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Terms & Conditions

The terms governing your use of the Lightning Piggy website, hardware, app, Treasure Hunt, marketplace and related services.

Last updated: 26 June 2026

These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Lightning Piggy website at lightningpiggy.com and its subdomains, the open-source Lightning Piggy hardware, the Lightning Piggy mobile application, the Treasure Hunt, the vendor marketplace, and any related content, tools and services (together, the “Services”).

The Services are provided by the Lightning Piggy project, a free and open-source project maintained by its volunteer contributors (“Lightning Piggy”, “we”, “us” or “our”). The project is in early development and is not currently incorporated as a legal entity. You can reach us at oink@lightningpiggy.com.

Please read these Terms carefully. By accessing the Website, building or using the Device, downloading or using the App, taking part in the Treasure Hunt, or otherwise using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.

1. Key things to understand first

Lightning Piggy is an open-source educational project. Some points are important enough to state up front, and they are repeated and expanded on below:

  • We are not a wallet, bank, exchange, custodian, broker or money transmitter. The Device and the App do not hold, store, control or have access to your bitcoin, satoshis, private keys, seed phrases or funds at any time. They are tools that connect to a Bitcoin Lightning and/or Nostr wallet that you choose and control, whether self-custodial or custodial.
  • We never take custody of your funds and cannot move, freeze, refund or recover them. Your funds live in the third-party wallet you connect, governed by that wallet provider’s own terms.
  • Nothing in the Services is financial, investment, tax or legal advice.
  • Bitcoin and digital assets carry significant risk, including total and irreversible loss. You use the Services entirely at your own risk.
  • The App is pre-release “open beta” software provided for testing purposes and may contain bugs, change, or be withdrawn at any time.
  • Lightning Piggy is marketed for families and children but is intended to be set up and supervised by a parent or legal guardian.

2. Eligibility, children and parental responsibility

The Services are intended for adults aged 18 or over, and for children only under the active supervision and control of a parent or legal guardian.

If you are a parent or guardian setting up or supervising a Device, App or wallet connection for a child, you are solely responsible for: that child’s use of the Services; the choice of connected wallet and whether it is custodial or self-custodial; the security of any keys, PINs, backups and funds; the amounts made available to the child; and all activity that takes place under your or the child’s connected wallet.

Do not allow a child to use the Services unsupervised. You agree that you enter into these Terms on behalf of yourself and any child you supervise.

3. Nature of the Services - not a wallet or financial service

You acknowledge and agree that:

  • The Device is an open-source electronic piggy bank that displays information (such as a receiving QR code, balance, recent transactions and messages) by connecting to a wallet you provide. It is a display and convenience tool. It does not custody funds.
  • The App lets you connect to and interact with one or more wallets you control (for example via Nostr Wallet Connect / NWC or an LNbits connection), view balances, send and receive payments through your connected wallet, and use Nostr-based features. It does not custody funds.
  • All payments, transfers, swaps and balances are executed by, and held within, the third-party wallet and the Bitcoin / Lightning networks, not by Lightning Piggy.
  • We do not provide, control or guarantee any wallet, exchange rate, liquidity, channel, node, relay or payment route.
  • We are not a party to, and accept no responsibility for, any transaction you make using a connected wallet.

We do not provide custodial, exchange, brokerage, payment-processing or money-transmission services, and nothing in the Services should be relied on as such.

The Website, the App, the documentation, guides, FAQs, newsletter and all other content are provided for general information and education only. They do not constitute financial, investment, accounting, tax or legal advice, and must not be relied upon as such. Bitcoin and tax treatment vary by jurisdiction and change over time. You are responsible for determining what laws and taxes apply to you, and you should seek independent professional advice before making decisions. Always do your own research.

5. Risk disclosure

You understand and accept that:

  • The value of bitcoin and other digital assets is volatile and can fall as well as rise, potentially to zero.
  • Bitcoin and Lightning transactions are generally irreversible. A payment sent to the wrong destination, or in the wrong amount, may be impossible to recover.
  • Loss, theft or compromise of your private keys, seed phrase, PIN, device or connected wallet credentials can result in permanent and total loss of funds.
  • The Bitcoin network, the Lightning Network, Nostr relays and third-party wallets may experience downtime, congestion, fee spikes, bugs, forks or failures outside our control.
  • The legal and regulatory status of bitcoin differs by jurisdiction and may change, which may affect your ability to use the Services.
  • Open-source and beta software may contain errors or vulnerabilities.

You use the Services, and hold and transact in bitcoin, entirely at your own risk.

6. Your security responsibilities

You are solely responsible for safeguarding your wallet, private keys, seed phrases, PINs, passwords, backups, connection strings (such as NWC URIs) and devices. Do not share them with anyone, and treat any request to do so as a scam. We will never ask you for your seed phrase or private keys. We cannot reset, recover or restore your keys or funds.

7. Open-source software and licence

Lightning Piggy software and hardware designs are open source. Unless a particular component states otherwise, the software is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0), and your rights to use, copy, modify and distribute that software are governed by the applicable open-source licence, a copy of which is provided with the source code.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, all open-source components are provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind, as set out in the applicable licence (including, for GPL-3.0, the disclaimer of warranty and limitation of liability in its sections 15 to 17). These Terms do not limit any rights granted to you under, and do not override, the applicable open-source licence.

8. Beta software

The App (and certain firmware and tools) may be offered as pre-release, “open beta” or experimental software for testing purposes, including via Apple TestFlight and Android APK downloads. Beta software may be incomplete, unstable, contain bugs, behave unexpectedly, lose data, or be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time without notice. Do not rely on beta software to hold meaningful value, and only connect amounts you can afford to lose.

9. Third-party services, wallets and networks

The Services interoperate with, link to, or rely on third parties that we neither control nor endorse, including but not limited to: wallet providers and software (such as LNbits, Alby Hub, Coinos, Zeus and Primal), the Bitcoin network, the Lightning Network, Nostr relays, app distribution platforms (Apple, Google), code hosting (GitHub), and payment or donation processors (such as BTCPay Server).

Your use of any third-party service is governed by that third party’s own terms and privacy practices, which are solely between you and that third party. We are not responsible or liable for the availability, accuracy, security, custody practices, acts or omissions of any third party, including any loss of funds arising from a connected wallet or network. Choose your wallet and counterparties carefully and do your own research.

10. The Treasure Hunt and Piglets

The Treasure Hunt and “Piglet” geocaches are an optional, recreational feature. By taking part you acknowledge and agree that:

  • Locations shown on the map are provided “as is”, may be inaccurate, out of date, or placed by third parties, and may include caches drawn from public Nostr networks that we do not control.
  • Funds associated with a Piglet may already be claimed, may be unavailable, or may not exist. We do not guarantee that any Piglet contains funds or that you will be able to claim anything. Claims are typically first-come, first-served.
  • You are responsible for your own safety and conduct. You must obey all laws, respect private property and access rights, not trespass, not damage property or the environment, and exercise care in your surroundings. Supervise children at all times.
  • You take part entirely at your own risk, and we are not liable for any loss, injury, damage or dispute arising from participation.

11. Marketplace and vendor directory

The marketplace and vendor listings are a directory for discovery only. A listing is not an endorsement, recommendation, verification or guarantee of any vendor, product, service, price or claim. We are not a party to any transaction between you and a vendor and accept no responsibility for vendor conduct, fulfilment, quality, legality or accuracy. Any dealings are solely between you and the vendor. Do your own due diligence before transacting.

If you apply to be listed as a vendor, you confirm that the information you submit is accurate and that you have the right to submit it, and you grant us permission to publish the information you provide (which may include a store description and logo) on the Website. We may accept, reject, edit or remove any listing or application at our discretion.

12. Donations

Donations made to Lightning Piggy are voluntary gifts in support of the project. Unless required by law, donations are non-refundable and do not entitle you to any goods, services, equity, token, profit, governance right or expectation of return. Recognition of supporters or donors on the Website is at our discretion and may be changed or removed.

13. Newsletter and communications

If you subscribe to our newsletter you consent to receiving emails from us. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in those emails. We process the email address you provide in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

14. User-submitted content

If you submit content to the Services - for example posts to a community message board, builds shared “in the wild”, ZapMyPiggy entries, vendor applications, or feedback - you confirm that you own or have the right to submit it and that it does not infringe any third-party rights or any law. You grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, reproduce, display and distribute that content in connection with operating and promoting the Services. We may moderate, edit or remove any user content at our discretion. Feedback and suggestions may be used by us freely and without obligation.

15. Acceptable use

You agree not to: use the Services for any unlawful, fraudulent or harmful purpose; use the Services for money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion or any activity prohibited by applicable law; infringe the rights of others; upload malware or attempt to gain unauthorised access to, disrupt, overload, scrape or reverse-engineer the Services (except as expressly permitted by the applicable open-source licence); impersonate others or misrepresent your affiliation; or interfere with another user’s use of the Services. You are responsible for complying with all laws that apply to you, including in your country of residence.

16. Intellectual property and brand

The Lightning Piggy source code and hardware designs are made available under their applicable open-source licences (see section 7). However, the Lightning Piggy name, logo, mascot, brand assets and other trademarks are not granted to you under those licences and remain our property. You may not use our name, logo or brand assets in a way that is misleading, implies endorsement or affiliation we have not given, or is otherwise prohibited, without our prior written permission. Brand usage guidance, where provided on the Website, forms part of these Terms.

17. Privacy

Your use of the Services is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains what limited personal data we process (for example, a newsletter email address or a vendor application) and how. Where the Device and App operate without accounts and connect directly to your wallet and to public networks, much of your activity does not pass through our servers at all.

18. Disclaimer of warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Services are provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied or statutory, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, accuracy or non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, free of harmful components, or that any information, balance, location or result will be accurate or reliable. No advice or information obtained from us creates any warranty not expressly stated in these Terms.

19. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event will Lightning Piggy, the project, or its volunteers, contributors, maintainers, agents or partners be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages, or for any loss of bitcoin, satoshis, funds, keys, profits, savings, data, goodwill or opportunity, arising out of or relating to your use of (or inability to use) the Services, any connected wallet or third party, any transaction, the Treasure Hunt, any vendor, or these Terms, whether based in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability or otherwise, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability for all claims relating to the Services will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us directly, if any, for the Service giving rise to the claim in the 12 months before the claim, or (b) EUR 100.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain exclusions, so some of the above may not apply to you; in that case our liability is limited to the smallest extent permitted by law.

20. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Lightning Piggy, the project and its volunteers, contributors, maintainers, agents and partners from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to your use or misuse of the Services, your connected wallet or transactions, your violation of these Terms or any law, or your infringement of any third-party right.

21. Changes to the Services and these Terms

We may add, change, suspend or discontinue any part of the Services at any time without notice. We may also update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date above, and the changes take effect when posted. Your continued use of the Services after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree, you must stop using the Services.

22. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Services (or any part of them) at any time, with or without cause or notice, including if we believe you have breached these Terms. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including sections 3 to 6 and 16 to 24) will survive.

23. Governing law and disputes

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them or the Services are governed by the laws of the United Kingdom (England and Wales), without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. If you are a consumer, you also keep the benefit of any mandatory consumer protections of the country where you live, and nothing in these Terms removes your right to bring proceedings there.

24. General

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force. Our failure to enforce any right is not a waiver of it. You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our consent; we may assign them to a successor or affiliate. These Terms, together with any policies referenced in them (including the Privacy Policy and any brand guidance), are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Services. Nothing in these Terms creates any partnership, agency or employment relationship.

25. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to oink@lightningpiggy.com, or via our community channels linked on the Website.