License Activation Fails in Self-Hosted n8n on Render

Based on the documentation for license activation in n8n, the only licensing-specific environment variable you really need to set is N8N_LICENSE_ACTIVATION_KEY (with your emailed key) when running in a self-hosted environment. However, there are a few points to consider given your situation:

1. License Server Connectivity:
   • By default, n8n uses the license server URL defined in N8N_LICENSE_SERVER_URL (defaulting to “http://license.n8n.io/v1”). If your environment has restrictions or uses a proxy you may need to also configure HTTP_PROXY_LICENSE_SERVER or HTTPS_PROXY_LICENSE_SERVER accordingly.
   • Make sure your instance (especially on Render) can reliably reach the license server. Cloudflare hosts that server so it’s advisable to allowlist the full range of Cloudflare IPs if you have firewall rules.

2. Initialization Timing:
   • The errors you see—“activation failed because SDK was not yet initialized” and “renewal failed because current cert is not initialized”—suggest that the license system isn’t fully up and running at the time the activation or renewal is attempted. This may be related to the order of startup and certificate initialization within your deployment.
   • Ensure that the license environment variable is present from container startup (rather than applying it later via UI). This way, the SDK can initialize with the correct configuration.

3. Custom Domain Considerations:
   • If you added a custom domain after your license key was generated, it might affect the activation because the license system associates certain configurations (like the public URL) with the key.
   • When using a custom domain, confirm that your deployment environment variables that affect URL handling (for example, N8N_EDITOR_BASE_URL, N8N_PROTOCOL, etc.) are adjusted so the application can correctly communicate with both your users and the license server. If there’s a mismatch between the originally generated license’s expectations and your now-customized deployment, you may need to re-issue or refresh your license through the UI.

In short, beyond your general deployment settings, make sure you’ve correctly set:

• N8N_LICENSE_ACTIVATION_KEY (your license key)
• (Optionally) N8N_LICENSE_AUTO_RENEW_ENABLED and related auto-renew variables if you want automatic license renewals
• And, if applicable for your environment structure, use the HTTP/HTTPS proxy variables for license server access.

Double-check your custom domain configuration and consider re-activating the license (or generating a new one) if the custom domain is causing a mismatch. This should help address the initialization errors reported in your logs.