Master Privacy &
Terms of Service
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
- Your Data: We collect your pantry items, recipes, and preferences to make the app work. We do not sell this data.
- AI Processing: We send data to OpenAI to generate recipes, but we strip personal identifiers where possible.
- Cookies: We use cookies for login and analytics (to fix bugs).
- Deletion: You can request full data deletion at any time by emailing us.
Last Updated: February 12, 2026
1. AI Limitations & Health Disclaimer
Strict Liability Waiver
kernelcook utilizes Large Language Models ("LLMs") to generate recipes. By using this service, you acknowledge and accept:
- A."Hallucination" Risk: The AI may generate information that is factually incorrect, dangerous, or chemically impossible. kernelcook makes no warranties regarding accuracy, completeness, or safety of any output.
- B.Food Safety: You are solely responsible for verifying that ingredients are cooked to safe internal temperatures. kernelcook is not responsible for foodborne illness, undercooked food, or cross-contamination suggestions.
- C.Allergens: The AI may inadvertently suggest ingredients containing allergens, even if you have indicated restrictions. ALWAYS verify ingredients before purchasing or cooking.
- D.Medical Advice: kernelcook does not provide medical or nutritional advice. Dietary information provided by the AI is an estimate only and should not be relied upon for medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, hypertension).
2. Data Collection & Usage
We collect specific data to operate the service effectively. We do not sell this data to data brokers.
Personal Data
- • Email address & Identity (via Supabase Auth)
- • Dietary restrictions & Allergies
- • Cooking skill level & Preferences
- • Profile images (if uploaded)
Usage Data
- • Pantry inventory items & expiration dates
- • Cooking history, ratings, and notes
- • Generated recipes and chat logs
- • Device information (IP, Browser, OS)
3. Artificial Intelligence Processing
kernelcook utilizes OpenAI and other LLM providers. Here is how we protect your data during this process:
- Stateless Processing: Data sent to AI (ingredients, preferences) is used solely to generate the immediate response. We have configured our API usage such that your data is not used to train OpenAI's public foundation models.
- Anonymization: We attempt to strip unnecessary PII (Personally Identifiable Information) before sending prompts to the AI. The AI knows "a user has chicken," not that "John Doe at 123 Main St has chicken."
- Content Filtering: We employ automated moderation to prevent the generation of harmful, illegal, or sexually explicit content.
5. Data Retention
We retain your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.
- Active Accounts: We retain data while your account is active to provide the service.
- Inactive Accounts: We reserve the right to delete accounts that have been inactive for over 12 months.
- Legal Obligations: We may retain usage data for internal analysis purposes or to comply with legal obligations (e.g., fraud prevention).
6. Data Sharing & Security
Third-Party Processors
- OpenAI: Recipe Generation (API).
- Supabase: Database, Auth, & Storage.
- Vercel: Hosting, Edge Network, & Analytics.
- Resend (if applicable): Transactional Emails.
Security Measures
We use Row Level Security (RLS) at the database level to ensure you can only access your own pantry.
All data is encrypted in transit (SSL/TLS) and at rest within our database infrastructure. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure.
7. Children's Privacy
Strict Age Restriction
kernelcook is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 13 (or 16 in certain European jurisdictions). We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with Personal Data, please contact us immediately so we can expunge the data.
8. International Data Transfers
Your information, including Personal Data, is processed at the Company's operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. It means that this information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from your jurisdiction.
By using kernelcook, you consent to the transfer of your data to the United States and other regions where our cloud providers (Supabase, Vercel, OpenAI) operate.
9. Your Privacy Rights
GDPR (Europe)
You have the right to access, rectify, or erase your data ("Right to be forgotten"). You may export your data at any time via the profile settings. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a Data Protection Authority.
CCPA / CPRA (California)
kernelcook does not "sell" your personal data as defined by the CCPA. You have the right to request disclosure of data collection categories, request deletion, and non-discrimination for exercising these rights.
10. Limitation of Liability
11. Binding Arbitration
Mandatory Arbitration: Any dispute arising out of these Terms shall be determined by arbitration in Delaware, USA, before one arbitrator. The arbitration shall be administered by JAMS pursuant to its Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures.
Class Action Waiver: YOU AGREE TO BRING CLAIMS ONLY IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.
12. User Generated Content (UGC)
By uploading content (including but not limited to pantry photos, recipe notes, ratings, or profile images) to kernelcook, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid, right and license (with the right to sublicense) to host, store, transfer, display, perform, reproduce, modify for the purpose of formatting for display, and distribute your Content, in whole or in part, in any media formats.
You represent and warrant that: (i) you own the Content or otherwise have the right to grant the license set forth in this section, and (ii) the posting of your Content does not violate the privacy rights, publicity rights, copyrights, contract rights or any other rights of any person.
13. DMCA & Copyright Policy
kernelcook respects the intellectual property rights of others. It is our policy to respond to any claim that Content posted on the Service infringes a copyright or other intellectual property infringement of any person.
If you are a copyright owner, or authorized on behalf of one, and you believe that the copyrighted work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement that is taking place through the Service, you must submit your notice in writing to legal@kernelcook.dev and include in your notice a detailed description of the alleged infringement.
14. State-Specific US Disclosures
California Resident Rights (Shine the Light)
Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83, California residents have the right to request in writing from businesses with whom they have an established business relationship, (a) a list of the categories of Personal Data, such as name, e-mail and mailing address and the type of services provided to the customer, that a business has disclosed to third parties (including affiliates that are separate legal entities) during the immediately preceding calendar year for the third parties' direct marketing purposes and (b) the names and addresses of all such third parties.
Nevada Residents
Nevada law (SB 220) gives Nevada consumers the right to opt out of the sale of certain personal information to third parties. We do not sell your personal information as defined by Nevada law.
Virginia (VCDPA), Colorado (CPA), Connecticut (CTDPA)
Residents of these states may have additional rights including the right to opt-out of targeted advertising, the right to data portability, and the right to appeal our decision regarding a privacy request.
15. "Do Not Track" Policy
We do not support Do Not Track ("DNT"). Do Not Track is a preference you can set in your web browser to inform websites that you do not want to be tracked. You can enable or disable Do Not Track by visiting the Preferences or Settings page of your web browser.
16. Severability & Force Majeure
- Severability: If any provision of these Terms is held to be unenforceable or invalid, such provision will be changed and interpreted to accomplish the objectives of such provision to the greatest extent possible under applicable law and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
- Force Majeure: kernelcook shall not be liable for any failure to perform its obligations hereunder where such failure results from any cause beyond kernelcook's reasonable control, including, without limitation, mechanical, electronic or communications failure or degradation (including "line-noise" interference), acts of God, pandemics, or third-party service outages (e.g., AWS, OpenAI, Vercel).
- Governing Law: These Terms shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.
17. Changes to these Terms
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy.
You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.
18. Entire Agreement
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other legal notices published by kernelcook on the Service, shall constitute the entire agreement between you and kernelcook concerning the Service.
Legal Inquiries
For privacy requests, data deletion, or legal notices: