Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 10, 2026

Payload.ai (“Payload,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) helps AI coding agents find relevant developer tools while they build. This Privacy Policy explains what we collect, what we do not collect, and how we use information to run Payload.

1. Overview

Payload is designed to work without collecting your source code, files, chat history, or raw prompts.

When your agent needs something, it may send Payload a short summary of the kind of tool it is looking for, such as auth, storage, database, payments, hosting, analytics, or an API. Payload uses that summary to recommend a relevant service. We do not store raw prompts.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information

If you create an account or sign in, we collect information needed to identify and manage your account, such as your email address, display name where available, authentication provider, and account status.

Installation and Session Identifiers

Payload may create an installation ID, session ID, or account token so recommendations and eligible earnings can be attributed to the right account. These identifiers are used for account management, fraud prevention, and revenue share accounting.

Recommendation Events

When Payload checks, returns, or tracks a recommendation, we may record limited event data, including:

Event type, such as recommendation returned, used, skipped, or rejected
Recommendation, advertiser, campaign, session, and account identifiers
The tool category or short need summary, such as database, auth, payments, storage, or hosting
Pricing, revenue share, and payout metadata needed for advertiser billing and builder earnings
Timestamps, version numbers, and basic technical diagnostics

Payment and Payout Information

If you advertise through Payload or receive payouts, payment and payout processing may be handled by Stripe. We do not store full card numbers. Stripe may collect payment, bank account, tax, identity, and compliance information under its own terms and privacy policy.

Website and Security Data

Like most websites and online services, we may process basic technical information such as IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, timestamps, and cookies or similar technologies. We use this for security, abuse prevention, analytics, and making the site work.

3. Information We Do Not Collect

Payload is designed so we do not collect:

Your source code
Your file contents or project files
Your file names or project structure
Your chat history with your AI agent
Your raw prompts or full AI responses
Your browsing activity outside Payload

If a local integration performs matching on your machine, that matching happens locally. If a remote agent or MCP client calls Payload, it should send only a short need summary or category, not your raw prompt or code.

4. How We Use Information

We use the information described above to:

Recommend relevant developer tools to your AI coding agent
Attribute eligible recommendation usage to your account
Share revenue with builders when recommendations are used
Bill advertisers and report aggregate campaign performance
Operate dashboards, account features, payouts, and support
Detect fraud, abuse, fake usage, and account manipulation
Improve Payload and keep the service secure
Comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations

5. Advertiser Reporting

Advertisers may receive aggregate campaign reporting, such as recommendation counts, usage counts, categories, spend, and performance metrics. We do not give advertisers your source code, raw prompts, files, chat history, or personal project contents.

6. Cookies and Analytics

Payload pages may use cookies or similar technologies for sign-in, security, preferences, analytics, and campaign measurement. You can control cookies through your browser settings. Some parts of the site may not work correctly if required cookies are disabled.

Our pages may load third-party services, such as fonts, authentication, analytics, hosting, or payment providers. Those providers may process limited technical data needed to provide their services.

7. Service Providers

We may share information with service providers that help us operate Payload, including hosting, databases, authentication, payments, payouts, analytics, email, security, and customer support providers. These providers may use information only to provide services to us and must protect it according to their agreements with us.

8. Legal and Safety Disclosures

We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, court order, or governmental request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect Payload, users, advertisers, the public, or the integrity of the service.

9. Retention

We keep account information while your account is active. We may retain some information after account closure where needed for fraud prevention, security, accounting, tax, dispute resolution, legal compliance, and payout records.

When you ask us to delete your account, we will delete or anonymize personal identifiers within a reasonable period, unless we need to retain certain records for the reasons above. Aggregated or anonymized data may be retained.

10. Your Choices and Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of personal information, and to object to or restrict some processing. To make a request, email support@payload.ai.

We do not sell personal information for money. If privacy laws define certain advertising or analytics cookies as “sharing” or “targeted advertising,” you may be able to opt out through browser settings, cookie controls if offered, or by contacting us.

11. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect information, including encrypted connections, access controls, authentication, and monitoring. No online service is perfectly secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Children's Privacy

Payload is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

13. International Users

Payload is operated from the United States. If you use Payload from another country, your information may be processed in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate.

14. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If changes are material, we will update the date above and may provide additional notice through the website, dashboard, email, or product experience.

15. Contact

Questions or privacy requests? Email support@payload.ai.