# Need Help - My Account Was Locked > Source: > Published: 2026-06-23 08:37:45+00:00 I once had an HF account lock as well, after duplicating a Space that was probably not as harmless as it looked. It was eventually restored after email / HF Discord contact. I do not remember the exact number of days, but the account came back… [Your account does not look deleted to me, since at least some public Space/repo pages still seem reachable](https://huggingface.co/AntixStudioDesign). So I would not assume the data is gone. If HF lifts the lock, I would expect the account/repo/Space state to mostly come back normally. Short version: - Yes, there are public examples of locked HF accounts being restored. - Since you already emailed `safety@huggingface.co` , you may already have reached the right team. - I cannot know HF’s internal routing, so I would not say that `safety@` is wrong or insufficient. - If you do not get a reply after a reasonable time, I would also send a concise follow-up to `website@huggingface.co` from the email address attached to your HF account. - If this becomes a formal moderation appeal, HF’s Content Policy also lists `legal@huggingface.co` as the route to contest a moderation decision: [Hugging Face Content Policy](https://huggingface.co/content-policy). - For data recovery, public repos / Spaces may still be downloadable if they are visible. Private repos, secrets, persistent storage, billing, and account settings are probably support-only. My main advice would be: do not panic, do not create many duplicate tickets, and keep any follow-up factual. Include the account name, the lock message, affected Space/repo links, and what you were doing shortly before the lock. ## Suggested follow-up email If you do not get a reply from `safety@huggingface.co` , I would send something like this to `website@huggingface.co` from the email address attached to your HF account. ``` Subject: Account locked review request: AntixStudioDesign Hello Hugging Face team, My Hugging Face account `AntixStudioDesign` appears to be locked. I am not sure what triggered it. I mainly used the account for personal learning and experiments. I already contacted `safety@huggingface.co`, but I am also sending this here in case this is the correct route for account / login / internal-alert review. Account: - Username: AntixStudioDesign - Registered email: - Lock message: Relevant repos / Spaces: - - - Recent activity before the lock: - I was experimenting with Hermes Agent and different workflows. - If I accidentally violated a rule, I am sorry. It was not intentional. Please let me know what I should remove, disable, or change. If the account can be restored, I would really appreciate a review. If restoration is not possible, could you please let me know whether temporary access or data export is possible? Thank you. ``` I would keep the message calm and factual. The goal is not to argue with an automated system. The goal is to make it easy for a human at HF to identify the account, understand the recent activity, and route the case correctly. ## What I would mention if Spaces were involved Using Hermes Agent by itself does not prove that you did anything wrong. HF has an official Hermes Agent integration page: [Hermes Agent](https://huggingface.co/docs/inference-providers/integrations/hermes-agent). But if the recent workflow involved Spaces, duplicated Spaces, proxying, keep-alive behavior, API routing, unusual storage/upload patterns, or credentials, I would mention that in the email. The point is not to accuse yourself. The point is to help HF distinguish between accidental experimentation, a problematic duplicated Space, an automated false positive, and actual abuse. HF’s Content Policy includes a “Platform Abuse, Security Violations and Spam” section, including things like unauthorized bot APIs, remote management tools, excessive or irrelevant repository data, proxies / tunnels used to bypass restrictions, cryptomining, spam, and similar abuse patterns: [Hugging Face Content Policy](https://huggingface.co/content-policy). That does not mean your account did any of those things. It only means that Space-related experiments can sometimes overlap with the kinds of signals that platforms monitor. ## Data recovery notes If a repo / dataset / Space is public and still visible, you may be able to copy it without account restoration, depending on what is still reachable. Official docs: [Download files from the Hub](https://huggingface.co/docs/huggingface_hub/en/guides/download). For a public model repo: ``` hf download AntixStudioDesign/ --repo-type model --local-dir ./hf-backup-model ``` For a public dataset: ``` hf download AntixStudioDesign/ --repo-type dataset --local-dir ./hf-backup-dataset ``` For a public Space: ``` hf download AntixStudioDesign/ --repo-type space --local-dir ./hf-backup-space ``` Or from Python: ``` python from huggingface_hub import snapshot_download snapshot_download( repo_id="AntixStudioDesign/", repo_type="model", # use "dataset" or "space" when appropriate local_dir="./hf-backup", ) ``` Important limits: | Case | Recovery expectation | | Public repo / public Space still visible | Often copyable with `git clone` , `hf download` , or `snapshot_download()` | | Private repo | Probably not accessible while locked unless HF restores access or helps export it | | Space secrets | Do not expect these to be recoverable from the public repo | | Persistent storage / runtime state | Depends on the Space setup and HF support | | Billing / account settings / private tokens | Support-only | | Deleted / disabled content | Support-only | So I would treat public repos as “possibly recoverable now,” but private data, secrets, and persistent runtime data as “ask HF support.” ## Some public precedents and why I would not panic yet A few public threads suggest that an HF account lock is not always permanent, and that account / Space / internal-alert cases can be reviewed by HF support. Of course, none of these proves what happened in your specific case. Only HF can confirm the real reason. | Public case | What happened | Why it matters here | [Locked out of my account](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/locked-out-of-my-account/141153) | An HF staff member said the account was locked due to one of their internal alerts and asked the user to email `website@huggingface.co` . The user later posted that they were back. | This is probably the clearest example that an internal-alert lock can be investigated and restored. | [Unban me, please](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/unban-me-please/174586) | A user reported that their account was restored via `safety@huggingface.co` . They also said the immediate cause appeared to involve a filter that scans Spaces, while HF was still investigating. | This is useful because you already emailed `safety@huggingface.co` , and because your issue may also be Space-related. | [Why have my space and account been inexplicably banned?](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/why-have-my-space-and-account-been-inexplicably-banned/164013) | A user reported a sudden account / Space access issue. Another user later said `website@huggingface.co` restored access for them in a few hours. | This is a useful reassurance case for Space-related account problems. | [Cannot Log In, 403 Error and Account Possibly Blocked Without Cause](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/cannot-log-in-403-error-and-account-possibly-blocked-without-cause/162013) | Another user said they had previously had an account frozen but were able to get it back, and recommended contacting HF by email at `website@huggingface.co` . | Not an official statement, but it is another public recovery anecdote. | [Hello, my account has been blocked?](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/hello-my-account-has-been-blocked/163095) | A user later reported that their account was back, apparently without any notification email. | This suggests that sometimes access may return without a detailed public explanation. | [Unable to login and all my spaces are “banned”?](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/unable-to-login-and-all-my-spaces-are-banned/162512) | Similar symptoms were discussed: forced logout, Spaces not working, and advice to contact `website@huggingface.co` with the account name. | This is not a clean recovery report, but it shows that similar account/Spaces symptoms have appeared before. | [GitHub issue: storage patterns tripped internal systems](https://github.com/huggingface/huggingface_hub/issues/3366) | The 403 message itself told the user to contact `website@huggingface.co` so HF could verify the account and unlock storage for the use case. | This is not the same as an account ban, but it supports the idea that `website@huggingface.co` is a real practical route for internal-system / verification / unlock cases. | [Hugging Face Content Policy](https://huggingface.co/content-policy) | The official policy says users can contest a moderation decision to disable content or suspend / terminate an account by contacting `legal@huggingface.co` with arguments and evidence. | This is the more formal appeal route if the issue is treated as a moderation decision rather than a simple account-support lock. | My reading from these examples is: - A locked account is not necessarily deleted. - Space-related or internal-alert-related locks can happen. - Some users have reported restoration after email contact. `website@huggingface.co` appears repeatedly in account-lock / internal-alert / verification cases. `safety@huggingface.co` can also be relevant, especially if the lock screen or safety review points there. `legal@huggingface.co` is the formal Content Policy route for contesting a moderation decision, but I would not treat it as the first everyday support address unless the case clearly becomes a formal appeal. Bottom line: I would not assume your account or data is gone. There are public restoration examples, and your public pages not being completely gone is a good sign. You already did the most important first step by emailing HF. If there is no response, follow up through `website@huggingface.co` with a short, factual summary and links to the affected Spaces/repos.