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Terms of Service

For the Cynic Inference API. Last updated November 1, 2026.

These terms are an agreement between you and Cynic Hosting LLC, a company in the United States ("Cynic", "we", "us"). They cover the Cynic Inference API at https://api.cynic-hosting.com/v1, the API keys we issue for it, and the pages about it on cynic-hosting.com (together, the "Service"). If you use the Service for a company or other organization, you accept these terms for it and confirm you are allowed to. If you do not accept them, do not use the Service.

Our other hosting services (colocation, dedicated servers and game servers) have their own terms. How we handle data for the Service is in the Privacy Policy and the Data Policy, which are part of these terms.

1. The Service

The Service runs open-weight language models made by third parties and returns their output through an API that follows the OpenAI chat completions format. The models we offer, their prices and their context windows are listed on cynic-hosting.com/inference. We decide how the Service is run: which models we offer, how much capacity each one has, the hardware and providers it runs on, and the limits that apply. We may add, change, suspend or retire any model, or any other part of the Service, at any time.

We try to give at least 14 days' notice on that page, or by email to account holders, before retiring a model. A model may still be retired sooner, or replaced by a newer one, for reasons such as demand, cost, capacity, security, its license or the law.

2. Accounts and API keys

  • You need an account and an API key to use the Service. Give us accurate contact and billing details and keep them current.
  • Keep your keys secret. You are responsible for all use of your keys until you tell us a key is compromised and we have had a reasonable time to revoke it.
  • You must be at least 18 and able to enter a binding contract.

3. Using the Service through a marketplace

If you reach the Service through a third-party marketplace or router that resells it, your agreement for that access is with the marketplace, and its terms, prices and billing apply to you. Our agreement with the marketplace covers our side. Sections 4, 5 and 8 of these terms, and our Data Policy, still describe what is allowed and how your requests are handled on our systems.

4. Acceptable use

You may not use the Service, or help anyone else use it, to:

  • create, request or distribute sexual content involving minors, in any form;
  • break the law, or infringe anyone's intellectual property, privacy or other rights;
  • build or run malware, intrusion, fraud, phishing, spam or other abuse against people or systems;
  • harass, threaten or incite violence against anyone;
  • make automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects on people (such as credit, employment, housing or medical decisions) without appropriate human review;
  • break the license or use policy of the model you call (each model's license is named on our models list);
  • probe, overload, or work around the limits or security of the Service, or resell it, except as a marketplace we have an agreement with.

Because we do not store prompts or completions, we rely on request metadata and on reports to find misuse. Report abuse to [email protected].

5. Your content and the output

  • As between you and us, you own what you send to the Service ("input") and, to the extent the law allows, what the models return to you ("output").
  • You give us only the rights we need to process your input and return output to you, for the time it takes to answer each request. We do not keep either afterwards, and we never use them to train or improve any model (see the Data Policy).
  • You confirm you have the rights and any consents needed to send us your input.
  • Model output is generated by software. It can be wrong, incomplete, offensive or similar to other people's content, and the same input can give different output. Check output before you rely on it, and do not present it as advice from Cynic.

6. Prices, billing and taxes

  • We charge per token, at the input, cached input and output prices listed for each model on cynic-hosting.com/inference. Cached input means input tokens served from our prefix cache, as reported in each response's usage block.
  • Our token counts, as reported in each response's usage block, are the basis for billing. If you believe a count is wrong, tell us within 30 days of the invoice or charge.
  • We may change prices at any time, including prices that vary by time of day or demand. We try to give 14 days' notice on the models page before a standing price increase. Usage is billed at the price in effect when the request was made.
  • Prices are in US dollars and exclude taxes, which you pay where they apply. Payment terms (prepaid balance or invoice) are set when your account is opened; unpaid amounts may lead to suspension under section 9.

7. Capacity, limits and availability

  • We may set rate and concurrency limits per key. When a model is at capacity we answer with HTTP 429 rather than queueing your request; you are not charged for a request we turn away.
  • We work to keep the Service available and fast, but we do not promise uninterrupted service or a specific uptime unless we agree a service level with you in writing.
  • We may run planned maintenance and will give notice where we reasonably can.

8. Security

We protect the Service as described in the Data Policy. You are responsible for the security of your own systems and keys, and for telling us promptly at [email protected] if you suspect a key or account is compromised.

9. Suspension and termination

  • You can stop using the Service at any time and ask us to close your account.
  • We may suspend or revoke a key immediately if we reasonably believe it is being used against section 4, is compromised, or puts the Service or others at risk, and we will tell you why unless the law or an investigation prevents it.
  • We may suspend for non-payment after notice, and may end these terms for any reason with 30 days' notice.
  • When the agreement ends, you pay for use up to that point. Sections 5, 6 (for amounts owed), 10, 11, 12 and 13 continue to apply.

10. Disclaimers

Except as these terms say otherwise, the Service and all output are provided "as is" and "as available". To the extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy and non-infringement. The models are made by third parties, and we do not warrant their behavior.

11. Limitation of liability

To the extent the law allows: neither party is liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost profits, revenue or data; and our total liability for all claims about the Service is limited to the amount you paid us for the Service in the 3 months before the event that gave rise to the claim. These limits do not apply to your payment obligations or to either party's liability that the law does not allow to be limited.

12. Indemnity

You will defend and indemnify Cynic against third-party claims arising from your input, your use of output, or your breach of section 4, and pay the resulting costs and damages a court awards or that you agree in a settlement.

13. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Missouri, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Before filing any claim, each party will try in good faith for 30 days to resolve the dispute by email. Any dispute that is not resolved will be settled by binding arbitration in St. Louis County, Missouri, on an individual basis; class actions and class arbitrations are not permitted. Either party may seek an injunction in court to protect its intellectual property or stop misuse of the Service.

14. Export and sanctions

You may not use the Service from, or for anyone in, a country or region under comprehensive US sanctions, or if you are on a US government list of restricted parties, and you will comply with US export laws when you use the Service and its output.

15. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. For a material change we will give at least 14 days' notice on this page and, if you have an account, by email. Using the Service after a change takes effect means you accept the updated terms. The "Last updated" date at the top shows the current version.

16. General

These terms, with the Privacy Policy, the Data Policy and any written agreement we sign with you, are the whole agreement about the Service; a signed agreement wins where they differ. If a part of these terms cannot be enforced, the rest still applies. Not enforcing a right is not a waiver of it. You may not transfer these terms without our written consent; we may transfer them to a successor of the business. Neither party is liable for delays caused by events beyond its reasonable control.

17. Contact

Cynic Hosting LLC, United States. Email [email protected].