ADR 0003 — Open-core license split (AGPL + Apache + commercial EE)

- **Status:** Accepted - **Date:** 2026-07-23

Context

We are launching open-source-first to earn developer trust and adoption, but the hosted, real-time multiplayer workspace *is* the business — we need to deter a hyperscaler or competitor from reselling a hosted clone, without sacrificing the "developers build on us" flywheel. We surveyed how recent open-source YC companies license their code (Supabase, Cal.com, Twenty, Infisical, Continue, E2B, Trigger.dev, Dify).

Decision

Adopt an **open-core split**:

- **AGPL-3.0** for the app, realtime/collab engine, and orchestrator (`apps/*` and most `packages/*`). Strong copyleft closes the SaaS loophole. - **Apache-2.0** for embeddable pieces — the public SDK (`packages/sdk`), and a future CLI. Permissive + patent grant maximizes third-party adoption, following Continue/E2B. - **Commercial license** for `packages/ee` (SSO/SAML, RBAC, audit logs), like Twenty/Infisical.

We explicitly do **not** launch on BSL / SSPL / "sustainable use" licenses — those are trust-killers for an OSS-first launch and are typically relicensing moves made later, under duress.

Consequences

- Self-hosters get the whole product under AGPL. - Integrators can embed the SDK freely. - The paid tier has a clear home; contributors are directed away from `ee` unless engaged commercially. - Each boundary carries its own `LICENSE` file and `package.json` `license` field.