License Activation Failed

Symptoms

forge activate <key> returns an error message.
Common error messages:
- invalid license key format — expected <payload>.<signature>
- signature verification failed — key may be tampered or forged
- license expired on <date>
- machine limit reached — deactivate an existing machine first

Likely Causes

Cause	Indicator
Key was truncated or wrapped during copy-paste	`InvalidFormat` error
Key has extra spaces, newlines, or quotes	`InvalidFormat` error
Key was corrupted during transit	`InvalidSignature` error
Key is a dev/test key used with a production binary	`InvalidSignature` error
Subscription has expired	`Expired` error with a date
Machine limit reached (Solo: 1, Pro: 3, Team: seat count)	`machine limit reached` error
Team invite token used without `--team` flag	`InvalidFormat` error

Step-by-Step Fix

Step 1: Verify the key format

The license key is a single string with exactly one . separator. It looks like:

eyJrZXki...(many characters).....<base64signature>

Open your purchase email and copy the key exactly. Do not add quotes, spaces, or line breaks.

Step 2: Paste and activate cleanly

On macOS or Linux:

forge activate "$(pbpaste)"    # macOS
forge activate "$(xclip -o)"   # Linux with xclip

Or paste directly — the key should be one unbroken string:

forge activate eyJrZXki....<signature>

Step 3: Check the specific error

InvalidFormat: Your key is missing the . separator or has been truncated. Re-copy from the email. If you received the key in a link, there may be URL encoding (%2B for +, %3D for =). Decode before activating.

InvalidSignature: The key bytes do not match the signature. This means the key was modified during transit. Contact support to request a key reissue.

Expired: Your subscription has lapsed. Renew at https://forge.ironpinelabs.com/pricing and activate the new key you receive.

machine limit reached: You are on Solo (1 machine), Pro (3 machines), or Team (seat count). To activate on a new machine, first deactivate on an old one:

# On the old machine
forge deactivate

# Then activate on the new machine
forge activate <key>

If you no longer have access to the old machine, contact support to release the slot.

Step 4: Activating a team invite token

Team invite tokens use a different flag:

forge activate --team <invite-token>

Not the positional argument. Using the positional argument with an invite token produces an InvalidFormat error because the token format differs from a license key.

Step 5: Verify activation succeeded

forge license

Expected output shows your tier, masked email, features, and expiration date:

License: Solo
Email:   p***[email protected]
Expires: 2027-04-15
Features: dashboard, plugins, semantic_search, workflow_tools

When to Escalate

Contact support at [email protected] if:

Activation continues to fail after a key reissue.
You receive InvalidSignature on a freshly copied key.
You need a machine slot released and no longer have access to the old machine.
Your purchase email never arrived (check spam first).

Include the output of:

forge license
forge --version