Licensing and activation
Sidekick is a paid panel. You buy it once, get a key in your inbox, and activate on up to two machines. Here is the whole thing, start to finish.
Two keys, two jobs
This trips people up, so it is worth saying plainly. Sidekick needs two different keys, and they do different things:
- Your Sidekick license key – unlocks the panel itself. You buy it once. That is what this page is about.
- Your AI provider key (Anthropic, OpenAI, or Gemini) – pays for the actual code generation, billed per use by the provider. That is covered in Installation.
One unlocks the app, the other powers the AI. You need both for Sidekick to do anything.
Buy a license
Grab one from sidekick-ae.com. Checkout runs through Gumroad. The moment it goes through, you get an email with your license key – it looks like XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX. Keep that email; the key is how you activate now and re-activate later.
Activate the panel
The first time you open Sidekick, it asks for your key before anything else. Paste it into the Activate Sidekick screen and click Activate. That is it – the panel unlocks and stays unlocked.
The Toolbar panel shows Locked with an Activate button until you do this. Clicking it just brings the main Sidekick panel forward so you can paste the key there.
Two machines per license
One license covers two machines – your studio tower and your laptop, say. Open Settings and you will see how many seats you have used (like 1/2), the email tied to the license, and a Deactivate this machine button.
Try to activate a third machine and Sidekick tells you which two are already in use. Free one up with Deactivate this machine on a computer you are done with, then activate the new one.
Moving to a new computer
Deactivate on the old machine first (Settings > Deactivate this machine) to free the seat, then activate on the new one. Reinstalling Sidekick on the same machine does not burn a seat – it is recognized as the same computer.
Working offline
Once you have activated, Sidekick keeps working offline for 14 days without checking in. While you are online it quietly re-validates in the background, which resets that window. Stay fully offline past 14 days and it will ask you to reconnect and re-enter your key.
Refunds and disputes
If you refund or charge back a purchase, the license is revoked and the panel locks on the next launch or background check. Re-enter a valid key to get going again.
Stuck on activation? Troubleshooting covers the common snags, and the full setup walkthrough lives in Installation. Still stuck? Email hello@sidekick-ae.com.