License

acs2md requires a valid license to run conversion commands. License management is done with the license command group.

This is the first dependency to validate on a new machine before you start any bulk or scheduled export workflow.

Overview

acs2md supports two licensing paths:

• Online commercial activation via LemonSqueezy with an internet-connected machine
• Offline local activation with a machine-bound license file for restricted or air-gapped environments

This flexibility means you can standardize on acs2md whether your workflow runs in a standard connected environment or in a tightly controlled network.

license activate

Activates acs2md with either a purchased license key or a local offline license file.

Use online activation when the machine can reach the Lemon Squeezy licensing service. Use local file activation when the machine is air-gapped, customer-restricted, or operating in a network where online validation is not practical.

# Online commercial activation
acs2md license activate --license-key YOUR_LICENSE_KEY
 
# Offline local activation
acs2md license activate --license-file ./license.bin

After activation, validate the result immediately:

acs2md license validate

license validate

Checks whether the currently installed license is active and usable on the current machine.

Run this after activation, before the first real export, and before any scheduled or customer-facing run where a licensing failure would be disruptive.

acs2md license validate

Typical reasons to run license validate:

• immediately after activating a new machine
• before a recurring export pipeline starts
• after restoring a machine from backup or after profile migration
• when a previous activation was deactivated or may have expired

Validation behavior by plan

acs2md validates installed LemonSqueezy licenses automatically before each non-exempt command, but an online API validation is not triggered on every command. For online licenses, an API validation happens when either threshold below is reached, whichever comes first.

LemonSqueezy (online) licenses

The Trial variant is a free 14-day evaluation. In addition to the thresholds above, it has an absolute 14-day expiration date from the time of purchase.

If the machine is offline when an API validation becomes due, acs2md falls back to local validation and continues operating normally. The API check is retried on a later command when connectivity returns. The CI/CD Automation variant validates on every command and is intended for recognized CI/CD environments. Run acs2md license validate when you want to force the online status check immediately.

Local (offline) licenses

Offline licenses are validated entirely on-device and do not require network access. The license file can enforce these constraints:

license list

Displays the stored license details known to the local installation.

acs2md license list

Use this when you want a quick operator-facing summary of the current license state without opening the raw license file.

license where

Shows the location of the encrypted license file on disk.

acs2md license where

This is useful when you need to confirm the active machine-specific license location before backup, restore, or support work.

license export

Exports the current license file to a backup location.

Use this before replacing a workstation, rebuilding a CI runner image, or handing operational custody to another team.

acs2md license export --output ./acs2md-license-backup.bin

Treat exported license files as sensitive machine-bound assets. Store them in the same protected locations you use for other operational secrets and backup materials.

license import

Imports a previously exported license file from a backup path.

acs2md license import --license-file ./acs2md-license-backup.bin

Use this when you are restoring a known-good local activation into the expected application location after a rebuild or recovery workflow.

license deactivate

Deactivates the current machine-bound license instance.

acs2md license deactivate

Run this before retiring a machine, rebuilding it, or intentionally moving the operational seat to another workstation. Clean deactivation is safer than leaving stale activations behind and discovering the problem during the next emergency export.

license terms

Prints the software license agreement in the terminal.

acs2md license terms

Use this when procurement, legal, or compliance stakeholders need to review the operative license text from the installed tool. The same legal text is also available on the License Terms page.

Recommended Operator Flow

For a new machine or runner, the safest sequence is:

1. activate the license with acs2md license activate
2. confirm the activation with acs2md license validate
3. record the installed location with acs2md license where
4. run acs2md doctor to validate the full workstation state
5. export a backup copy with acs2md license export when the machine becomes part of a production workflow

This keeps activation, verification, diagnostics, and recoverability tied together instead of treating licensing as a one-time setup detail.

Offline And Restricted Environments

For air-gapped and restricted-network environments, use the companion licensegen workflow to produce a local license.bin file and activate it with --license-file.

That path is intended for:

• isolated customer labs
• regulated environments with no outbound access
• disaster recovery environments where internet access is intentionally disabled

After local activation, use the same operational checks as an online activation:

acs2md license validate
acs2md doctor

Need Help?

If license activation or validation fails:

• re-run acs2md license validate
• confirm the installed file location with acs2md license where
• run acs2md doctor
• generate a support bundle with acs2md support --output acs2md-support.txt

That sequence gives support the licensing, environment, and diagnostic context needed to resolve the issue quickly.