1. What Is the Open-Source Kill Switch
Screenplay Studio is developed and maintained by Northem Development, currently as a solo development effort. The open-source kill switch is a commitment that if the project can no longer be maintained , whether due to personal circumstances, financial constraints, or any other reason , the full codebase will be released publicly so that users can continue running the software on their own infrastructure.
This is not an internal feature toggle. This is a guarantee that the software will never die with its maintainer. If I can't keep going, you keep going.
2. Why It Exists
Solo-maintained open-source projects carry a fundamental risk: what happens when the single maintainer can no longer maintain it? The open-source kill switch addresses this directly:
- Project survival: Your screenplays, scripts, and production data should not become inaccessible because one person can no longer work on the project.
- User trust: You are investing time and creative work into this platform. You deserve a guarantee that your tools won't vanish.
- Community empowerment: The open-source community can fork, improve, and maintain the project independently if the original maintainer steps away.
- No vendor lock-in: Unlike proprietary software where discontinuation means total loss, open-source ensures the software lives on regardless of the company's fate.
3. When It Activates
The open-source kill switch is triggered when the project maintainer determines that the project can no longer be actively maintained. This includes, but is not limited to:
- The maintainer is unable to continue development due to personal health, life circumstances, or other obligations.
- Northem Development ceases operations or is dissolved.
- The project has been inactive for an extended period with no reasonable prospect of resumption.
- The maintainer voluntarily decides to step away from the project.
The determination of whether the kill switch should be activated is at the sole discretion of the project maintainer. The goal is to ensure continuity for users, not to create bureaucratic hurdles.
4. 30-Day Warning Period
Before the kill switch is activated, users will receive a minimum 30-day advance warning. During this period:
- All registered users will be notified via email to the address associated with their account.
- A prominent notice will be displayed on the platform.
- The warning will clearly state the expected shutdown date and provide instructions for data export.
- Users will have full access to all features during the warning period to export their content.
This 30-day period is a minimum. The actual warning period may be longer depending on the circumstances. The intent is to give users ample time to export their data and prepare for self-hosting or migration.
5. Codebase Release
Upon activation of the kill switch, the complete source code of Screenplay Studio will be made publicly available under an open-source license. This includes:
- The full application source code (frontend, backend, and all supporting services).
- Database schemas and migration files.
- Configuration files and deployment guides.
- Documentation for self-hosting and setup.
The code will be published on GitHub and mirrored to at least one additional platform to ensure redundancy. The license will permit free use, modification, and distribution , ensuring the community can maintain and improve the software independently.
6. Self-Hosting
Screenplay Studio is designed to be self-hostable. After the kill switch activates, users with the technical capability to do so can:
- Deploy their own instance of the platform on their own infrastructure.
- Maintain their own data and user accounts independently.
- Modify and customise the software to suit their needs.
- Contribute improvements back to the community fork.
Self-hosting requires technical knowledge including Node.js, PostgreSQL, and Supabase (or a compatible alternative). The release will include documentation to assist with setup, but self-hosted instances are not supported by Northem Development after the project transitions to community maintenance.
For users without the technical capability to self-host, the 30-day warning period provides sufficient time to export all content in standard formats (Fountain, Final Draft, PDF, JSON) for use in other tools.
7. What Happens to Your Data
Your data remains yours. Here is exactly what happens:
- During the warning period: Full access to all data and export functionality. Export your screenplays, scripts, and project data at any time in Fountain, Final Draft (.fdx), PDF, or JSON format.
- At shutdown: The hosted platform at screenplaystudio.fun will cease operation. All data remaining on the hosted platform after the shutdown date will be permanently deleted in accordance with our data retention policies and Privacy Policy.
- Self-hosted instances: Users who deploy their own instance before shutdown retain full control of their data on their own infrastructure. The codebase release enables this transition.
- No data selling: In the event of project shutdown, user data will never be sold, transferred to a third party for commercial purposes, or used for any purpose other than facilitating the transition to community maintenance.
8. Community Continuity
The open-source kill switch is designed to enable seamless community takeover:
- Fork and maintain: Any community member or organisation can fork the released codebase and continue maintaining it as a separate project.
- Community governance: The community is free to establish its own governance model, contribution guidelines, and release processes for the forked project.
- No orphaned users: Because the code is open-source, there is no scenario where users are left without options. The software exists independently of any single maintainer or company.
- Existing contributions: All community contributions made to the project remain available under the open-source license, ensuring no work is lost.
9. Contact
If you have questions about the open-source kill switch, the project's continuity plans, or how to prepare for self-hosting, please contact us: