Using Watchful.

Last updated 2 October 2026. Watchful is provided by James Cullimore. Contact info@jamescullimore.dev. Publisher details are in the legal notice.

Your watchers and AI checks

Watchful helps you check public information using your chosen AI provider. AI can produce incomplete, outdated or incorrect answers. Review the linked sources before acting, especially for important decisions. Notifications, network access, provider availability and background scheduling depend on your device and third-party services; an exact check time or a notification for every change is not promised.

Free use and lifetime Pro

Two active watchers are free. A one-time lifetime Pro purchase removes the active-watcher limit for personal-key checks. Your AI provider bills personal-key usage separately. Lifetime Pro does not include funded AI checks. Purchases are restored using the same store account and do not transfer between Apple and Google.

Existing monthly check plans

Monthly plans include Pro and 50, 100, 200 or 500 submitted checks per billing period. The app displays the current store-localized price; the store purchase sheet confirms the price, currency and billing terms before purchase. Up to ten funded watchers may be active. Each watcher has a minimum one-hour interval, and your own cooldown may be longer. The allowance is shared between providers and watchers, does not roll over, and has no automatic paid overage.

A submitted request consumes one check even if the AI provider fails, its answer fails validation, or the connection drops. There are no automatic retries or switches to your personal key. If access is unavailable because of a service issue, contact support.

Monthly AI credit plans

When available in your app and store, the new plans include Pro and 50, 100, 250, 500 or 1,000 shared AI credits per monthly billing period. One credit represents US$0.03 of API usage at the applicable Watchful model rates; it is a service allowance, not a promise of one completed check. The app shows the store-localized subscription price and the maximum credit reservation for the selected model before you confirm it. Input, output, reasoning and web research usage affect the cost. Personal-key API usage is billed separately by your provider and does not consume these credits.

Watchful reserves sufficient available credits before sending a check, then settles the charge using reported billable usage and returns the unused reservation. Failed, rejected-output or interrupted checks may still have billable usage. Where billing cannot be determined, the reservation stays pending for reconciliation; contact support about unresolved reservations. Checks cannot start without enough unreserved credits. There are no automatic retries or paid overages. Credits renew monthly, do not roll over, and remain subject to the ten-watcher and minimum one-hour limits. Service-wide capacity or provider availability can also delay checks.

Credit-based research uses OpenAI followed by the selected answering model. Choosing Gemini therefore involves both providers, with separate in-app consent. Model access and prices can change; a changed price version or maximum requires confirmation before further checks. Existing check allowances are not silently converted into credits. To move from an existing check subscription, cancel its renewal and wait until the current paid period ends before starting a credit subscription, avoiding overlapping subscriptions.

Trial, renewal and cancellation

Eligible new subscribers may receive one introductory month on the 50-check plan, with 50 total checks for that trial. When offered, the 50-credit plan likewise has one introductory month with 50 credits for eligible subscribers. The store decides eligibility and confirms the renewal price and dates. Subscriptions renew monthly unless cancelled through the store. Manage or cancel in Apple subscriptions or Google Play subscriptions. Cancel before the renewal deadline shown by your store. Deleting an account or uninstalling the app does not cancel a subscription.

The store confirms when a plan change takes effect. Already consumed allowance remains counted until an eligible new billing period. Restore purchases using the original store account. Refunds and billing disputes can be requested through the store or support, subject to applicable consumer rights.

Privacy and deletion

Review the iOS privacy policy or Android privacy policy before enabling provider sharing. Included checks create an installation account without an email login. Use the in-app funded-account deletion control to request deletion; local data, personal API keys and store billing have separate controls. See deletion instructions.

Responsible use and your rights

Use Watchful only for lawful purposes and do not submit information you are not entitled to share. Keep personal API keys private. The applicable store terms also govern store transactions; on iOS the Apple Standard EULA applies unless a different valid licence is supplied. Nothing in these terms limits mandatory consumer rights.

Changes and support

Material changes to the service, prices or processing will be communicated through the app, store or updated policy as appropriate. Contact support about access, billing or data requests. Do not send API keys, passwords or payment-card details.