Activating AccountingClaw

Activation is a one-time step that turns a six-digit code into your personal activation key. That key — it looks like cpaa_live_… — is what unlocks the encrypted AccountingClaw skills when you deploy, in the cloud or on your desktop. You'll do this once, save the key, and reuse it for every install.

Step 1 — Get a six-digit activation code

Activation codes are issued by CPAAutomation. If you don't have one yet, contact us and we'll send you a six-digit code. The code is short-lived proof that you're entitled to activate; you exchange it for your own key in the next step.

Step 2 — Open the Activation page

In the CPAAutomation sidebar, open Claw Activation (/dashboard/activation). You'll see a card titled Enter your activation code with six input boxes.

Step 3 — Enter the code and activate

1. Type your six digits into the boxes.
2. Click Activate.

If the code is valid, AccountingClaw issues your personal key right away.

Note: If you mistype the code you'll see "Invalid activation code." — double-check the six digits. If you try too many times in a row you'll be asked to wait a few minutes and try again (activation is rate-limited to protect your account).

Step 4 — Save your key (it's shown only once)

After a successful activation, a Your personal activation key panel appears with your full cpaa_live_… key and a warning:

Save this now. For your security it will not be shown again. If you lose it, revoke and re-activate.

Click Copy key and store it somewhere safe — a password manager is ideal. You'll paste this key into your deployment:

• Cloud (Docker): pass it as the CPAA_ACTIVATION_KEY environment variable.
• Desktop: run the installer with it to add AccountingClaw to Hermes Desktop.

The same panel gives you ready-to-run Cloud (Docker) and Desktop commands with your key already filled in, so you can jump straight to deployment. Continue to Deploy in the cloud or Deploy on your desktop.

Checking your activation status

When you return to the Activation page later, it reflects your current state instead of the code form:

What you see	What it means
AccountingClaw activated, with a key shown as cpaa_live_AbCd…	You have an active key. Only the prefix is displayed — the full key is never shown again.
Last used by your cloud (Docker) install / your desktop install, with a date	The most recent time a deployment used your key, and how it was deployed.
A red Your activation key was revoked banner	Your previous key is no longer valid. Enter a code to issue a new one.

You can hold one active key at a time. If you activate again while you already have an active key, AccountingClaw simply confirms you're already activated rather than minting a second key.

If you lose your key

Because the full key is only ever shown once, there's no way to look it up later. If you lose it, contact us to revoke the old key, then return to the Activation page and re-activate with a code to issue a fresh one. Revoking immediately stops the lost key from working anywhere.

Once you have your key, head to Deploy in the cloud (Docker) or Deploy on your desktop.