docs(appendix): add free & no donations page

- add Free & No Donations appendix page explaining why no donations
- update FAQ: updater offers only newer releases in the same series
- add links to version-numbering and stable/beta/nightly docs
- add FAQ entries clarifying free/donations and AI usage in project
- allow AI tools in contribute doc with rules to review and run code
- add cross-links between FAQ, contribute, and AI Policy docs

3 files changed, 118 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/src/content/docs/appendix/contribute.md b/src/content/docs/appendix/contribute.md
index 2e073b4..0a88263 100644
--- a/src/content/docs/appendix/contribute.md
+++ b/src/content/docs/appendix/contribute.md
@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ changes via GitHub pull requests or sending git patches via email. Below, you'll
 find the steps to set up your environment, make changes, and how to submit those
 changes. Additionally, you'll find contact information for further assistance.
 
+You are welcome to use AI tools in your work. Before you do, read the two rules
+in the [AI Policy](/appendix/ai-policy/#if-you-contribute): you must understand
+every line you send, and you must have built and run it yourself.
+
 ## Wiki
 
 An AI-assisted Wiki has been generated through automated analysis of the
diff --git a/src/content/docs/appendix/free-no-donation.md b/src/content/docs/appendix/free-no-donation.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a70b92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/content/docs/appendix/free-no-donation.md
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+---
+title: Free of Charge, No Donations
+description: "GpgFrontend is free for everyone, forever. The project also takes no donations. This page explains why, in plain words."
+sidebar:
+  label: Free & No Donations
+  order: 8
+---
+
+GpgFrontend is free. You pay nothing. Not now, not later.
+
+There is no paid version. There are no locked features. There is no donation
+button. None of this will change.
+
+## Why Is It Free?
+
+The goal of this project is simple: everyone should be able to keep their
+private things private.
+
+"Everyone" also means people who have no money. And people who live in places
+where paying for a privacy tool could get them in trouble. If the tool had a
+price, it would fail exactly the people who need it most.
+
+The license locks this in. GpgFrontend uses the **GPL-3.0** license, which says
+the code is free and must stay free. Even a future maintainer could not change
+that.
+
+## Why No Donations?
+
+Most free projects still ask for money. This one does not want any. Here is
+why:
+
+- **Money creates debts.** If you give money, the project owes you something.
+  With no money, the project owes nothing to anyone, and every choice is made
+  for the users only.
+- **Money changes the reason for working.** This project is built because
+  building it feels worth doing. Money would slowly replace that reason with a
+  worse one.
+- **Money makes paperwork.** Taking donations means bank accounts, taxes and
+  legal rules. All that time is better spent on the software.
+- **Money weakens trust.** This is a security tool. A tool is easier to trust
+  when it wants nothing from you. Not your money, not your data, nothing.
+
+## Who Pays for It, Then?
+
+The maintainer does. The project costs real money and many years of work, and
+the maintainer covers all of it.
+
+Think of it this way: the donation goes in the other direction. It goes from
+the maintainer to the world. Making something useful for everyone, and asking
+for nothing back, is the maintainer's way of being a useful member of humanity.
+That feeling is the payment, and it is enough.
+
+And to be honest: even if you wanted to pay, you could not. At normal
+engineering rates, the working hours in this project cost far more than any
+donation button would ever collect. It is simpler to call it what it is: a
+gift.
+
+## Is Someone Asking You for Money?
+
+Then it is not us. Nobody is allowed to sell GpgFrontend or to collect
+donations in its name.
+
+If you see a copy for sale, or a site asking for donations for GpgFrontend, do
+not pay. Get your copy from the official [Downloads](/overview/downloads/) page
+instead. It is always free, and you can check it is genuine with
+[Code & Binary Verify](/appendix/code-binary-verify/).
+
+## Want to Help Anyway?
+
+These things help more than money would:
+
+- **Star it on [GitHub](https://github.com/saturneric/GpgFrontend).** That is
+  the official donation button. :)
+- **Report bugs.** A clear bug report, with the steps to repeat it, is a real
+  gift.
+- **[Translate](/appendix/translate-interface/)** the app into your language.
+- **[Contribute](/appendix/contribute/)** code, or fix a page in this manual.
+- **Tell someone.** The project grows when the people who need it hear about
+  it.
diff --git a/src/content/docs/overview/faq.mdx b/src/content/docs/overview/faq.mdx
index b9a4d59..64ffae9 100644
--- a/src/content/docs/overview/faq.mdx
+++ b/src/content/docs/overview/faq.mdx
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@ On Windows, just run the new installer. On macOS and Linux, replace the old app
 or AppImage with the new version. Your settings and keys are kept unless the
 release notes say otherwise.
 
+Note that the built-in update check only offers newer releases from your own
+series (for example, 2.2.x). Moving to a new series is a step you take
+yourself; see the [Version Numbering Policy](/appendix/version-policy/).
+
 </details>
 
 ## OpenPGP and the Engines
@@ -451,6 +455,10 @@ tested. They are less stable than official releases, may include breaking
 changes, and are not GPG-signed. They are not recommended for production. Always
 check the SHA256 checksum. Please report feedback and issues on GitHub.
 
+For how stable, beta and nightly builds relate, see [Stable, Beta, and
+Nightly](/appendix/version-policy/#stable-beta-and-nightly) in the Version
+Numbering Policy.
+
 </details>
 
 ## Your Keys, Privacy, and Security
@@ -500,11 +508,35 @@ GpgFrontend does not collect or send any personal or usage data. All encryption
 runs locally. Update checks can be turned off, and there is no tracking or
 analytics built in.
 
+There is also no AI feature in the app, and nothing you do is ever sent to an
+AI service. See the [AI Policy](/appendix/ai-policy/).
+
 </details>
 
 ## Community and Support
 
 <details>
+<summary>Is GpgFrontend really free? Can I donate?</summary>
+
+Yes, it is completely free, and no, the project does not take donations. There
+is no paid version and no locked features. If someone asks you to pay for
+GpgFrontend, it is not from this project. See
+[Free & No Donations](/appendix/free-no-donation/) for the full story, and for
+ways to help that matter more than money.
+
+</details>
+
+<details>
+<summary>Is AI used to build GpgFrontend?</summary>
+
+AI coding tools help write ordinary code, tests and documentation, under the
+direction and review of the maintainer. There is no AI in the app itself, and
+AI does not write the cryptography; that is done by GnuPG and rPGP. The
+[AI Policy](/appendix/ai-policy/) explains the whole arrangement.
+
+</details>
+
+<details>
 <summary>How can I request a new feature?</summary>
 
 You can suggest new features by opening an issue on GitHub or contacting the
@@ -526,6 +558,8 @@ repository. You can also contact me directly if you're not on GitHub; see the
 
 Feel free to change GpgFrontend's code and submit a Pull Request with your
 improvements. You can also send patches by email if you prefer to contribute
-anonymously.
+anonymously. See [Contributing to GpgFrontend](/appendix/contribute/) to get
+started, and the [AI Policy](/appendix/ai-policy/#if-you-contribute) if you use
+AI tools in your work.
 
 </details>