Usage Policy
Last updated: March 18, 2026
1. Overview
This Usage Policy defines the acceptable and prohibited uses of MATONE, including its AI-assisted research tools, computational backends (Quantum ESPRESSO, Psi4, LAMMPS), cloud compute management, and web interface.
This policy applies to all features and access methods, including the web interface, REST API, MCP tools for Claude Code, and any cloud compute instances provisioned through the platform.
2. Prohibited Uses
The following activities are strictly prohibited. Violations may result in immediate account suspension or termination.
Legal & Safety
- Designing, simulating, or optimizing materials for use in weapons, explosive devices, or hazardous substances.
- Simulating controlled substances or materials for illicit drug manufacturing without proper authorization.
- Using MATONE in violation of export control regulations, including EAR and ITAR.
- Conducting research that poses a threat to national security or public safety.
Infrastructure & Systems
- Using computational resources or cloud instances for cryptocurrency mining or non-scientific workloads.
- Attempting to gain unauthorized access to other users' accounts, data, or cloud instances.
- Running non-scientific workloads on cloud instances, including web hosting, game servers, or proxy services.
Content & Privacy
- Uploading personally identifiable information of third parties without their explicit consent.
- Deliberately generating or distributing misleading or fabricated computational results.
- Using proprietary crystal structures or force field parameters in violation of their license terms.
Platform Abuse
- Automated scraping or systematic extraction of data beyond normal research usage.
- Creating multiple accounts to circumvent usage limits or enforcement actions.
- Intentionally interfering with other users' calculations or degrading platform performance.
3. Computational Resource Usage
To ensure fair access and platform stability:
- Run only legitimate scientific calculations (DFT, MD, structure optimization, property analysis).
- Do not monopolize shared resources or block other users' access.
- Clean up unused instances, temporary files, and unnecessary data promptly.
- Report resource anomalies or errors immediately.
4. Cloud Compute Usage
Cloud compute instances provisioned through MATONE must follow these rules:
- Cloud instances must be used exclusively for materials science calculations supported by MATONE.
- Respect region-specific regulations and compliance requirements.
- Monitor and manage your costs responsibly.
- Do not modify security configurations in ways that compromise instance or infrastructure security.
- Terminate unused instances to avoid unnecessary charges.
5. Research Ethics
MATONE is designed to support rigorous, ethical scientific research:
- Properly cite MATONE and underlying tools (QE, Psi4, LAMMPS, pymatgen) in publications.
- Validate computational results against experimental data and established literature before publication.
- Follow your institution's research integrity guidelines.
6. Enforcement
Violations may result in the following actions, applied proportionally:
- Formal warning with a description of the violation and required corrective actions.
- Temporary suspension of account access or cloud compute capabilities.
- Permanent termination of the user's account.
- Reporting illegal activities to appropriate law enforcement authorities.
7. Reporting
If you become aware of any violation of this Usage Policy, please report it to abuse@matone.one. All reports are treated confidentially.