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Open Source

Alchemist is licensed under GPLv3. That means:

  • Free to use, for any purpose, including commercial.
  • Free to modify. Fork it, patch it, ship your own variant.
  • Free to redistribute, as long as derivative works stay under GPLv3.

The entire codebase lives in one repository: github.com/bybrooklyn/alchemist. There is no private, closed, or "pro" repository that ships features the public version lacks. The public source tree is the product.

What "actually open source" means here​

Several tools in this category ship a free tier alongside a paid tier with extra features, license-key unlocks, or source-available terms that are not the same thing as a copyleft open-source project. Alchemist does neither:

  • There is no paid tier. Every feature in Alchemist is in the GPLv3 source tree.
  • There is no account, no license key, no phone-home check.
  • The binary you install is built from the same code in the repository you can read.
  • Commercial use is allowed under GPLv3. If you distribute a modified build, you keep it GPLv3 and ship the source.

That is the line Alchemist draws: no "community edition" that exists to upsell the real one, and no operational feature held behind a subscription.

Telemetry​

Opt-in, off by default. The config field is system.enable_telemetry and the setup wizard asks explicitly. See Configuration Reference.

Contributing​

Bug reports and pull requests are welcome on GitHub:

See Contributing for development setup.

FAQ​

Can I use Alchemist commercially? Yes. GPLv3 permits commercial use. Derivative works you distribute must remain under GPLv3 and ship their source.

Is there a paid or enterprise tier? No. There is no closed source, no private feature set, no license key system, and no intent to add one.

Do I have to share my modifications? Only if you distribute modified binaries to others. Private modifications for internal use don't require publication. See the GPLv3 text for the specifics.

Does Alchemist phone home? No. Telemetry is opt-in and off by default. The config key is system.enable_telemetry. The setup wizard asks explicitly.

Where do I report bugs or request features? GitHub Issues. Bug reports with reproduction steps and log excerpts get triaged first.

Comparisons​

If you're evaluating Alchemist against another tool and licensing matters to you: