> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.meowmail.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Fair use

> No contract, no SLA — just a request to be reasonable so this can stay free.

MeowMail is a free service run by one person on a single server. There is no
contract and no SLA. What follows is not legalese, it is the actual basis on
which the API stays open.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Please do" icon="circle-check">
    * use it in test suites, CI pipelines, and internal tooling
    * use long-polling instead of tight loops
    * purge inboxes you are done with
    * cache the domain list rather than fetching it per request
    * back off when you get a 429
  </Card>

  <Card title="Please don't" icon="circle-xmark">
    * use it for fraud, spam, or evading bans and abuse controls
    * resell it, or wrap it in a paid product as the backing service
    * mint keys in bulk to sidestep rate limits
    * scrape or enumerate inboxes you did not create
    * use it to receive anything sensitive
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Purging is the one courtesy that matters

Everything expires on its own after about an hour, so nothing leaks forever if
you forget. But a test suite that creates hundreds of inboxes and leaves them
full costs storage for an hour each, for no reason.

```bash theme={null}
curl -X DELETE -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" \
  "https://api.meowmail.in/api/v1/inboxes/$ADDR/emails"
```

One call in your teardown. That is the whole ask.

## Revocation

Keys are revocable at any time, without notice, if an integration is degrading
the service for everyone else. In practice that means sustained tight polling
after 429s, bulk key minting, or traffic that looks like abuse rather than
testing.

If you are doing something unusual but legitimate and high-volume, tell us first
and it stops looking like abuse.

## No warranty

Service is provided as-is, with no warranty and no guarantee of availability or
data retention. Do not put anything on the critical path of a production system
that you cannot afford to have fail.

Given that inboxes are public and mail is deleted within the hour, that should
already be obvious — but it is worth stating plainly.

## Contact

Abuse to report, a legitimate need for higher limits, or a leaked key to revoke:
[dev.jaythorat@gmail.com](mailto:dev.jaythorat@gmail.com?subject=MeowMail%20API).

See also the [privacy policy](https://meowmail.in/privacy).