conda-anaconda-tos

A conda plugin for handling Terms of Service (ToS) acceptance in commercial software repositories, providing auditable consent management and GDPR compliance.

Note

If you have an enterprise license agreement with Anaconda, that agreement governs your use of the applicable Anaconda products and supersedes any terms presented to your licensed users through the plugin during your subscription term.

What is conda-anaconda-tos?

The conda-anaconda-tos plugin enables conda to automatically detect and manage Terms of Service acceptance when accessing commercial repositories. It provides auditable records of user consent, handles ToS updates transparently, and ensures compliance with legal requirements for commercial software distribution.

This plugin solves the critical need for verifiable Anaconda ToS acceptance in enterprise environments while maintaining a smooth user experience for conda package installation.

Installation

The plugin must be installed in the base environment to function properly with all conda operations:

# From Anaconda's "main" channel
conda install --name=base conda-anaconda-tos

Note

With the plugin installed into a non-base environment, use $CONDA_PREFIX/bin/conda instead of conda for the usage instructions below.

Usage

Basic Commands

Basic Commands

conda tos --help

# see the status of all Terms of Service
conda tos

# conda command intercepted with Terms of Service checks
conda create --name=scratch

# clear cache & acceptance/rejection files
conda tos clean --all

# other commands for managing Terms of Service
conda tos view    # Display full Terms of Service text
conda tos accept  # Accept Terms of Service
conda tos reject  # Reject Terms of Service
conda tos interactive  # Interactive ToS management

Interactive ToS Acceptance

When accessing a commercial repository for the first time or after ToS updates, you'll see an interactive prompt:

Do you accept the Terms of Service (ToS) for https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main? [(a)ccept/(r)eject/(v)iew]:
Do you accept the Terms of Service (ToS) for https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/msys2? [(a)ccept/(r)eject/(v)iew]:
Do you accept the Terms of Service (ToS) for https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/r? [(a)ccept/(r)eject/(v)iew]:

Interactive Accept	Interactive Reject

Auto Acceptance

Configure ToS auto acceptance in your .condarc file

plugins:
  auto_accept_tos: true

Or use the command-line flag (conda >= 25.5.0):

conda config --set plugins.auto_accept_tos yes

Or set the environment variable:

export CONDA_PLUGINS_AUTO_ACCEPT_TOS=yes

Jupyter Environments

In Jupyter notebook environments, interactive prompts are disabled. Users must explicitly accept or reject Terms of Service by running:

conda tos <accept|reject>

Note

conda tos can be run using either the % or ! magic commands within a Jupyter Notebook.

CI/CD Environments

In CI/CD environments (detected via CI=true), the plugin will automatically accept Terms of Service and print a warning message. This ensures automated builds don't get blocked waiting for user input.

Docker in CI/CD Environments

When using Anaconda's Docker images in continuous integration systems, the CI environment variable might not be automatically passed to the container, which can lead to unexpected ToS prompts during your CI/CD workflows.

We recommend passing the CONDA_PLUGINS_AUTO_ACCEPT_TOS environment variable to Docker or explicitly accepting the ToS by running conda tos accept:

• Pass the CONDA_PLUGINS_AUTO_ACCEPT_TOS environment variable to Docker:

  # Using Docker CLI
  docker run \
    -e CONDA_PLUGINS_AUTO_ACCEPT_TOS=true \
    continuumio/anaconda3 \
    bash -c "conda install some-package"

• Explicitly accept ToS in your Docker command:

  # Using Docker CLI
  docker run \
    continuumio/anaconda3 \
    bash -c "conda tos accept && conda install some-package"

Docker Containers in GitHub Actions

Similarly when using Docker containers in GitHub Actions, the CI environment variable will not be automatically passed:

• Pass the CONDA_PLUGINS_AUTO_ACCEPT_TOS environment variable to Docker:

  jobs:
    build:
      runs-on: ubuntu-latest
      container:
        image: continuumio/anaconda3
      env:
        CONDA_PLUGINS_AUTO_ACCEPT_TOS: true
      steps:
        - uses: actions/checkout@v3
        - name: Install Packages
          run: conda install ...

• Explicitly accept ToS in your Docker command:

  jobs:
    build:
      runs-on: ubuntu-latest
      container:
        image: continuumio/anaconda3
      steps:
        - uses: actions/checkout@v3
        - name: Accept ToS
          run: conda tos accept
        - name: Install Packages
          run: conda install ...

Note

Service containers and composite actions in GitHub Actions also inherit the runner's environment, including the CI variable. However, manually invoked Docker commands within steps do not automatically inherit these variables.

How It Works

The plugin operates transparently during normal conda operations:

1. Detection: Automatically detects ToS requirements when accessing commercial repositories
2. Version Tracking: Monitors ToS versions and prompts for re-acceptance when terms change
3. Local Storage: Maintains secure local records of acceptance with timestamps
4. Minimal Impact: Checks for updates during explicit conda commands with configurable cache timeout
5. Compliance: Provides GDPR-compliant consent management with data minimization
6. HTTP Headers: Uses the Anaconda-ToS-Accept header to transmit acceptance tokens to repositories
7. Environment Detection: Automatically adjusts behavior in CI/CD and Jupyter environments

Privacy and Compliance

This plugin implements privacy-by-design principles:

• Data Minimization: Collects only necessary acceptance proof
• User Rights: Supports GDPR rights including consent withdrawal
• Audit Trail: Provides verifiable logs for compliance requirements
• Anonymous Tokens: Uses tokens rather than personal identifiers

For privacy inquiries or to exercise your data rights, contact the repository administrator.

Troubleshooting

ToS Prompt Appears Repeatedly

This typically occurs when:

• The ToS has been updated
• Local acceptance records are corrupted
• Plugin is not installed in base environment

Solution:

conda install --name base --force-reinstall conda-anaconda-tos

Testing

Development Environment Setup

For development and testing, set up a dedicated environment:

git clone https://github.com/anaconda/conda-anaconda-tos.git
cd conda-anaconda-tos
conda create --name=cat-dev --file=tests/requirements.txt
conda activate cat-dev
(cat-dev) pip install -e .

Running Tests

# Activate the development environment
conda activate cat-dev

# Install test dependencies
(cat-dev) conda install --file=tests/requirements-ci.txt

# Run tests with coverage
(cat-dev) pytest --cov=conda_anaconda_tos

Testing Canary Builds

To test the latest development version ("canary"):

conda install --name=base distribution-plugins/label/dev::conda-anaconda-tos

Testing with Local Server

To test with a local server, use tests/http_test_server.py and the --channel option:

Note

The port is random and just an example.

# Run conda tos with a custom channel
(cat-dev) $CONDA_PREFIX/bin/conda tos --channel=http://127.0.0.1:53095/

A Sample Channel without Terms of Service

# Activate the development environment
conda activate cat-dev

# Run the test server without ToS
(cat-dev) python tests/http_test_server.py
Serving HTTP at http://127.0.0.1:54115...
Press Enter or Ctrl-C to exit.

A Sample Channel with Terms of Service

# Activate the development environment
conda activate cat-dev

# Run the test server with ToS enabled
(cat-dev) python tests/http_test_server.py --tos
Serving HTTP at http://127.0.0.1:54115...
Current ToS version: 2024-11-22 10:54:57 CST
Press Enter to increment ToS version, Ctrl-C to exit.

Note

The sample channel with a ToS offers the option to increment the ToS version to mock a ToS version update.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need this plugin?

This plugin is a helpful tool for managing Terms of Service requirements for commercial repositories. It provides a streamlined way to be informed about and manage ToS acceptance for channels, but is not strictly required for accessing these repositories.

Where are the acceptance records stored?

Acceptance records are stored locally, and the location depends on the options you choose when accepting the ToS. When using conda tos accept, you can specify one of these storage options:

Command	Description	Unix/Linux Path	Windows Path
conda tos accept --user (default)	User directory	~/.conda/tos	%USERPROFILE%\.conda\tos\
conda tos accept --system	Conda installation directory	$CONDA_ROOT/conda-meta/tos	%CONDA_ROOT%\conda-meta\tos
conda tos accept --site	System-wide location	/etc/conda/tos	C:/ProgramData/conda/tos
conda tos accept --env	Current conda environment	$CONDA_PREFIX/conda-meta/tos	%CONDA_PREFIX%\conda-meta\tos
conda tos accept --tos-root PATH	Custom location	User-specified path	User-specified path

When checking for ToS acceptance, the plugin searches all these locations (and a few more) in a specific order, so acceptance in any location will be recognized. The records include timestamps and version information for auditing purposes.

How do I know if my ToS acceptance is still valid?

Run conda tos to see the status of all Terms of Service. This will show which channels have accepted ToS and when they were last accepted.

Can I use this plugin in automated CI/CD pipelines?

Yes, the plugin is designed to work in non-interactive environments. The plugin will automatically try to detect CI/CD environments (see CI/CD Environments section for details). You can also explicitly set the CONDA_PLUGINS_AUTO_ACCEPT_TOS=yes environment variable or configure auto_accept_tos: true in your .condarc file.

What happens if I reject the Terms of Service?

If you reject the ToS, you won't be able to access the repository. The plugin will prevent conda from downloading packages from that repository until you accept the ToS or remove the repository from your channels.

How often will I need to accept the Terms of Service?

You only need to accept the ToS once per version. If the repository updates its ToS, you'll be prompted to accept the new version the next time you try to access it.

Can I view the full Terms of Service text?

Yes, run conda tos view --channel=CHANNEL_URL to see the full text of the Terms of Service for a specific channel.

How do I accept ToS for multiple channels at once?

Use conda tos accept to accept Terms of Service for all channels that require it.

Is my personal information shared when I accept the ToS?

No, the plugin uses anonymous tokens rather than personal identifiers. Only the acceptance record with timestamp is stored locally and transmitted to the repository.

How do I troubleshoot ToS-related issues?

If you encounter issues, first try conda tos clean --all to clear the cache and acceptance records, then reinstall the plugin with conda install --name base --force-reinstall conda-anaconda-tos.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

• File bug reports and feature requests
• Open pull requests to resolve issues
• Review open pull requests
• Report any typos or improvements for documentation
• Engage in discussions and add new ideas

License

This project is licensed under the BSD 3-Clause License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Related Projects

• conda - The package management system
• conda-plugin-template - Template for creating conda plugins
• conda-incubator/plugins - Collection of conda plugins