WIP InboxWIP Inbox

Terms and Conditions

Effective date: June 19, 2026
Last updated: June 19, 2026

The short version

WIP Inbox is a tool that organizes the AO3 update emails you forward to it. By using it, you agree to these terms. The plain-language gist: use it for its intended purpose, don't abuse it or upload anything you don't have the right to, the Fanatic plan bills the way it says it does and you can cancel anytime, and WIP Inbox is run by one person doing their best — it's provided as-is. The full terms below control.

1. Agreement to these terms

WIP Inbox is operated by WIP Inbox LLC, a Virginia limited liability company ("WIP Inbox," "I," "me," "my"). By creating an account or using WIP Inbox (the "Service"), you agree to these Terms and Conditions ("Terms"). If you don't agree, please don't use the Service.

2. What WIP Inbox is — and isn't

WIP Inbox is a personal reading dashboard. You forward AO3 notification emails to a private address, and WIP Inbox parses the fic metadata out of them to help you track ongoing works, where you left off, what's updated, and what you've finished.

WIP Inbox is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or connected to the Archive of Our Own (AO3) or the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW). It does not access AO3's servers, scrape AO3, reproduce works hosted on AO3, or affect hits, kudos, or any author's stats. It works only with the emails you choose to forward, and it links back to the original works on AO3.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years old (or the minimum age of digital consent in your country, if higher) to use WIP Inbox. By using the Service, you confirm you meet this requirement.

4. Your account

WIP Inbox uses passwordless "magic link" sign-in. You're responsible for keeping access to the email address tied to your account secure, since anyone with that access can sign in. Let me know at hello@wipinbox.com if you think your account has been compromised. You're responsible for the activity that happens under your account.

5. Subscriptions, billing, and cancellation

WIP Inbox has a free tier ("Reader") and a paid tier ("Fanatic").

  • Pricing. Fanatic costs $3/month or $24/year, as shown at checkout. Prices may change; I'll give notice of changes before they affect your renewal.
  • Payment. Payments are processed by Stripe. By subscribing, you authorize recurring charges to your payment method until you cancel.
  • Renewal. Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period unless you cancel before the renewal date.
  • Cancellation. You can cancel anytime from your account settings. Your Fanatic access continues until the end of the period you've already paid for.
  • Refunds. Payments are generally non-refundable except where required by law. That said, if something's wrong on my end, email me — I'd rather make it right than hide behind a clause.
  • Downgrades. If your Fanatic subscription ends, Fanatic-only content you created (such as cover art and notes) is preserved and made read-only rather than deleted, so you don't lose your work.

6. Acceptable use

Please don't:

  • Use the Service for anything illegal, or to infringe anyone's rights;
  • Attempt to access other users' data or accounts;
  • Probe, scan, overload, or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure;
  • Resell or commercially exploit the Service without permission;
  • Use the Service to harass anyone or to circumvent AO3's systems or any author's wishes;
  • Upload content you don't have the right to upload (see Section 7).

I may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

7. Your content

"Your Content" means the things you add to WIP Inbox — personal notes, tags, custom shelf names, manually added works, and any cover-art images you upload.

  • Ownership. You keep ownership of Your Content.
  • License. You grant me a limited license to store, process, and display Your Content solely to operate the Service for you. I won't use it for anything else — no advertising, no AI training, no sharing it around. (See the Privacy Policy.)
  • Your responsibility. You're responsible for Your Content. For cover art and any uploaded images especially: only upload images you have the right to use, and nothing illegal, infringing, or harmful. I may remove content that breaks these Terms.
  • Privacy of notes. Personal notes, tags, and shelves are private to you. They are never shown publicly and never surfaced to authors.

8. Fanfiction, authors, and intellectual property

WIP Inbox displays metadata and author-written summaries drawn from the emails you forward. It does not host, reproduce, or claim any rights in fanworks or in the underlying material. All rights in fanworks remain with their respective authors. WIP Inbox never generates summaries or fic content with AI; any chapter summary you see is the author's own text from the AO3 email.

If you're an author and want to manage how you appear in the Service, see the author tools (or email authors@wipinbox.com).

9. WIP Inbox's intellectual property

The Service itself — its name, branding, design, and software — belongs to me and is protected by intellectual-property laws. These Terms don't grant you any rights to it beyond using the Service as intended.

10. Availability and changes

WIP Inbox is an actively developed, independently run product. I may add, change, or remove features, and I can't promise the Service will always be available or uninterrupted. I'll try to give notice of significant changes.

11. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, to the fullest extent permitted by law. I don't warrant that the Service will be error-free, uninterrupted, or that every email will parse perfectly. WIP Inbox is a convenience layer on top of emails you forward; it is not a system of record for your reading, and AO3 remains the source of truth for the works themselves.

12. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, I won't be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, arising out of or related to your use of the Service. To the extent I'm found liable, my total liability is limited to the greater of the amount you paid me in the 12 months before the claim, or USD $50. Some jurisdictions don't allow certain limitations, so some of these may not apply to you.

13. Termination

You can stop using WIP Inbox and delete your account at any time. I may suspend or terminate your access if you violate these Terms or if I need to for legal, security, or operational reasons. On termination, the relevant parts of these Terms survive (including Sections 7–12 and 14).

14. Changes to these Terms

I may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes, I'll provide notice in the app or by email and update the date above. Continuing to use the Service after changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms.

15. Governing law and dispute resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules.

Informal resolution first. Most problems can be sorted out without formal proceedings. Before starting arbitration, please email me at hello@wipinbox.com describing the issue and what you'd like to happen. I'll do the same if I have a dispute with you. If we can't resolve it within 60 days, either of us may move to arbitration.

Binding arbitration. Except as stated below, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service that isn't resolved informally will be settled by binding, individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, rather than in court. The arbitration may be conducted in Virginia, by phone or video, or on written submissions, as those rules allow. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court with jurisdiction.

Individual basis / class-action waiver. Disputes will be arbitrated only on an individual basis. You and I each waive any right to bring or participate in a class, collective, consolidated, or representative action.

Exceptions. Either of us may instead bring an individual claim in small-claims court, and either of us may seek injunctive or equitable relief in court to protect intellectual property or stop unauthorized use of the Service.

Your right to opt out. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing hello@wipinbox.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms and stating that you opt out. If you opt out (or where arbitration doesn't apply), disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Virginia, and you and I consent to their personal jurisdiction and venue.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms: hello@wipinbox.com.

— KT