RocketChat/Rocket.Chat · error · MeteorError

error-license-user-limit-reached

error-license-user-limit-reached

Error message

error-license-user-limit-reached

What it means

Thrown by validateUserRoles when activating (or newly creating) a non-special-type user beyond the license's activeUsers cap. The check fires only when the user is active AND either they were previously inactive, or a special type (app/bot) was removed. MeteorError code 'error-license-user-limit-reached' (message i18n-translated).

Source

Thrown at apps/meteor/ee/server/lib/authorization/validateUserRoles.ts:50

	if (isGuest) {
		return;
	}

	const isActive = Boolean(userData.active !== false);
	const wasActive = currentUserData && currentUserData?.active !== false;

	const hasRemovedSpecialType = (wasApp && !isApp) || (wasBot && !isBot);

	if (!isActive) {
		return;
	}

	if (!hasRemovedSpecialType && wasActive) {
		return;
	}

	if (await License.shouldPreventAction('activeUsers')) {
		throw new MeteorError('error-license-user-limit-reached', i18n.t('error-license-user-limit-reached'));
	}
}

View on GitHub (pinned to f9d3ec372b)

Solutions

  1. Deactivate another active user to free a seat, then retry the activation.
  2. Upgrade the license to raise the activeUsers cap.
  3. Leave the user inactive, or mark them as app/bot if appropriate (special types are exempt).
  4. Audit the active user count vs. licensed seats before provisioning new users.

Example fix

// before: activate past the cap
await Users.updateOne({ _id }, { $set: { active: true } });
await validateUserRoles({ active: true }, { active: false });

// after: check headroom
if (await License.shouldPreventAction('activeUsers')) {
  throw new Error('No active seats available — deactivate a user or upgrade');
}
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

async function canActivateUser(): Promise<boolean> {
  return !(await License.shouldPreventAction('activeUsers'));
}

Type guard

const willActivate = (next: Partial<IUser>, prev?: Partial<IUser>): boolean =>
  next.active !== false && !(prev && prev.active !== false);

Try / catch

try { await validateUserRoles({ active: true }, { active: false }); } catch (e) {
  if (e?.error === 'error-license-user-limit-reached') { /* deactivate another user or upgrade */ } else throw e;
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Activating a previously inactive user, removing an app/bot type from a user (so they now count as a regular active user), or creating a new active user when the active-user seat count is already at the license limit.

Common situations: License was downgraded (fewer seats) while the user base stayed the same and now an admin tries to activate another user; bulk re-activation of disabled accounts; license trial expired.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of RocketChat/Rocket.Chat@f9d3ec372b (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e5db9c0fb6a86f17. Report an issue: GitHub.