GitHub’s legal team set out to answer a question: can agreement terms be a good user experience? The result is a rewritten and restructured set of customer terms for the enterprise community, now available at github.com/enterprise-legal.

The overhaul brings several structural and practical changes. The agreement text itself has been shortened by more than 70%, and the new legal page consolidates terms for all GitHub products, professional services, and support into a single set of general terms spanning six pages in plain language. Previously, customers had to select agreements based on a complex matrix of sales motions and product offerings.

What changed in the terms

  • Microsoft customers can apply existing terms: The Microsoft customer agreement now applies to any GitHub purchase, eliminating the need to manage a separate agreement for GitHub products.
  • Product-specific terms moved to addenda: Terms tied to product functionality and internal operations are now separated from the general terms and placed in addenda, keeping the main agreement focused on broader obligations.
  • DPA alignment between GitHub and Microsoft: The GitHub Data Protection Agreement now aligns with Microsoft’s DPA where possible and includes additional security controls and commitments. Microsoft customers can use a short addendum to the Microsoft DPA that describes GitHub-specific privacy and security obligations, removing the need for a separate DPA when purchasing GitHub products.

New partner agreement

GitHub also introduced a new set of terms for its partners, alongside a dedicated legal landing page at partner.github.com/legal. Partners can now sign an evergreen Partner Agreement with flexible terms via a one-page enrollment, simplifying the onboarding process.

For questions about the new terms, GitHub directs customers and partners to [email protected].