License purchase and activation

kticket uses a perpetual license for one machine. After purchase, you receive a license file by email. Once installed, it works offline without periodic activation checks. The license is bound to the machine running kticket, not to a Kubernetes cluster.

Operations that require activation

Operation	Valid license required?
Issue kubeconfigs, add or replace grants	Yes
Open the TUI or desktop app, view accounts and credentials	No
Preview permission changes, check authorization	No
Remove grants, revoke accounts	No

You can open the interface and preview workflows before activation. Install a valid license before executing protected operations.

Get your Machine ID and purchase

Run this on the machine where you will use kticket:

kticket license machine-id

Copy the complete value after Machine ID: into the purchase page. Use an email address that can receive attachments. See pricing for the price and purchase conditions.

Install the license file

Save the .ktlicense email attachment to your machine, then run these commands with its actual download path:

kticket license install /path/to/kticket-license.ktlicense
kticket license status

A status of valid means you can issue credentials and add grants. By default, the file is installed in the current operating system user’s configuration directory. license status shows the actual path. Install the license as the same system user that will run kticket.

Installation does not overwrite an existing license by default. To replace it intentionally, place --force before the file path:

kticket license install --force /path/to/kticket-license.ktlicense

To choose a different location, set KTICKET_LICENSE_FILE to an absolute path. Use the same setting when installing the license and running kticket.

kticket license inspect FILE verifies and displays a file’s contents. Use kticket license status to check activation on the current machine.

Reinstallation and hardware changes

Keep a backup of the original license attachment. Reinstalling the operating system normally preserves the Machine ID, so you can reinstall the same file. Replacing a motherboard or rebuilding a virtual machine may change the ID. Check the current ID and contact support through the support page. Do not edit the license file.

For missing email, installation errors, or a machine mismatch, see troubleshooting.