# What Is the License for CodexBar? MIT License Explained

> Discover what the MIT License for CodexBar means. Use, modify, and distribute CodexBar freely for commercial or non-commercial projects with this permissive open-source license.

- Repository: [Peter Steinberger/CodexBar](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar)
- Tags: getting-started
- Published: 2026-07-07

---

**CodexBar is released under the MIT License, which permits free commercial and non-commercial use, modification, and distribution provided the original copyright notice is preserved.**

The **license for CodexBar** governs how developers and users can interact with this Swift 6 macOS menu-bar application. According to the steipete/CodexBar repository, the project uses the permissive MIT License, allowing broad reuse while protecting the original author, Peter Steinberger.

## CodexBar Uses the MIT License

The repository explicitly declares the **MIT License** in its top-level `LICENSE` file. This open-source license is one of the most permissive available, granting substantial freedom to fork, modify, and redistribute the code with minimal restrictions.

### License Location and Full Text

You can find the complete legal terms in the [`LICENSE`](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/blob/main/LICENSE) file at the repository root. The full text reads:

```text
MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Peter Steinberger

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 SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.

```

### What the MIT License Permits

The **license for CodexBar** grants the following rights:

- **Use** the software for any purpose, including commercial applications
- **Copy** the code to multiple machines or repositories
- **Modify** the source to fit specific needs
- **Merge** CodexBar code into proprietary projects
- **Publish** and **distribute** the original or modified versions
- **Sublicense** the rights to third parties
- **Sell** copies of the software

The sole requirement is that the original copyright notice and permission notice appear in all copies or substantial portions.

## How the License Is Declared in the Swift Package

Because CodexBar is a **Swift 6 macOS menu-bar application**, it uses Swift Package Manager (SwiftPM) for dependency management. While the [`Package.swift`](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/blob/main/Package.swift) manifest defines the build configuration, SwiftPM automatically detects the license from the `LICENSE` file when publishing the package.

### Swift Package Structure

The following [`Package.swift`](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/blob/main/Package.swift) configuration shows how the project is structured, though the license declaration itself resides externally:

```swift
// Package.swift
import PackageDescription

let package = Package(
    name: "CodexBar",
    platforms: [.macOS(.v15)],
    products: [
        .executable(name: "CodexBar", targets: ["CodexBar"])
    ],
    dependencies: [
        // … other dependencies …
    ],
    targets: [
        .target(
            name: "CodexBar",
            path: "Sources/CodexBar",
            exclude: ["Resources/Assets.xcassets"],
            resources: [.process("Resources")]
        )
    ],
    swiftLanguageVersions: [.version("6")]
)

```

SwiftPM surfaces the MIT license information to consumers without requiring explicit license fields in the manifest, as long as the `LICENSE` file exists at the repository root.

## Key Terms of the MIT License for CodexBar

When using code from [`Sources/CodexBar/CodexbarApp.swift`](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/blob/main/Sources/CodexBar/CodexbarApp.swift), [`Sources/CodexBar/StatusItemController.swift`](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/blob/main/Sources/CodexBar/StatusItemController.swift), or other files in the project, remember these legal obligations:

1. **Attribution required**: You must include the copyright notice "(c) 2026 Peter Steinberger" and the permission text in any distribution.
2. **No warranty**: The software is provided "AS IS" without guarantees of merchantability or fitness for purpose.
3. **Liability disclaimer**: The copyright holder is not liable for damages arising from use of the software.
4. **Permissive reuse**: You may incorporate logic from [`Sources/CodexBar/UsageStore.swift`](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/blob/main/Sources/CodexBar/UsageStore.swift) or [`Sources/CodexBar/IconRenderer.swift`](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/blob/main/Sources/CodexBar/IconRenderer.swift) into closed-source applications.

## Summary

- The **license for CodexBar** is the **MIT License**, found in the repository's [`LICENSE`](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/blob/main/LICENSE) file.
- Copyright (c) 2026 Peter Steinberger grants broad usage rights including commercial use and modification.
- The Swift Package Manager automatically recognizes this license when processing [`Package.swift`](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/blob/main/Package.swift).
- Attribution is the primary requirement; you must preserve the copyright notice in all copies.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is CodexBar free to use commercially?

Yes. The MIT License explicitly permits commercial use, including selling the software or incorporating code from `Sources/CodexBar/` into commercial products. You may use the menu-bar functionality, usage tracking logic, or icon rendering systems in proprietary applications without paying royalties.

### Do I need to include the license when using CodexBar code?

Yes. The MIT License requires that the copyright notice and permission notice appear in all copies or substantial portions of the software. If you distribute an application containing code from [`Tests/CodexBarTests/UsageStoreTests.swift`](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/blob/main/Tests/CodexBarTests/UsageStoreTests.swift) or any other project file, you must include the original `LICENSE` text or a copy of the copyright notice.

### Where can I find the full license text for CodexBar?

The complete license text resides in the [`LICENSE`](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/blob/main/LICENSE) file at the root of the steipete/CodexBar repository. You can also view it in the GitHub web interface, which automatically parses and displays the MIT License in the repository sidebar under "License."

### Who holds the copyright for CodexBar?

Peter Steinberger holds the copyright for the project, as stated in the `LICENSE` file: "Copyright (c) 2026 Peter Steinberger." This applies to all files in the repository, including [`Sources/CodexBar/CodexbarApp.swift`](https://github.com/steipete/CodexBar/blob/main/Sources/CodexBar/CodexbarApp.swift) and the core application logic.