The ground rules for using CatShelf.

1. Agreement to these Terms

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) are an agreement between you and Bryan Lin, operator of CatShelf (“CatShelf,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). They apply when you access or use the CatShelf iPhone app, related cloud services, and this website (together, the “Service”). By using the Service, you agree to these Terms and the Privacy Policy.

If you download CatShelf from Apple’s App Store, Apple’s Standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement also applies. These Terms supplement that agreement. The Apple agreement controls if the two are directly inconsistent on a matter it governs.

2. What CatShelf provides

CatShelf helps readers identify books in shelf photos, receive recommendations, maintain reading and print-interest lists, import supported library exports, and revisit scan history. Features may depend on device capability, internet access, third-party book data, AI processing, an account, and an active subscription.

You must be legally able to enter this agreement. If you are under the age of legal majority where you live, a parent or legal guardian must review and agree to these Terms for you.

3. Accounts and account security

Where CatShelf requires an account, you may sign in through an approved identity provider such as Apple or Google. You are responsible for access to your device and identity-provider account. Do not share verification codes, device credentials, or other authentication information. Tell us promptly if you believe your CatShelf account or device access has been compromised.

You may delete your CatShelf account from the app. Account deletion is separate from canceling an Apple subscription. More details are available on the Support page.

4. Subscriptions, trials, and billing

Some cloud scanning, recommendation, and locate-on-shelf features require an auto-renewable subscription. Available plans, prices, billing periods, trial eligibility, and renewal terms are shown by Apple in the app before purchase. Prices may vary by storefront, currency, taxes, and future plan changes.

• Payment is charged to your Apple Account when Apple confirms the purchase.
• Unless canceled, an auto-renewable subscription renews under the terms Apple shows at purchase.
• You can manage or cancel in iOS Settings → your name → Subscriptions.
• Free-trial eligibility is determined by Apple and the offer configured for the product.
• Refund requests and billing disputes are handled by Apple, subject to applicable law.
• Deleting CatShelf data, signing out, or deleting the app does not cancel Apple billing.

We may change future pricing or available plans through Apple. Changes to an existing subscription take effect only as permitted and communicated through Apple’s billing system and applicable law.

5. Shelf photos and other content you provide

You keep ownership of shelf photos, import files, corrections, and other content you provide. You give CatShelf a limited, non-exclusive license to host, copy, crop, analyze, transmit, and otherwise process that content only as needed to provide, secure, troubleshoot, and—when you separately opt in—improve the Service. This license ends when the content is deleted from CatShelf systems, subject to limited legal, security, and backup obligations described in the Privacy Policy.

You represent that you have the right to submit the content and that doing so does not violate law or another person’s rights. Do not submit sensitive personal information, unlawful material, or shelf photos focused on people rather than books.

6. Acceptable use

You may not:

• access another reader’s account, scans, library, or credentials without authorization;
• bypass subscriptions, scan limits, rate limits, security controls, or device-integrity checks;
• reverse engineer or probe the Service except where applicable law expressly permits it;
• use automated tools to scrape, overload, resell, or replicate the Service or its book-data feeds;
• upload malware, infringing content, or content that is unlawful, deceptive, or harmful; or
• use CatShelf in a way that violates third-party provider terms or applicable law.

7. Book data, recommendations, and availability

Shelf recognition, book metadata, covers, descriptions, recommendations, and Find on shelf can be incomplete, outdated, or wrong. CatShelf is a reading aid, not a guarantee that a title, edition, recommendation, price, or physical location is correct. Check the physical book and bookseller information before making a purchase or other decision.

CatShelf relies on Apple, Google, Supabase, Cloudflare, OpenRouter, public book-data providers, and other third-party services. Their outages, policy changes, or data limitations may affect features. We may change, suspend, or retire a feature when needed for security, legal compliance, provider terms, product quality, or reliable operation.

8. CatShelf ownership and third-party rights

CatShelf’s software, design, branding, original artwork, and original text are owned by or licensed to CatShelf and are protected by intellectual-property law. Book titles, covers, descriptions, retailer information, and third-party marks belong to their respective owners. Use of CatShelf does not transfer those rights to you.

9. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Service is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of uninterrupted availability, fitness for a particular purpose, or error-free results. Nothing in these Terms excludes a warranty or consumer right that cannot legally be excluded.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, CatShelf and its operator will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for loss of data, profits, goodwill, or opportunity arising from the Service. For claims that cannot be excluded, total liability will not exceed the greater of the amount you paid for CatShelf during the twelve months before the claim or US $50. These limits do not apply where prohibited by law.

10. Suspension, termination, and changes

You may stop using CatShelf at any time and may delete your CatShelf data in the app. We may suspend or terminate access when reasonably necessary to address fraud, security risk, abuse, legal requirements, provider restrictions, or a material violation of these Terms. When practical, we will provide notice and a chance to resolve the issue.

We may update these Terms as the Service changes. We will post the revised date here and provide an additional notice when a material change calls for one. Continued use after the effective date means you accept the updated Terms, except where law requires a different form of consent.

11. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to support@catshelfapp.com. For practical help, visit CatShelf Support.