What Happens Offline

Filament keeps working on stage even when the venue Wi-Fi is gone. Once a license has been confirmed online at least once, the app launches and runs fully unlocked with no network. This page covers when that holds, when Filament re-checks, and what a later check can change. Like the trial limits, all of this is enforced in the Rust runtime — see Licensing and Trial for the full state list.

First activation needs the network

You can't activate a brand-new key offline. Activation sends your key, installation ID, and machine ID to Filament's backend and gets back a cryptographically signed receipt — and that receipt is what every later offline launch trusts. There's no offline activation path.

If the call fails mid-activation, Filament doesn't unlock. It saves your key encrypted and moves to Activation pending, retrying automatically on the next online launch (or sooner with Re-check License). You stay in trial limits until the first online activation succeeds. See Activating a License.

After a successful activation

Filament stores your encrypted key and the signed receipt locally, both bound to this installation and machine. On every launch it verifies the receipt's signature and that binding — no backend call needed. So while you're offline:

• the app stays unlocked: export works and live output runs clean
• your projects stay available
• Filament keeps trusting the last verified receipt until it can reach the backend again

Going offline by itself never downgrades you. As long as the stored receipt passes local verification, a previously confirmed license keeps working offline indefinitely. Only a later online check — or a receipt that fails local verification — can change your state.

The Licensed (offline-safe) state

When Filament had a working license but its most recent re-check couldn't reach the backend, it shows Licensed (offline-safe). This is a fully unlocked state — no trial limits. The only difference from plain Licensed is freshness: Licensed means the backend confirmed you on the last check; Licensed (offline-safe) means it was unreachable, so Filament is running on the last verified receipt. The License card reads: Filament is using the last verified receipt until the backend is reachable again.

Re-checking later

Filament re-confirms your license on the next launch where it can reach the backend, revalidating a saved receipt or pending key in the background. You can also force it any time from Settings → License with Re-check License. The outcome depends on what comes back:

A failed network re-check is treated as offline-safe: if you were unlocked, you stay unlocked and the receipt is preserved. Only a definitive negative answer from the backend downgrades you.

What can downgrade you

A successful online check moves you out of the unlocked states if the backend says the license is no longer good — then Filament discards the receipt and falls back to trial. Causes:

• the license was revoked
• the license expired
• the key is invalid or the activation no longer exists
• the activation belongs to a different customer than the saved receipt

Filament can also downgrade on launch with no network at all, if the stored receipt fails local verification. The receipt is bound to this installation and machine, so a tampered, corrupted, or mismatched one is rejected on the spot. If the encrypted key is still recoverable, you move to Activation pending and Filament retries; otherwise you land in Trial (invalidated).

Either way, the badge changes and the License card explains the new state. To recover, use Re-check License or re-enter your key from the activation dialog.

Offline is not a permanent bypass

Offline launches are a resilience feature, not a promise that a revoked license stays unlocked forever. The local receipt is a convenience copy; Polar (via your customer portal) stays canonical. The next successful online check is authoritative — it can refresh your unlocked state, or downgrade you if the license is no longer valid.