Terms of Service

01Acceptance of these terms

ShellQuest (“ShellQuest”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) operates shellquest.dev, an invite-only platform that teaches Linux and security skills by having you solve missions inside real, isolated, browser-based sandboxes. These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) form a binding agreement between you and ShellQuest.

By creating an account, accepting an invite, or otherwise using the platform, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use ShellQuest.

02Eligibility & accounts

• You must be at least 16 years old, or the age of digital consent in your country, to use ShellQuest.
• Access is currently invite-only. Invites are personal to you and may not be resold.
• You are responsible for everything that happens under your account and for keeping your credentials secure. Tell us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access.
• One person, one account. Do not impersonate others or misrepresent your affiliation.

03Acceptable use — the rules of engagement

ShellQuest teaches genuine offensive and defensive security skills. Those skills are powerful, and this section is not boilerplate — it is the deal. By using the platform you agree that:

• The sandbox is the only sanctioned target. Every mission runs on artifacts we stage for you inside a network-isolated container. You will not use ShellQuest to launch, rehearse, or stage attacks against any system, network, or person outside that sandbox.
• Skills learned here require authorization to use elsewhere. Applying offensive techniques against systems you do not own or lack explicit written permission to test is illegal in most jurisdictions. You are solely responsible for how you use what you learn.
• Do not attack ShellQuest itself.No attempting to break out of the sandbox, escalate against our infrastructure, disrupt the service, access other users' accounts or data, or probe systems beyond the mission you are solving, unless we run an explicit, published bug-bounty or CTF with defined scope.
• Respect the community and content integrity. No harassment, no malware distribution to other users, and no mass-publishing of mission flags, solutions, or answer keys in a way that undermines the learning of others.
• No automated scraping, credential sharing, reselling access, or circumventing usage limits, rate limits, or tier restrictions.

We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate this section immediately and without refund, and we may report unlawful activity to the appropriate authorities.

04Subscriptions & billing

Paid plans are sold through our reseller and Merchant of Record, Paddle.com Market Ltd (“Paddle”). When you purchase a subscription, Paddle is the seller of record; your purchase is also subject to Paddle's buyer terms.

• Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period until you cancel.
• You can cancel at any time; access continues until the end of the period you have paid for.
• Prices may change; we will give notice before a change affects your next renewal.

Refunds are governed by our Refund Policy.

05Intellectual property

The platform, its missions, curriculum, learning content, branding, and software are owned by ShellQuest and protected by intellectual-property laws. We grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use them for your own learning while your account is in good standing.

You retain ownership of the content you create (such as notes or solutions you write). You grant us the limited license needed to operate the service — for example, to store your progress and display your handle on leaderboards you opt into.

06The in-app mentor

ShellQuest includes an in-app mentor — an AI-assisted hint feature that can see your current session to help you. It is a learning aid, not an infallible authority: it can be wrong, incomplete, or outdated. Verify anything important, and never rely on it to determine what is legal or safe to do against real-world systems. How the mentor processes your data is described in our Privacy Policy.

07Educational purpose & disclaimers

ShellQuest is provided for education and lawful skills training. It is offered on an “as is” and “as available” basis, without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that any certification or readiness score guarantees an exam result or employment outcome.

08Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, ShellQuest will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising from your use of — or inability to use — the platform. Our total liability for any claim relating to the service is limited to the amount you paid us in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim.

09Suspension & termination

You may stop using ShellQuest and close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms, if required by law, or to protect the platform and its users. On termination, your license to use the platform ends; sections that by their nature should survive (such as intellectual property, disclaimers, and limitation of liability) will continue to apply.

10Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms as the platform evolves. When we make material changes, we will update the date at the top and, where appropriate, notify you. Continuing to use ShellQuest after a change means you accept the updated Terms.

11Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Arab Republic of Egypt, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules, and the courts located there will have jurisdiction, except where mandatory consumer-protection laws of your country of residence provide otherwise.