Knowledge Base License Terms: AKB Commercial and Production Use
Understand production use under AKB’s current BSL terms: aggregate Named Seats, commercial licensing, and per-version Apache 2.0 conversion.
Current BSL releases: the essentials
- Internal production use: allowed under the Additional Use Grant below 100 aggregate Named Seats across deployments in scope.
- Commercial license: required at 100 or more aggregate Named Seats, or for offering AKB to third parties as a hosted, embedded, or rebranded service.
- Apache 2.0 conversion: each version distributed under the current BSL has its own Change Date, four years after its first public distribution.
For an AKB release distributed under the current Business Source License (BSL) terms, check three things before production use: the total number of counted Named Seats, whether you offer AKB to third parties, and the exact release you deploy. The release’s LICENSE sets the terms. Older releases distributed under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0 retain their original terms; the current BSL grant and conversion schedule do not replace them.
When does production use need a commercial license?
The current LICENSE applies the BSL 1.1 to the AKB backend, frontend, deployment manifests, and other components in the parent repository. Its base terms allow copying, modification, derivative works, redistribution, and non-production use. The Additional Use Grant permits production use below the aggregate seat limit.
| Your situation | License path |
|---|---|
| Internal production use with fewer than 100 aggregate Named Seats | Covered by the Additional Use Grant |
| Internal production use with 100 or more aggregate Named Seats | Commercial license from Dnotitia |
| AKB offered to third parties as a hosted, embedded, or rebranded service | Commercial license, regardless of seat count |
| Development, testing, and evaluation | Covered by the base BSL 1.1 terms |
For example, an organization using AKB internally with 60 counted Named Seats in total across all deployments in scope is below the threshold. Employee headcount is not the seat count; apply the LICENSE definition below.
How are Named Seats counted?
The current LICENSE defines a Named Seat as a distinct account in AKB’s users table that exists at any point during a calendar month. Count accounts across all vaults in each deployment, then aggregate across deployments operated by you, your organization, and organizations you control, are controlled by, or share common control with. A person with accounts in multiple deployments counts once in each deployment.
The LICENSE excludes service accounts created for agents, bots, CI, or other non-human use, and accounts with no successful interactive login in the trailing 90 days. Separate departments or subsidiaries do not reset the aggregate limit when their deployments are within the scope described above.
What should you check before rollout?
- Forecast counted Named Seats across all deployments in scope, using the LICENSE definition.
- Confirm whether AKB is for internal use or will be offered to third parties.
- Record the exact release you will deploy and review that release’s LICENSE, including its first public distribution date.
The LICENSE does not grant rights to Dnotitia or its affiliates’ trademarks or logos; see TRADEMARKS.md for details.
How do BSL release terms and the Apache 2.0 conversion work?
For each version first publicly distributed under the current BSL, the Change Date is four years after that version’s first public distribution. On that date, that version becomes available under the Apache License 2.0. Each BSL version has its own Change Date; a later release does not inherit an earlier version’s date. Releases distributed under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0 remain under their original terms.
How is the client proxy licensed?
The akb-mcp npm package, shipped from packages/akb-mcp-client/, is licensed separately under the MIT License. It is a stdio proxy for connecting MCP clients to an AKB server; its license is separate from the BSL terms for the AKB server and repository components. See the AKB README for setup guidance.
For commercial licensing or clarification of conflicting summaries, contact support@dnotitia.com.
FAQ
Can we use AKB in production without a commercial license?
For a release distributed under the current BSL, internal production use is covered by the Additional Use Grant when aggregate Named Seats are fewer than 100 across all deployments in scope. Offering AKB to third parties as a hosted, embedded, or rebranded service requires a commercial license at any seat count. Older PolyForm releases retain their original terms.
Do AI agents count as Named Seats?
Service accounts created for agents, bots, CI, or other non-human use are excluded. The deployed release’s LICENSE defines which accounts count and how to apply the 90-day inactivity exclusion.
Which document governs, and what if summaries differ?
Use the LICENSE included with the release you deploy. The current LICENSE counts Named Seats in aggregate across deployments, while LICENSE-CHANGE.md contains an inconsistent per-deployment summary. If a summary conflicts with the deployed release’s LICENSE, request confirmation from Dnotitia rather than relying on the summary.
Learn More
Read the LICENSE and README in the AKB repository.
