Policies

Plain-language rules for using RunContainer and its community spaces. They are not legal advice, and they do not replace the MIT licence that covers the source code.

Terms of service

RunContainer is free software provided as-is, without warranty. You may use it for personal or commercial work, on as many PCs as you like.

By installing and using RunContainer, you confirm that you are at least 15 years old, regardless of where you live.

You are responsible for:

• the applications you install and run through it;
• having a licence for those applications;
• keeping your own backups. Migration, reset and repair actions can change an app's managed data.

Do not use RunContainer to break the law, to harm other people or their systems, or to bypass licence checks or protections you do not own. The project may change or withdraw features between releases; the current terms are always this page.

Selling and forks

RunContainer is free, and it is meant to stay free for everyone. You are not recommended to sell RunContainer, its source code or any build made from it.

If you clone the repository and publish your own version (a fork):

• link back to the original project, RunContainer, somewhere people will see it, such as your README or download page;
• do not claim that your fork is the original RunContainer or the official release.

Privacy policy

RunContainer is local-first.

• RC-Brain runs on your PC. Diagnoses, verification results and the experience history are stored in RunContainer's app-data folder (%APPDATA%\RunContainer). Inference makes no network request.
• Diagnostic records are redacted before they are written: Windows paths, user names, machine names, e-mail addresses, IP addresses and URLs are replaced with placeholders. Raw log text is kept only as a short, scrubbed snippet.
• The update check contacts GitHub (api.github.com) to read the public release feed. It sends no information about you beyond a normal HTTPS request.
• Telemetry is off by default. The official build has no telemetry endpoint configured, so nothing is sent. A build can only report an anonymised anomaly manifest if its owner configures an explicit registry endpoint; the app shows whether that is configured.
• You stay in control. You can disable monitoring in Settings, clear the history, or delete %APPDATA%\RunContainer at any time.

Source code, cloning and self-hosting

The source is public at github.com/RunContainer-7/runcontainer under the MIT licence.

You may read it, clone it, build it, modify it and share your changes. If you publish a modified build, say clearly that it is not the official release, and do not use the official download links or checksums for it.

Building from source is the strongest way to check that the installer matches the code: the release workflow in .github/workflows/release.yml is the same process used for published builds.

Code signing

Release installers are not code-signed at the moment. Windows shows “Unknown publisher”, and the SHA-256 checksum on Downloads is what to verify a download against.

RunContainer was built for the SignPath Foundation programme, which signs qualifying open-source Windows software without charge, and the release workflow is ready for it. That application was declined for now, because the programme issues its own certificate only to projects with established public traction, and it invited a reapplication. Releases therefore publish unsigned rather than failing, and this section will describe signing again once it is in place.

• What you can check while releases are unsigned. The SHA-256 checksum on Downloads, the public source, and the release workflow that produced the build.
• What a signature would mean. That the file came from this project's own build of a tagged release and has not been changed since. It is not a claim that the software is safe, and it does not replace the checksum.
• What would be signed. Only the installer produced by this project's release workflow, on GitHub-hosted runners, from the tagged commit. Forks and modified builds are never covered.

RunContainer's own privacy practices are described in the privacy policy above; signing adds no tracking either way.

Use of applications

RunContainer runs programs; it does not give you a licence to them.

• Do not use RunContainer to run pirated software, cracked installers, or anything you would not be allowed to install on your own PC.
• Respect each application's licence and the vendor's terms.
• Never point RunContainer at malware or use it to attack systems you do not own.
• Isolation is a safety boundary, not permission to do harm. It is also not a guarantee: see Isolation is not a guarantee.

Community and feedback

The community runs on the Discord server and GitHub issues.

• Treat maintainers and members with respect. Abuse, harassment, threats, discrimination and personal attacks are not welcome.
• Do not mistreat the people answering your questions. They are volunteers, not a support desk you bought.
• Keep feedback constructive: say what happened, what you expected, and what you tried. A clear report is worth more than a complaint.
• RunContainer is free and maintained in spare time. Appreciate that it exists; not every request can be built, and no one owes you a fix on your schedule.

Reports are read, but a report is not a promise of a feature.

Cost

RunContainer is free. There is no paid tier, no account, and no upsell. If it saves you time, the best way to say thanks is to help someone else in Discord or send a useful bug report.