Guide · KDP rules

AI disclosure for puzzle books on KDP and Etsy

KDP asks every publisher whether a new book contains AI-generated content, and Etsy asks sellers to disclose items created with AI. Puzzle books raise the question because most puzzles are made by software. Here is what the two platforms actually say.

Updated 29 October 2026 · Examples are real, unedited pages from the Gridbinder studio unless the caption says otherwise.

What KDP says

KDP's content guidelines say: "We require you to inform us of AI-generated content (text, images, or translations) when you publish a new book or make edits to and republish an existing book through KDP." They define AI-generated content as "text, images, or translations created by an AI-based tool", even if you edited it substantially afterwards.

AI-assisted content is different: if you created the content yourself and used AI-based tools to edit, refine, error-check or otherwise improve it, KDP does not require you to disclose that. Using AI to brainstorm ideas while creating the text or images yourself also counts as assisted.

Going through a puzzle book part by part

Questions to ask about each part of the book
PartAsk yourself
PuzzlesWas the tool that made them AI-based? A classic generator with rules and solvers is not; a tool that asks a language model to write puzzles is.
Word lists and themesDid you write them, did an AI chatbot generate them, or did they come built into a tool? For built-in lists, ask the tool maker how they were written.
How-to text and introductionWritten by you, or by AI?
Cover and interior imagesDrawn or bought from a human-made source, or created with an AI image tool?
Title, description, keywordsThese are metadata, not book content, but the same honesty applies to what they claim.

KDP's wording is about the tool that created the content. It does not mention puzzle generators specifically, so for software that is not AI-based there is no explicit rule either way; answer for each part of your book as it was actually made.

What Etsy says

Etsy's "What can I sell" page says sellers "must disclose within their listing description if an item is created with the use of AI", and that digital items listed in a shop "must be made and/or designed by you, the seller". If you sell printable or e-ink puzzle books there, describe how they were made in plain words, and check Etsy's current Creativity Standards. See selling printable puzzle books on Etsy.

About Gridbinder

Gridbinder does not use AI to make your book: nothing in the studio calls an AI service, and every puzzle comes from a generator and a solver written for its type. The short fixed texts that ship with the studio, the rules on the how-to pages and the word search word lists, were written while we built it, partly with AI writing tools. They are plain puzzle rules and lists of common words such as bird or fruit names. How you answer KDP for those is your decision under its definition; we tell you so you can make it. Anything you add yourself, such as a cover, is yours to judge.

Questions

Do I have to disclose a puzzle generator to KDP?

KDP asks about content created by AI-based tools. A generator that is not AI-based is not mentioned in its rules. Answer for each part of your book as it was actually made.

Is an AI-written word list AI-generated content?

By KDP's definition, text created by an AI-based tool is AI-generated, even after you edit it.

Does Gridbinder use AI?

Not to make your book: the studio calls no AI service, and puzzles come from generators and solvers written for each type. The fixed rule texts and word lists that ship with the studio were written during development, partly with AI writing tools.

Sources

KDP changes its rules from time to time. If a number here and the KDP help page disagree, the KDP page wins; please tell us at support@arling.sk.