Plain-language terms for a local-only app.

Scratchpad is a free, local-only notes app. There is no account, no server, and no relationship to manage. These terms exist mainly to set expectations and to make clear what the app does and does not promise.

Using Scratchpad

By loading Scratchpad in your browser, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, the remedy is simple: close the tab. No account exists to deactivate, and no data is held anywhere outside your browser.

What Scratchpad is

A static web page that runs entirely in your browser.
Notes are stored in your browser's IndexedDB. Nothing is uploaded.
There is no backend, no account system, no telemetry, and no advertising.
The full privacy policy describes the data posture in detail.

Your data is your responsibility

Because everything lives in this browser, the only copy of your notes is the one on this device. Use About → Export all notes (JSON) to back them up. Clearing site data, switching browsers, switching devices, or using private browsing will erase the notes that haven't been exported.

Scratchpad cannot recover notes that have been deleted from your browser. There is no server-side copy to restore from.

Acceptable use

Scratchpad runs locally — what you write in it is between you and your own device. You're still responsible for complying with the laws that apply to you when you write, store, or share content with anyone else. Don't use the app to do anything illegal where you live or where the recipients of any shared content live.

Sharing notes

Scratchpad provides options to copy a note to your clipboard or open it in your email client. These actions happen on your device. The app itself never transmits your note; what your clipboard manager or your email client does with the content afterwards is governed by their own terms, not these.

Intellectual property

Anything you write in Scratchpad belongs to you. The app does not claim any rights to your notes — it can't, because it never sees them.

The Scratchpad source code is published by Vinny Carpenter. Trademarks and brand elements (the Scratchpad name, the brand mark, the Inkwell design system) remain the property of their respective owners.

No warranty

Scratchpad is provided as is, without warranties of any kind, express or implied. That includes warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. The app may contain bugs, may behave unexpectedly in your browser, and may at some point go away. Treat it accordingly when deciding what to store in it.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the author of Scratchpad will not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages arising from your use of the app — including, without limitation, lost notes, lost data, or any other intangible losses. Because the app is free and stores nothing on a server, the practical liability ceiling is the cost of switching to a different notes app, which is zero.

Service availability

Scratchpad is delivered as static files from a content delivery network. Best effort is made to keep it online, but no uptime is guaranteed. The app may be updated, paused, or retired at any time, with or without notice. Notes already in your browser will continue to work even if the hosted version is unavailable, as long as the browser still has the cached HTML and JavaScript.

Changes to these terms

These terms may be updated from time to time. The current version is whatever is shown on this page. Material changes will be reflected in plain language; there is no mailing list to notify because there is no list of users.

Contact

Scratchpad is built by Vinny Carpenter. Questions about these terms can be directed there. The source code is the authoritative record of what the app actually does.