Budibase/budibase · error · HTTPError

Invalid license key

Error message

Invalid license key

What it means

Thrown by activateLicenseKey when POST /api/license/activate responds with 403, meaning the account portal rejected the license key as invalid. The library deliberately converts the 403 to a 400 so the caller is not logged out by generic 403 handling. It signals the key itself is not recognized/entitled, not a transport or server failure.

Source

Thrown at packages/pro/src/sdk/licensing/licenses/client.ts:239

  licenseKey: string
): Promise<License | undefined> => {
  const install = await installation.getInstall()

  const body: LicenseActivateRequest = {
    installVersion: install.version,
    installId: install.installId,
  }

  const response = await api.post(`/api/license/activate`, {
    headers: {
      [constants.Header.LICENSE_KEY]: licenseKey,
    },
    body,
  })

  // don't propagate the 403 to prevent logout
  if (response.status === 403) {
    throw new HTTPError("Invalid license key", 400)
  }

  if (response.status === 409) {
    throw new HTTPError("License key has already been activated", 409)
  }

  if (response.status !== 200) {
    const message = await getResponseErrorMessage(response)
    throw new HTTPError(
      `Error activating license key: ${message}`,
      response.status
    )
  }

  return response.json()
}

View on GitHub (pinned to a81a902e9a)

Solutions

1. Double-check the license key for typos/truncation and re-enter it exactly as issued.
2. Confirm the key belongs to this installation type/environment and the account portal URL (INTERNAL_ACCOUNT_PORTAL_URL / ACCOUNT_PORTAL_URL) matches where the key was issued.
3. Verify the license is still active (not cancelled/expired) in the account portal.
4. If the key is valid but still rejected, contact Budibase support with the key and install details.

Example fix

// before
await activateLicenseKey(userInput.trim())
// after
if (!userInput || userInput.trim().length === 0) {
  throw new Error("License key is required")
}
await activateLicenseKey(userInput.trim())

function isValidKeyFormat(key: string): boolean {
  return typeof key === "string" && key.trim().length > 0 && /^[A-Za-z0-9-_]+$/.test(key.trim())
}
if (!isValidKeyFormat(userKey)) throw new Error("License key format looks invalid")

function isHTTPError(e: unknown): e is HTTPError {
  return e instanceof HTTPError
}

try {
  await activateLicenseKey(key)
} catch (e) {
  if (isHTTPError(e) && e.status === 400) {
    // show 'license key invalid — check key and environment' to the user
  } else throw e
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling activateLicenseKey(licenseKey) with a key the account portal does not recognize, a key that was revoked, or a key from a different environment — the portal returns 403 for the activation request.

Common situations: Typo'd or truncated license key pasted into self-host activation UI; key for a cloud tenant used on a self-host install; license cancelled on the account portal; pointing the install at the wrong account portal URL so the key is unknown there.

Related errors

• License key has already been activated
• Error activating license key: ${message}
• Audit logs not available - license required.
• User does not have access to environment variables feature.
• FEATURE_DISABLED

AI-assisted analysis of Budibase/budibase@a81a902e9a (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a9be18e547ef605d. Report an issue: GitHub.