including using anonymizing tools to disguise an Embargoed Jurisdiction location) is a material breach.

4. Prepaid credits and billing

The Service is prepaid only. You fund a dollar-denominated wallet via our payment processor (Stripe). No invoicing, credit, or free hardware trial is offered. Each job is billed at the price displayed at submission. You are charged only for successfully executed jobs, exactly once; failed or cancelled jobs are never billed. Prices may change prospectively at any time; the price shown at submission is the price charged. Wallet balances are not interest-bearing, are not deposits, and are redeemable only for the Service except as stated in Section 5.

5. Refunds and wind-down commitment

(a) Failed or cancelled jobs: never charged; nothing to refund.
(b) Unused balances: refundable in full to your original payment method upon written request to hello@pauli.xyz, processed within 30 days, subject to identity verification and to sanctions law (we cannot refund to a Restricted Party or into an Embargoed Jurisdiction). Where the original payment method cannot receive the refund, Pauli will pay by direct ACH transfer or check after identity verification, subject to the same sanctions-law limits.
(c) Wind-down commitment: if Pauli discontinues the Service, we will give at least 30 days’ notice and refund 100% of unused wallet balances without any request required, subject to the same legal limits.
(d) No expiration: wallet balances do not expire.

6. Acceptable use

You will not: (a) use the Service for any purpose prohibited by law, including development of weapons of mass destruction, military end uses restricted by the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), or any prohibited end use under EAR Part 744; (b) resell, sublicense, or provide third parties access to the Service in violation of these Terms or any Provider term; (c) probe, disrupt, or circumvent security, metering, or compliance controls; (d) submit content you lack rights to; (e) permit any Restricted Party or person in an Embargoed Jurisdiction to access your account or receive results.

7. Export controls and sanctions

The Service, and outputs generated through it, may be subject to the EAR and U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC. You certify on each job submission that your representations in Section 1 remain true. You will not export, reexport, or transfer results to any Restricted Party, Embargoed Jurisdiction, or prohibited end use or user, and you are solely responsible for compliance with export laws applicable to your use of results. Pauli may block, delay, or report transactions as required by law.

8. Provider terms and your own provider credentials

Your use of specific hardware is additionally subject to the applicable Provider’s acceptable-use, security, data-handling, and export terms, which are incorporated by reference and listed at pauli.xyz/providers. If a Provider term conflicts with these Terms as to that Provider’s hardware, the Provider term controls.

If you register your own provider credentials (“BYOK”), you represent that: (i) you hold a valid, direct agreement with that Provider in your own name; (ii) that agreement and applicable law permit you to delegate access to third-party tooling, including credential storage or role assumption by Pauli; (iii) you bear all Provider fees and all compliance with your Provider agreement, including any restrictions on credential sharing; (iv) you will revoke Pauli’s access at the Provider when your use ends; and (v) Pauli is not a party to, and makes no representation about, your Provider agreement. Pauli’s handling of registered credentials is described at pauli.xyz/providers; those descriptions are operational disclosures, not warranties.

9. Benchmarks and publications

You may publish results of jobs you run, including performance and price comparisons, except where the applicable Provider’s terms restrict benchmark publication, as identified at pauli.xyz/providers. You are responsible for compliance with those restrictions and for disclosing any funding or sponsorship Pauli provides for a publication.

10. Your content; our IP

You retain all rights in circuits you submit and results you receive. You grant Pauli a non-exclusive license to store, transmit, and process them solely to provide the Service, comply with law, and maintain required records. The Service, site, and documentation are Pauli’s or its licensors’ property; no rights are granted except as stated.

11. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE AND ALL HARDWARE ACCESS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY OF RESULTS, OR UPTIME. NO SERVICE-LEVEL COMMITMENT IS OFFERED. Quantum hardware is experimental; queue times, availability, calibration, and result quality are outside Pauli’s control.

12. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PAULI’S AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF THE SERVICE IS LIMITED TO THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID PAULI IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM, AND PAULI IS NOT LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR LOST PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations; they apply to the fullest extent permitted.

13. Indemnity

You will defend and indemnify Pauli against third-party claims arising from your content, your violation of law (including export and sanctions law), or your breach of these Terms.

14. Suspension and termination

Either party may terminate at any time; you may close your account by written notice to hello@pauli.xyz. Pauli may suspend or terminate immediately for breach, legal compliance, Provider requirement, or security risk. On termination, Section 5(b) governs unused balances; Sections 7 and 10 through 16 survive.

15. Changes

We may update these Terms prospectively with notice via the site or email; continued use after the effective date is acceptance.

16. General

Governing law: Delaware, excluding conflicts rules; exclusive venue: the state and federal courts located in Los Angeles County, California. No assignment by you without consent. These Terms plus the Privacy Policy and referenced Provider terms are the entire agreement. Contact: hello@pauli.xyz.