Activation & Licensing

First Launch & Activation

Aether is gated until you activate it. On first launch you'll see an activation modal — until you enter a valid license key, the UI is disabled, audio output is muted, and MIDI output is dropped at the host.

Enter your license key and click Activate. Aether contacts the license server, registers your machine, and unlocks the plugin. Activation requires an internet connection the first time; after that, the license works offline.

Three Machines Per License

One Aether license activates on up to three machines. A machine is identified by a hardware fingerprint — no personal data, just a stable identifier derived from the device.

If you sell, reformat, or retire a machine, deactivate it from your account page to free a slot. Any of your three slots can be reclaimed at any time.

Offline Behavior

Once activated, Aether caches your license locally. You can use the plugin without an internet connection — AI generation still requires network access to reach your provider, but the license check itself is offline-capable.

Aether periodically re-validates the license in the background when the network is available. If a license has been deactivated remotely, the plugin returns to the gated state on next launch.

Settings Tab

Your current activation status, license tier, and machine fingerprint are visible in Settings → License. Open Settings with Cmd + ,(macOS) or the gear icon at the top of the chat panel.