Terms of Service

1. Who we are and who these terms cover

Hotkey operates an online marketplace that connects businesses (employers) with independent automation specialists (Coaches, Practitioners and Engineers). These terms are a binding agreement between you and Hotkey. If you use Hotkey for a company, you confirm you are authorized to bind that company.

You must be at least 18 and able to form a legal contract to use Hotkey.

2. Hotkey's role

Hotkey provides the marketplace, matching, contract, messaging, file, and payout tracking tools. Hotkey is not an employer, staffing agency, or party to the work itself, and does not supervise or direct how specialists perform their work.

Specialists are independent contractors, not employees or agents of Hotkey or of the employer. Each side is responsible for its own taxes, licenses, insurance, and legal obligations, including correct worker classification.

3. Accounts and verification

Give accurate, current information and keep your sign in details private. You are responsible for all activity on your account. Notify us right away of any unauthorized use.

Verification badges reflect a review by Hotkey at a point in time. They are not a guarantee of quality, results, or fitness for a particular purpose. Do not misrepresent your experience, certifications, or verification status.

Hotkey may suspend, limit, or close accounts that break these terms, create risk, or are required to be closed by law.

4. Requests, proposals, and negotiation

Employers may post requests describing real work. Requests must not contain live personal, financial, health, or confidential data, and must not ask for anything unlawful.

Specialists may propose and counter offer, including above an employer's stated maximum with a written reason. Employers are never obligated to accept any proposal or offer. Hotkey may flag, pause, or remove content that breaks these terms.

5. Work contracts

Accepting a proposal creates a work contract between the employer and the specialist using the Hotkey template for that tier, including the agreed total, timeline, weekly hours estimate, update cadence, and maintenance terms. Both sides must sign before files are shared or work begins.

The work contract governs the relationship between employer and specialist. If it conflicts with these terms on anything relating to use of Hotkey, these terms control.

6. Fees, payments, and payouts

Posting and proposing are free. When an employer accepts a proposal, a Hotkey service fee (currently 10% of the agreed project total) is charged to the employer upfront. A monthly service fee may apply and will be announced before it starts.

Payouts are scheduled weekly and released once the specialist posts the required progress update. Released payouts are final; any correction is made through a separate, documented adjusting entry rather than by reversing the original record.

Fees are non refundable except where required by law or stated in writing by Hotkey. Prices exclude taxes unless stated.

7. No circumvention

For 12 months after first being introduced through Hotkey, employers and specialists agree not to arrange paid work with each other outside Hotkey in a way that avoids Hotkey fees, unless both pay a conversion fee agreed in writing with Hotkey.

8. Files, confidentiality, and data

Employers choose how each file is shared: an anonymized copy made in the browser (the real values are kept in an encrypted key only the employer can use), a view-only file that is watermarked and logged, or a confidential download under the work contract. Specialists may open project files only under a signed work contract, only for that project, and only while it is active.

Specialists must keep everything learned about an employer confidential, must not attempt to re identify anonymized data, must not share files outside the project, and must delete copies when the project closes unless the contract says otherwise.

Hotkey does not use your files or work product to train artificial intelligence models.

9. Ownership of work

Unless the work contract says otherwise, deliverables built for a project (queries, flows, macros, scripts, and documentation) transfer to the employer once paid for. Specialists keep their general know how and pre existing tools, and grant the employer a license to use any pre existing material included in the deliverables.

You keep ownership of content you post. You grant Hotkey a limited license to host and display it as needed to run the marketplace.

10. Acceptable use

Do not use Hotkey to send spam, harass others, scrape or collect user information, upload malware, attempt to access data you are not authorized to see, interfere with security controls, or break any law.

11. Ending a project or account

Either side may end a project under the terms of its work contract. Work through the last approved weekly update is paid, and file access ends when the project closes.

You may close your account at any time through the Contact us page. Records required for accounting, tax, legal, or audit purposes are kept after closure.

12. Disputes between users

Employers and specialists should first try to resolve disagreements directly. Hotkey may help troubleshoot and review deal history, but is not required to decide disputes and is not liable for the outcome.

13. Disclaimers

Hotkey is provided as is and as available. Hotkey does not guarantee any particular result, that work will be error free, or that the marketplace will be uninterrupted. Hotkey's controls are built to support GAAP and SOX control environments, but use of Hotkey does not by itself make any company compliant.

14. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, Hotkey is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, revenue, or data. Hotkey's total liability for any claim is limited to the fees you paid Hotkey in the 12 months before the claim.

15. Indemnity

You agree to cover Hotkey for claims, losses, and costs arising from your content, your work, your breach of these terms, or your violation of law or the rights of others.

16. Governing law and disputes with Hotkey

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Arizona, United States, without regard to conflict of law rules. Disputes with Hotkey will first be raised informally through the Contact us page and, if not resolved within 30 days, may be brought in the state or federal courts located in Maricopa County, Arizona.

17. Changes and contact

We may update these terms. When changes are significant we will ask you to review and accept the new version before continuing to use Hotkey.

Questions about these terms can be sent through the Contact us page.