instance_id not found in license dialog

madamov

When I try to build on macOS, I am getting dialog that wants me to enter and activate license. If I do so, it will say that I reach maximum number of activation.

Back to Settings->Licenses it looks activated, but when I click on "Check now" I am getting instance_id not found message.

Garry

Thanks for reporting this. This is not something you’ve done wrong.

Objo Studio has a saved licence activation on your Mac, but the licensing service no longer recognises the activation ID associated with it. Studio is handling that situation badly: it still appears activated locally, while Build asks you to activate again and that second activation then encounters the activation limit.

Before changing anything, could you please open Settings → License, click Export Diagnostics, and attach the resulting text file here? The report is designed not to include your licence key, customer email, project names, source code, machine name, or username. If you feel more comfortable emailing it then please do that (contact@objo.dev)

Please also send me the email address used to purchase the licence privately - do not post your licence key publicly. I can inspect and reset the stale activation from this end. Once I confirm that has been done, you should be able to click Deactivate in Studio, activate the licence again, and use Check Now successfully.

I’ll also treat the confusing error and missing recovery path as an Objo Studio bug and will investigate / fix it.

madamov

Garry

objo-studio-license-diagnostics-20260805-122030txt.zip

2kB

Here is the file.

madamov

Garry Please also send me the email address used to purchase the licence privately - do not post your licence key publicly. I can inspect and reset the stale activation from this end. Once I confirm that has been done, you should be able to click Deactivate in Studio, activate the licence again, and use Check Now successfully.

@Garry I "pinged" you in previous private communication where I posted my license data before.

Garry

I've deactivated your licenses for you.

I'll investigate what is going on here and get back to you.

Garry

I’ve now cleared all activations for your licence from my end.

Please try the following:

Open Objo Studio → Settings → License.
Click Deactivate. This clears the stale activation saved on your Mac.
Enter your licence key and click Activate.
Click Check Now and then try Build again.

Because you use Objo from the command line and in CI, there is one additional thing to watch for: supplying the licence key in a fresh CI environment can create a new activation each time. For now, either persist the directory specified by OBJO_STUDIO_APPDATA between CI runs, or run objo license deactivate as a cleanup step at the end of the job.

I’m going to improve Studio’s handling of this situation so it clearly reports stale activations and gives users a way to manage old activations themselves.

Please let me know whether the steps above get you building again.

madamov

Garry Thanks Garry, everything OK now.

Garry

I’m working on improving Studio’s ability to handle this for the next release.

Garry

The more robust solution is now complete and will be included in the next Objo Studio release: https://feedback.objo.dev/bug/1107

The updated licensing flow includes:

Studio now detects when a locally saved activation is no longer recognised by the licensing service. It will report that state accurately and offer Repair Activation, rather than continuing to appear activated or creating another activation blindly.
Settings → License → Manage Activations will show every computer or CI instance using the licence. After verifying ownership with an emailed one-time code, you can deactivate obsolete instances yourself from within Studio. No objo.dev account, browser or server login is required.
Studio now shows the number of activation slots in use and when that information was last confirmed.
Check Now clearly reports the result of rechecking an existing activation. Activating a newly entered key remains a separate Activate action.
For command-line and CI use, supplying a key directly to objo check, objo build or objo publish with --license-key-env, --license-key-file or --license-key-stdin creates a temporary activation for that command. Studio releases it afterwards whether the command succeeds, fails or is cancelled, so ordinary CI runs should no longer accumulate permanent activation slots.
objo license activate remains available for intentionally persistent activation on a workstation.

A process that is forcibly killed (for example by a machine reboot) cannot run its cleanup code, but any activation left behind can now be found and removed through Manage Activations.

You have nothing further to do at present, since your activations were cleared and you have confirmed that everything is working again. These improvements will become available when the next Studio update is released.

madamov

Garry this is great!!!