The rules behind the meter

01What ScopeGuard is

ScopeGuard is a scope-management tool built for freelancers who charge a flat rate. Before work starts you lock a Scope Baseline. Afterwards, every extra request the client adds is logged as one line in about thirty seconds. The Creep Meter converts those lines into extra hours and an amount, and you can turn the result into an add-on invoice whenever you decide it is time.

• Who it is for: designers, developers, copywriters and consultants who quote one price for a whole project instead of billing by the hour.
• What we provide: recording, calculation and invoice generation. ScopeGuard is a tool, not a law firm — we do not give legal advice and we never chase your client for payment.
• The client view is a read-only link you generate and can revoke. Clients see the project scope, never your account, your other projects or your rate card.
• The interface is bilingual (English / 中文). Wording may differ slightly between the two versions; where they conflict, the Chinese version prevails.

02Your account

One person, one account. Registration needs nothing more than a working email address.

• Eligibility. You must be 18 or older, or otherwise have full legal capacity to enter into a contract where you live.
• Accurate details. Keep your email current — it is the only channel we use for receipts, security notices and policy changes.
• Account security. Your password and sign-in links are yours to protect. Everything done under your account is treated as done by you. Spot something odd? Write to service@scopeguard.work immediately and we will lock the session.
• Free tier. One active project at a time, with no feature stripped out — Scope Baseline, add-on logging, Creep Meter, add-on invoice and the client view are all available. Archived projects do not count against the quota, and you can swap which project is active at any time.
• No sharing. Accounts cannot be transferred, resold or operated by several people at once. Need seats for a studio? Write to us before you improvise.

03How scope changes are recorded and billed

This is the part most people skim and then argue about, so read it once: ScopeGuard never decides what counts as out of scope. You do.

• Baseline first. Once a Scope Baseline is locked it gets a version record. Editing it later creates a new version — earlier versions are never overwritten, so the history of what was agreed stays intact.
• What one entry contains. A description, the time it happened, the estimated hours, and the amount derived from the hourly rate you configured. Every one of those values is entered or confirmed by you.
• What the Creep Meter shows. The deviation from your original quote. It is a calculation and a display — it is not a claim against your client, and it does not create any payment obligation on its own.
• You generate, you send. The add-on invoice is produced from entries you approved and delivered by you. The contract between you and your client, the payment terms and any tax treatment are entirely between the two of you.
• Entries are editable. Wrong hours, wrong date, a request the client later withdrew — edit or delete the entry, and regenerate the invoice before you send it.
• The client link is revocable. Revoking a client view kills the token immediately; anyone holding the old URL gets nothing.

04Payments, subscriptions and refunds

Payments are processed by Creem, our payment provider and merchant of record. Your full card number never touches a ScopeGuard server — we receive only the subscription status and the last four digits.

• Plans. Free (one active project), Pro monthly, and a one-time lifetime licence. The price, currency and tax shown on the Creem checkout page at the moment you pay is the price that applies.
• Renewal. Monthly subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel in Account → Subscription. Cancelling stops the next charge; the period you already paid for runs to its end and is not pro-rated.
• Downgrade. When Pro ends, the account returns to the free tier: one project stays active, the rest become read-only. Nothing is deleted.
• Refunds. Within 14 days of your first Pro charge (monthly or lifetime), if you have not yet generated an add-on invoice, write to us for a full refund. We process it within one business day; the money returns via the original payment route.
• Price changes. Announced by email at least 30 days in advance. A change never affects a period you have already paid for.
• Failed or reversed payments. If a charge is declined or charged back, we may suspend Pro features until the balance is settled. Your data stays untouched during suspension.

05Limitation of liability

The service is provided as is and as available. We work hard to keep it up, but we do not promise it will never break.

• ScopeGuard is a recording and calculation tool. It is not legal, financial or tax advice. How your contract with your client is interpreted, and how any dispute with them is resolved, is your responsibility.
• To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect losses, lost profits, lost goodwill, or data loss arising from your use of the service.
• Our total aggregate liability is capped at the amount you actually paid us in the twelve months before the claim arose. For free-tier users that amount is zero, which is exactly why we also ship data export to free accounts.
• If your local law does not allow part of the above, that part is narrowed to the minimum the law permits and the remaining terms stay in force.

06Ending the service

You can leave at any time, and you can take everything with you.

• Export first. Projects, baselines, add-on entries and invoices export to CSV and PDF. Export is available on the free tier too — we do not lock you in with your own data.
• Closing your account. Delete it in Account settings. Deletion is irreversible; make sure the export is done first.
• Suspension by us. We may suspend or close an account for serious breach — abuse of the service, attacks on the infrastructure, or infringing someone else's rights. Except in an emergency we notify you first and give you a way to appeal.
• After deletion. Personal data is cleared from production within 30 days; backup copies rotate out within 90 days. Payment and invoicing records are kept as long as tax and accounting law requires.
• Ending the service does not cancel payment obligations that already arose before it ended.

07Governing law and disputes

• These terms are interpreted and enforced under the law of the place where the ScopeGuard operating entity is registered. Mandatory consumer-protection rules where you live still apply and are not overridden by this clause.
• Talk first. If something goes wrong, write to service@scopeguard.work. We commit to a written response within five business days, and most issues end there.
• If discussion fails, the dispute goes to a court with jurisdiction at the operating entity's registered address.
• These terms, together with the Privacy Policy, form the whole agreement between you and us. If one clause is found invalid, the rest remain in force.

08Changes to these terms

• Updates are published on this page. Material changes — anything affecting what you pay, what data we hold, or your core rights — are emailed at least 30 days before they take effect.
• Continuing to use the service after a change takes effect means you accept the updated terms. If you would rather not, cancel your subscription and export your data before the effective date.
• Every revision updates the Last updated date at the top of this page.