UEL v1.0  ·  Source-available license

Unenshittifiable
License

A source-available license for software that belongs to the commons.

Study it. Fork it. Self-host it. Improve it.
Just don't turn it into a toll booth.

The warden goose, out for a drive
FIG.1 — The commons, in use Toll booth ✕
A colourful public road winding through a friendly neighbourhood — people, cyclists, students and cute internet creatures sharing the space, an open gate, forking paths, and a vine-covered toll booth crossed out in the distance
§02  Permits

Bring the whole community. Leave the cash register at home.

Permitted
  • ✓Read the code
  • ✓Fork the code
  • ✓Modify the code
  • ✓Self-host it, forever
  • ✓Use it internally at work
  • ✓Offer consulting around it
Not permitted
  • ✕Launch a paid clone
  • ✕Sell access to it
  • ✕Create a paid “Pro” edition
  • ✕Bundle it into a commercial product
  • ✕Impersonate the original project
§03  Why

The road is public.
The toll booth is not.

UEL exists for software that should stay useful public infrastructure — the kind of thing a school, a club, a city, or a stranger on the internet can pick up and run without asking anyone's permission.

It protects the freedom to learn, modify, and self-host, while keeping the commons out of the hands of anyone who'd fence it off and charge for the view.

The goal isn't to maximise profit. The goal is to keep good things good.

→
Open to everyone
read · fork · run · improve
→
Maintained together
improvements flow back to all
✕
No enclosure
no paywalls on the commons
FIG.2 — The toll booth, having lost Case closed ✕
The warden goose strolling away with a wrench over its shoulder, whistling The toll booth, crossed-out and crumbling
§04  The warden

A cheerful community goose runs this place.

Not a corporate mascot. Not a product mascot. A guardian of the commons — slightly chaotic, fundamentally benevolent. It opens gates, points people toward interesting side roads, and helps maintain public spaces.

It has a strong personal dislike of toll booths, paywalls, dark patterns, and artificial barriers.

The goose never attacks people. The goose only attacks toll booths.

"You built something useful. Why are you charging €19 a month for the privilege of existing near it?"

— the goose, mid-honk · HOOONK

The warden goose, pointing at the directions
Public road · all welcome
Fork it
Self-host it
Improve it
§05  Is UEL right for my project?

The honest answers.

The warden goose, ready for your questions
Yes — that's the whole point. Spin it up on your own box, your school's server, your community's spare laptop in a closet. Forever, for free, no permission slip required.
Absolutely. Run it for your team, your staff, your internal tools and dashboards. Internal use is just… use. The commons doesn't check your org chart.
Go for it. Charge to install it, configure it, teach it, support it, customise it. You're selling your time and your expertise — not fencing off the commons.
Not a paid one built on UEL software. You're welcome to run a free, public instance — but you can't put the public road behind a toll booth and charge admission.
No paid editions, no “Pro” tier, no commercial fork held just out of reach. Improvements belong back in the commons, where everyone gets them — not behind a card reader.
It's source-available. You get the source and the freedom to read, fork, run, and improve it — minus the freedom to monetise the commons. Think of it as open-hearted.
Because too many good, useful things get bought, paywalled, and quietly made worse. UEL is a small fence around the freedoms that matter — built so good things can stay good. The goose insisted.