Last updated 2026-05-23

Terms of Service

These terms govern your use of papersync across all three surfaces we operate: papersync.ai, the papersync mobile app (distributed via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store), and the papersync plugin for Obsidian (distributed via the Obsidian Community Plugins directory). By using any of them you agree to the terms below.

What papersync is

papersync is a local-first tool for turning handwritten notes into searchable text inside a notes app you already use. The mobile app captures images of paper pages and sends them — directly from your device — to an AI provider you have configured with your own API key. The Obsidian plugin reads and writes files directly in your storage backend (Google Drive, iCloud, or a local folder) so transcriptions land in your vault. We do not operate a backend that processes or stores your content.

Your account, your keys, your storage

There is no papersync account. You are responsible for:

• Your API key with whichever AI provider you choose. Keep it secret. If your key leaks, rotate it in your provider's dashboard immediately. We have no way to invalidate or recover keys for you.
• The costs your AI provider charges for processing the images you scan. papersync charges no subscription and takes no markup; the provider bills you directly per their pricing.
• The storage backend you connect (Google Drive, iCloud, or a local folder) — including its capacity, sharing settings, and any separate terms imposed by Google, Apple, or your operating system.
• The legality of what you scan. Don't scan material you don't have the right to capture or to send to a third-party AI provider.

Use of papersync

You may install and use the app and the plugin on devices you control, for personal or commercial work, with no per-seat limits and no subscription. You may follow links to the App Store, Play Store, or Obsidian Community Plugins directory, subscribe to the email list, and download press-kit assets from /press for editorial coverage.

You may not:

• Attempt to disrupt site availability, scrape papersync.ai at abusive rates, or use any of our surfaces to distribute malicious content.
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or repackage the mobile app or plugin except where local law expressly permits it.
• Use papersync to violate applicable law, infringe on intellectual property you do not own, or harm others.
• Misrepresent papersync's privacy or security properties when describing it to others, including in editorial coverage that relies on our press-kit copy.

AI providers and third-party services

When you use the mobile app, your scans are sent directly to the AI provider you configured with your own key. What that provider does with your image — including any retention, model training, or abuse-detection processing — is governed by their terms and privacy policy, not ours. The same applies to Google Drive, iCloud, and any other storage backend you connect: those relationships are between you and the provider.

We are not party to your AI provider agreement and have no ability to intervene if the provider suspends your account, changes pricing, deprecates a model, or modifies their terms. Review provider terms before scanning sensitive material.

Your content

Your scans, your transcribed text, and anything else you produce through papersync remain entirely yours. We claim no licence, no ownership, and no right of use over your content. Because we do not operate a backend that stores your content, we also do not have any copy of it to claim rights over even if we wanted to.

No warranties

papersync.ai, the mobile app, and the Obsidian plugin are provided as-is and as-available, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. We do our best to make papersync accurate, available, and reliable across iOS, Android, and Obsidian, but we do not guarantee uptime, freedom from errors, compatibility with every device or operating-system version, or accuracy of AI transcription output.

Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, papersync and its maker are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of papersync.ai, the mobile app, or the Obsidian plugin. This includes — without limitation — loss of notes, loss of data in your storage backend, inaccurate AI transcriptions, charges levied by an AI provider for requests originated from the app, or interruption of service.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation of liability for incidental or consequential damages. In those jurisdictions our liability is limited to the minimum extent permitted by law.

Changes to the app and plugin

We may update the mobile app and the Obsidian plugin at any time, add or remove features, change supported AI providers, or discontinue either product. We will use reasonable judgement when discontinuing features that store user-visible state, but we make no formal commitment to backward compatibility outside of stated release-note guarantees.

Termination

You may stop using papersync at any time by uninstalling the app, uninstalling the plugin, or unsubscribing from the email list. We may refuse service or block access to papersync.ai for any user who violates these terms or whose use threatens the availability of the site for others.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. The previous version of any clause we materially change can be requested by emailing contact@papersync.ai. Material changes that affect subscribers to the email list will be announced there.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction where papersync is operated. Disputes, if any, will be resolved under that jurisdiction's courts. Nothing in these terms removes any non-waivable consumer rights you may have under the law of your own country of residence.

Contact

Questions about these terms go to contact@papersync.ai.