Terms of Service

Last updated: 22 August 2026

These terms govern use of Emerald, a Kenyan legal-data API, MCP server and website operated by Ynai. By creating an account or using the service you agree to these terms.

The service

Emerald provides search and retrieval over Kenyan judgments, statutes and related legal material through a web app, a REST API and an MCP server, together with derived text, metadata and provenance links back to the originating public source.

Accounts

You need an Emerald account to obtain an API key or use the account area. You are responsible for the accuracy of your account details and for activity carried out with your credentials and API keys. Tell us at legal@ynai.co.ke if you believe a key or account has been compromised, and revoke the key from your account immediately.

Plans, billing and credit

Emerald is offered on a pay-as-you-go basis and through Pro and Max monthly plans, billed through Paystack. Free accounts are limited to the free tier's daily and monthly request allowance. Pay-as-you-go accounts draw down prepaid credit and stop when the balance reaches zero. Pro and Max accounts include a monthly request allowance and can continue on prepaid credit once that allowance is used. Prices and allowances are shown on the pricing page and may change; changes will not reduce credit you have already paid for.

Subscription plans renew monthly until cancelled from your Emerald account. Prepaid credit top-ups are non-refundable once applied, except where required by law.

Acceptable use

You agree not to use Emerald to scrape or resell the underlying corpus as a competing bulk data product, to circumvent rate limits or quotas, to attempt unauthorised access to the service or other accounts, or to use the service for an unlawful purpose. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate this section or that we reasonably believe put the service or other users at risk.

No legal advice

Emerald provides legal data, not legal advice, and does not create an advocate-client relationship. See the disclaimer for how to use search results, document text and API output responsibly, including checking the authoritative source before relying on anything Emerald returns.

Availability and changes

We work to keep the API, MCP service and stored corpus available but do not guarantee uninterrupted access, and may modify, suspend or discontinue features with reasonable notice where practical.

Limitation of liability

Emerald is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the extent permitted by Kenyan law, Ynai is not liable for indirect, incidental or consequential loss arising from use of the service, and our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid Emerald in the three months before the claim arose.

Termination

You may stop using Emerald and close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate an account for breach of these terms, non-payment or misuse. Sections that by their nature should survive termination, including billing for usage already incurred and limitation of liability, will survive.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of Kenya. Disputes will be handled in the courts of Kenya unless otherwise required by applicable law.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as Emerald changes. The date at the top of this page shows the latest revision. Continued use of Emerald after a change takes effect means you accept the updated terms.

Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent to legal@ynai.co.ke.