Sponsor human-visible software moments, not hidden machine output.
TipCLI can support CLIs, AI agents, MCP servers, templates, plugins, local apps, and dev servers because the rule is simple: a sponsor card must be labeled, human-visible, non-blocking, and safe to ignore.
Allowed
- The sponsor card is visible to a human before or after a workflow moment.
- The placement is clearly labeled as sponsored and controlled by the maintainer.
- The card is non-blocking and the tool keeps working when TipCLI is unavailable.
- The surface does not alter generated code, agent context, MCP tool responses, or machine-readable output.
Blocked
- No hidden prompts, agent memory, LLM context, or generated-code injection.
- No sponsor content inside MCP tool responses, JSON APIs, logs used by automation, or CI output.
- No placement that impersonates an error, dependency warning, security alert, or maintainer message.
- No payable delivery from fixtures, CI, disabled mode, internal tests, or invisible machine calls.
Why this is not install-time terminal advertising
Developer tooling has already rejected surprise ads in dependency install output. TipCLI follows the opposite rule: no install hooks, no fake warnings, no impersonated maintainer messages, and no sponsor copy inside machine-readable automation output.
A maintainer chooses a human-visible runtime or workflow moment, the sponsor card is labeled, the campaign is manually reviewed, and the tool keeps working if TipCLI is unavailable.
Supported launch surfaces
These are review categories, not permission to place sponsors anywhere inside a tool. The exact placement still needs review.
CLI tool
Startup output, command completion, install success, and maintainer-approved terminal moments.
AI agent
Run summaries, task completion screens, and local agent dashboards visible to humans.
MCP server
Setup output, inspector pages, health screens, and tool discovery pages for MCP servers.
Open-source app
Open-source dashboards, local-first apps, admin panels, and developer utilities.
Template or starter
Post-create screens, starter kits, boilerplates, and generated project handoff notes.
Plugin or extension
VS Code-style extensions, Codex/Claude skills, workflow plugins, and devtool panels.
Local dev surface
Dev server ready messages, local dashboards, preview tools, and build monitors.
Other workflow
A reviewed human-visible workflow moment that does not fit the default list.