Terms of Service
Effective date: June 22, 2026
These Terms govern your use of Cortex — the iOS app and web app — published by JTR Labs LLC ("JTR Labs," "we," "our," or "us"). By downloading, accessing, or using Cortex, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use Cortex.
1. The app
Cortex is a local-first notes and knowledge application. It lets you capture notes as plain Markdown files, link and organize them, and use on-device features such as search and recall. Cortex is provided for your personal or internal business use.
2. License
Subject to these Terms, JTR Labs grants you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to download and use Cortex on devices you own or control. The app is licensed, not sold, to you. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, sublicense, rent, or lease the app; reverse-engineer or attempt to extract its source code except to the extent that restriction is prohibited by applicable law; or remove any proprietary notices.
3. Your content and data
You retain all rights to the notes and content you create in Cortex. We claim no ownership of your content, and because Cortex is local-first, we do not receive or store copies of it. You are solely responsible for your content and for maintaining your own backups. Since your notes are ordinary files on your device or in a folder you control, you are responsible for backing them up; we are not liable for any loss of notes, including loss caused by device failure, accidental deletion, sync misconfiguration, or your cloud-storage provider.
4. Subscriptions, purchases, and trials
- Free tier. The core of Cortex — your vault, editor, links and backlinks, keyword search, graph, canvas, and templates — is free to use.
- Cortex Plus. An auto-renewable subscription (offered monthly and yearly) that unlocks Sync, the on-device AI features, and unlimited storage.
- Believer. A one-time purchase granting lifetime access to Plus features plus early-access builds.
- Free trial. A time-limited Plus trial may be offered. Unless you purchase, paid features lock when the trial ends.
All purchases and subscriptions are sold and processed by Apple through the App Store. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation. Auto-renewable subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your Apple Account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the period. You manage and cancel subscriptions in your Apple Account settings. Refunds, where available, are handled by Apple under its policies. Prices and plan features may change prospectively; we will not change the price of an active subscription term without notice as required by the App Store.
5. Acceptable use
You agree not to use Cortex to violate any law; to infringe others' rights; to store or distribute unlawful content; or to interfere with, disrupt, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the app, the website, or related systems. You are responsible for the content you create and how you use it.
6. Third-party services
Cortex interoperates with services you choose — notably Apple (for purchases) and any cloud-storage or folder provider you use for Sync (such as iCloud Drive or Dropbox). Your use of those services is governed by their terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for third-party services or for data you place in them.
7. Early-access and beta features
Believer and certain features may include early-access or beta functionality. Such features are provided "as is," may change or be removed, and may be less stable. Use them with appropriate care for your data.
8. Disclaimer of warranties
CORTEX AND THE WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We do not warrant that the app will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that it will detect, surface, or recall any particular note or connection. You are responsible for backing up your content.
9. Limitation of liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, JTR LABS LLC AND ITS MEMBERS, EMPLOYEES, AND CONTRACTORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF CORTEX, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM RELATING TO CORTEX WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US FOR CORTEX IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM OR USD $25. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so some of the above may not apply to you.
10. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless JTR Labs LLC and its members, employees, and contractors from any claim, demand, loss, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your breach of these Terms or your misuse of Cortex.
11. Termination
You may stop using Cortex at any time. We may suspend or terminate your license if you materially breach these Terms. Sections that by their nature should survive (including content ownership, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and indemnification) survive termination.
12. Apple App Store terms
The following applies to the iOS app obtained through the Apple App Store:
- These Terms are between you and JTR Labs only, not with Apple. Apple is not responsible for the app or its content.
- Your license to use the app is a non-transferable license to use it on Apple-branded devices you own or control, as permitted by the App Store Terms of Service.
- Apple has no obligation to furnish any maintenance or support for the app.
- To the extent any warranty is not effectively disclaimed, Apple may refund the purchase price (if any); otherwise Apple has no warranty obligation, and any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, or expenses attributable to a failure to conform to a warranty are our responsibility, not Apple's.
- Apple is not responsible for addressing claims relating to the app, including product-liability claims, claims that the app fails to conform to legal or regulatory requirements, and consumer-protection or privacy claims.
- Apple is not responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement, or discharge of any third-party intellectual-property infringement claim relating to the app.
- You represent that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo or designated as "terrorist-supporting," and are not on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
- Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and, upon your acceptance, have the right to enforce them against you.
13. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state in which JTR Labs resides, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Disputes will be resolved in the courts of that jurisdiction unless applicable law provides otherwise.
14. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms. We'll revise the effective date above and, for material changes, note them in the app's release notes or on this page. Continued use after a change means you accept the updated Terms.
15. Contact
Questions about these Terms: [email protected] — JTR Labs LLC, United States.