SeaShell verifies licenses offline against a key built into the binary, so a Pro or Company license works air-gapped with no phone-home to unlock features. SeaShell Cloud resolves entitlements and holds billing records, but the runtime does not need a live connection to confirm what a seat is allowed to do.
Why offline verification matters
Many teams run in restricted or air-gapped environments where a tool that phones home to validate a license simply cannot work. SeaShell verifies the license locally against a key compiled into the binary, so paid features unlock without network access.
This keeps the licensing path aligned with the rest of SeaShell: it runs on your machine, on your terms. You are not trading privacy or availability for the convenience of a subscription, because the check never leaves the device.
What the cloud actually holds
SeaShell Cloud resolves entitlements and stores billing and license records. That is account and commercial data, not your work. The control plane is designed not to require repo contents, prompts, diffs, or credentials.
So the division is clean: the cloud knows which seats exist and what they are entitled to, while your code, prompts, and keys stay on your machine. Entitlement resolution moved behind cloud-api contracts, but confirming a license at runtime does not depend on a live call.
Graceful lapses, not bricks
When a Company subscription lapses, the team keeps the last version it was entitled to and simply stops receiving new updates until it renews. Nothing is bricked, because the license is verified offline.
Pro is ownership: buy it once and keep that major version forever, with a new major generation offered as a discounted upgrade rather than a forced one. Offline verification is what makes those promises enforceable without a server in the loop.
Frequently asked questions
- Does SeaShell need to phone home to check my license?
- No. SeaShell verifies licenses offline against a key built into the binary, so paid features work air-gapped with no phone-home.
- What does SeaShell Cloud store about my license?
- Billing and entitlement records: which seats exist and what they are entitled to. It is designed not to require your code, prompts, diffs, or credentials.
- What happens if my subscription lapses?
- A Company team keeps the last version it was entitled to and stops receiving new updates until it renews. Nothing is bricked because the check is offline.
- Can I use SeaShell in an air-gapped environment?
- Yes. Offline license verification means the runtime does not need network access to unlock the features your seat is entitled to.
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