Agent Platform Client Projects: Check the License First
Before quoting a paid client project built on someone else's agent platform, match the delivery shape against the platform's license. Taking FIM One as the example, its website states that the license restricts deployment shape, not whether you charge money: a dedicated, single-tenant deployment for one client's internal use, with FIM One branding kept intact, can be delivered for a fee; white-labeling, serving multiple clients from one shared or multi-tenant deployment, or building a competing agent platform needs a separate commercial license. Put the deployment shape and branding into the proposal and contract, check again if the shape changes mid-project, and treat the repository's LICENSE as the authoritative terms.
Integrators, consultancies and outsourcing teams often build client projects on an existing agent platform: connect the client's systems, set up a few agents, and charge per project. Getting it to work technically is not hard. What gets overlooked is the license: in what shape the platform lets you deliver to a client, whether charging is restricted, and which cases need a separate agreement.
This is best settled before you quote. Below, using Beijing FIM Network Technology Co., Ltd.'s FIM One as the example and following what its website says, are the points to check before delivery. FIM One is a self-hostable enterprise agent platform under a source-available license: the full code is on GitHub and can be read, forked and self-hosted, and the license terms are in the repository's LICENSE. For what "source available" itself means, see What FIM One's "Source Available" Means for Companies.
1. The license restricts shape, not charging
Many people assume "a free platform can't be used to make money", or the opposite, "if I can see the code I can do anything". Neither is accurate. FIM One's website says the license restricts deployment shape, not whether you charge money. In other words, whether you can do it depends on what the thing you deliver looks like.
2. Match the project to one of four delivery shapes
Before quoting, match the project to one of these four shapes:
| Delivery shape | What the website says | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated deployment for one client: single-tenant, for that client's internal use, FIM One branding kept | Allowed, including paid client or consulting projects | Write the shape into the proposal and contract |
| White-labeling: shipped under the client's brand, FIM One branding removed | Needs a separate commercial license | Discuss the license before quoting |
| One shared or multi-tenant deployment serving multiple clients | Needs a separate commercial license | Discuss the license before quoting |
| Building a competing agent platform on FIM One | Needs a separate commercial license | Discuss the license before quoting |
The first shape covers most projects: one client, one deployment, used internally by the client, with FIM One branding visible. The other three need a commercial license first, with its cost built into your quote.
3. A few lines for the proposal and contract
If the project is the first shape, state a few things in the delivery proposal and contract so everyone reads it the same way later:
- Deployment shape: deployed separately for this client, single-tenant, for the client's internal use;
- Branding: the delivered system keeps FIM One branding;
- Location and operations: which client environment it runs in, and who operates and upgrades it afterward;
- Edition: Community or Enterprise. Core features are the same; Enterprise adds compliance tooling, dedicated support, an SLA and architecture reviews. See Community or Enterprise Edition: What Actually Differs.
4. If the project changes, check again
The license is not a one-time check at signing. As a project moves on, any of these changes can turn it into a different shape and call for another look at the license terms:
- The client asks to rebrand the interface and remove the original branding;
- You want to open the same deployment to the client's partners, subsidiaries or the client's own customers;
- You plan to reuse the solution for a second or third client on one shared deployment;
- You want to package what you built as a platform product for sale.
When this happens, pause and confirm before you continue quoting or delivering.
5. When you're not sure
The above follows the FAQ on the website; the exact terms are in the repository's LICENSE. If your project doesn't fit the four shapes, or you're unsure which one it is, contact FIM One (hi@fim.ai) first, and settle any commercial license before signing with the client. The pricing page and FAQ wording are on Pricing.
Summary
Before delivering a client project on an agent platform, check the license. With FIM One: the license restricts deployment shape, not charging; a dedicated, single-tenant deployment for one client's internal use with branding kept can be delivered for a fee; white-labeling, multi-tenant service to several clients, or building a competing agent platform needs a separate commercial license. Write the shape into the proposal and contract, check again when it changes, and treat the LICENSE as the authoritative terms.