Write a macro for license key or plugin activation issues
A reusable macro for the "invalid license key" ticket, covering the handful of real causes before assuming the key itself is wrong.
Works with Claude / GPT1,750 uses★ 4.5
The prompt
support-license-activation-macro
Tickets like this arrive constantly:
"I'm trying to activate my license and it says 'Invalid License Key' even though
I copied it straight from my purchase email. Please help."
Write a troubleshooting macro a support agent can send for this exact error,
working through causes in order of likelihood, not alphabetically.
Requirements:
- First check: whitespace or hidden characters from copy-paste. Ask them to
retype the key manually instead of pasting it, this alone resolves a large
share of these tickets.
- Second check: whether the license is already activated on the maximum number of
sites allowed on their plan. Tell them exactly where to check and deactivate an
old site (a staging copy is the most common culprit) themselves.
- Third check: whether their site's server can reach your license API at all
(some hosts block outbound requests). Give a one-line way to test this without
needing technical background.
- Only after those three, ask for the license key and the exact site URL so an
agent can check the account directly, and note plainly this means the customer
is sharing account access info, so confirm it's really needed before asking for
it.
- Keep each step short enough that a non-technical WordPress user can follow it
without help.
This is a macro: keep it as a template an agent sends as-is or lightly edits, not
a one-off reply.
Ordering the checks by actual frequency, copy-paste whitespace, then activation limit, then a host blocking outbound requests, instead of listing them alphabetically is what makes a macro save real time.
Pro tip: most of these tickets resolve at step one or two and never need an agent to touch the account directly.