AI Engineering from Scratch License: MIT Terms and Usage Rights

The AI Engineering from Scratch repository is released under the MIT License, permitting unrestricted commercial use, modification, and distribution provided the copyright notice and license text are preserved.

The open-source curriculum in rohitg00/ai-engineering-from-scratch provides hands-on lessons for building AI systems from the ground up. Understanding the licensing details is essential for contributors, learners, and commercial users who want to leverage the codebase. The entire repository operates under the MIT License, an OSI-approved permissive license that balances maximal freedom with minimal legal obligations.

Official MIT License Location

The definitive license text resides in the top-level LICENSE file. The [README.md](https://github.com/rohitg00/ai-engineering-from-scratch/blob/main/README.md) displays an MIT License badge that links directly to this file, confirming the repository's legal status.

Permissions Granted Under the AI Engineering from Scratch License

The MIT License grants four primary rights to users of this curriculum:

• Use, copy, and modify: Anyone can run the code, adapt it for specific needs, or embed portions in other projects without restriction.
• Distribution: You may redistribute the original or modified versions through any medium, including public repositories or packaged software.
• Commercial use: The software can be integrated into commercial products, services, or proprietary applications without royalty fees.
• Sublicensing: You may grant downstream recipients the same rights you received, enabling derivative works to carry the same permissive terms.

Requirements and Obligations

While the AI Engineering from Scratch license imposes minimal restrictions, compliance requires two specific actions:

1. Preserve the copyright notice: Every copy must retain the line Copyright (c) 2026 Rohit Ghumare in the LICENSE file or source headers.
2. Include the permission notice: The full MIT License text must accompany the software, whether distributed as source code, binaries, or documentation.

There is no warranty provided; the software is offered "as-is" without guarantees of fitness for any particular purpose.

License Implementation in Source Files

The repository structure organizes content into lesson-specific directories under phases/<phase>/<lesson>/. Each lesson folder contains code that falls under the same MIT terms, allowing learners to freely fork, run, and modify examples without copyleft restrictions.

Many source files include SPDX license headers to satisfy attribution requirements while maintaining code clarity. For example, files like phases/01-math-foundations/01-linear-algebra-intuition/code/vectors.py may contain:

# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT

# © 2026 Rohit Ghumare

# -------------------------------------------------

# This file is part of the AI Engineering from Scratch curriculum.

# It may be used, modified, and redistributed under the terms

# of the MIT License (see the repository LICENSE file).

The curriculum also ships generated artifacts including prompts, skills, agents, and MCP servers. Because the entire repository is MIT-licensed, downstream users can reuse these artifacts in their own projects, even commercially, as long as they preserve the attribution.

Adding License Headers to New Contributions

When creating new files for the curriculum, include the standard MIT header to ensure compliance:

"""MIT License Header
© 2026 Rohit Ghumare

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
"""

The [AGENTS.md](https://github.com/rohitg00/ai-engineering-from-scratch/blob/main/AGENTS.md) file further explains the project's philosophy, reinforcing that each lesson represents a separate, fully-licensed artifact within the broader curriculum.

Summary

• The AI Engineering from Scratch license is the MIT License, an OSI-approved permissive open-source license.
• The full legal text is located in the repository's root LICENSE file, linked from the README badge.
• Users may freely use, modify, distribute, and sublicense the code, including for commercial purposes.
• All copies must retain the copyright notice Copyright (c) 2026 Rohit Ghumare and the full permission notice.
• Lesson files in phases/<phase>/<lesson>/ directories contain SPDX headers to clarify licensing status.
• Generated artifacts, prompts, and agents are covered under the same MIT terms as the source code.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the AI Engineering from Scratch code free for commercial use?

Yes. The MIT License explicitly permits commercial use without restriction. You may incorporate the curriculum code, generated artifacts, or lesson examples into proprietary products or services, provided you include the original copyright notice and license text as found in the LICENSE file.

Do I need to open-source my modifications to the curriculum?

No. The MIT License is not a copyleft license. You may modify the code and keep your changes private or proprietary. You are not required to distribute your source code or use the same license for derivative works, though you must retain the original copyright and permission notices in any copies you distribute.

Where can I find the full license text in the repository?

The complete MIT License text is located in the LICENSE file in the repository root. The [README.md](https://github.com/rohitg00/ai-engineering-from-scratch/blob/main/README.md) also contains a badge linking to this file for quick reference.

Are the generated artifacts and lesson materials under the same license?

Yes. All content in the repository—including lesson materials in phases/<phase>/<lesson>/, generated prompts, skills, agents, and MCP servers—falls under the MIT License. This unified licensing approach allows unrestricted reuse of the entire curriculum, subject only to the standard attribution requirements outlined in the LICENSE file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}