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Licensing Rights Overview

Cashmere supports fine-grained licensing controls that determine how licensed applications can use, retrieve, and display publisher content. Two primary rights govern usage in AI and RAG-based workflows:

RAG
READ_RAG_SOURCE

For all RAG applications, RAG is a required right. However, it can be granted separately or together with READ_RAG_SOURCE, which requires a consumer to have the RAG license right. This allows publishers to define whether a licensee may use content in a RAG pipeline, whether they may see the underlying source, or both.

`RAG` Right

What the `RAG` Right Permits

The RAG right grants a licensee permission to use licensed content in Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) applications.

In practice on Cashmere, this includes:

Ability to call search_publications in the MCP server

Licensees can submit queries against the publisher’s Omnipubs, retrieve relevant snippets, and use those snippets inside their AI workflows.
Ability to integrate the MCP Server into their RAG pipeline

The licensee may treat the Cashmere MCP Server as part of their retrieval infrastructure.

What the RAG Right Does Not Permit

The RAG right does not grant access to full source content—the licensee is only granted access to chunks of content with source data that can be referenced in their LLM queries.

Licensees may retrieve and use snippets returned by search, but they cannot see full sections, chapters, or documents unless they also hold READ_RAG_SOURCE.

`READ_RAG_SOURCE` Right

What the READ_RAG_SOURCE Right Permits

The READ_RAG_SOURCE right grants the licensee access to the full source context of content used in a RAG workflow.

When granted:

The licensee can view complete sections from which a search snippet originated.
They can “open” the source material, view the full context, and understand how the snippet fits into the surrounding publication.
They are not restricted to partial previews or temporary landing pages.

This right is important for use cases where:

The user needs the broader excerpt for more contextual understanding,
A human reviewer must validate the full context,
Auditable or high-stakes workflows require source transparency.

Sample content page when the licensee has license right.

Sample content page when the licensee has READ_RAG_SOURCE license right.

What the `READ_RAG_SOURCE` Right Does Not Permit

This right does not automatically allow:

Extracting or exporting complete works,
Training models directly on full text,
Republishing or redistributing content.

Those uses typically require separate rights negotiated with the publisher.

What Happens When the Licensee Does Not Have `READ_RAG_SOURCE`

If a licensee has RAG but not READ_RAG_SOURCE, access is limited to what we call the Landing Page Experience.

Landing Page Experience

When a snippet is returned:

The landing page displays a short excerpt but not the full source section.
The link is time-limited and expires after a short period.
The user can preview only the snippet, not the surrounding content.
The user is redirected to the publisher destination for full access.

Sample landing page for licensee that does NOT have the license right

Sample landing page for licensee that does NOT have the READ_RAG_SOURCE license right

Publisher-Controlled Redirection

Publishers control where users go next. Examples:

Redirect to a purchase or checkout page

(e.g., “Buy the book to read the full chapter”)
Redirect to the publisher’s online reading platform
Redirect to a signup or subscription flow

The landing page acts as a neutral bridge: it shows enough context for the user to confirm relevance but still respects the publisher’s monetization strategy.

Why Cashmere Recommends Landing Pages in Production

Cashmere supports automatic redirects without showing a landing page, but we strongly recommend keeping landing pages enabled.

Through repeated testing, we’ve learned:

Users have a significantly higher drop-off rate when redirected immediately without seeing a snippet.
Users want to validate the content before committing to a purchase, login, or deeper interaction.
A snippet-first flow builds trust, improves engagement, and increases the likelihood a user continues into the publisher’s environment.

Landing pages give just enough visibility for the user to confirm:

“This is the right content,”
“It answers what I’m trying to understand,”
“It’s worth going deeper.”

This is particularly important in RAG workflows where the user may be exploring or iterating on a question.

Summary Table

Right	Allows Use in RAG Workflow	Allows Viewing Full Source	User Experience Without the Right
`RAG`	Yes	No	Snippet only; landing page; redirect to publisher
`READ_RAG_SOURCE`	Not required for basic RAG, but enables richer workflows	Yes	Without this: limited preview + timed link + controlled redirect
Both	Full RAG integration	Full context viewing	Best experience for advanced AI use cases

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