Your licence key looks like SCLP-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. It is on your account page at scalpeltrade.com and in your purchase email. The first time Scalpel opens it shows the licence screen: paste the key, click Activate, and the cockpit opens. One licence covers two computers; Scalpel checks it at every start and every 12 hours, and keeps working for up to 72 hours if it cannot reach scalpeltrade.com.
Scalpel is a one-off purchase: one payment, a lifetime licence, two computers, every update. There is no trial mode, so the licence screen is the first thing a new install shows. It takes about a minute.
A licence. No licence yet? The licence screen's Buy a licence button takes you to the pricing page. Every purchase has a 7-day refund (guide 12.4).
Activate Scalpel
01
Copy your key from your account page
Sign in at scalpeltrade.com/account with the email you bought with (Scalpel sends you a sign-in link; there is no password). Your key is in the Lifetime licence panel. Click Copy key. The same key is in the email you got when you paid.
Lifetime licenceActive
SCLP-7K3M-Q9XD-2HTF-W8RBCopy key
Machines 0 of 2Not activated yet. Start Scalpel and paste the key when it asks.
Simplified. The licence panel on your account page: the key, Copy key, and the machines using it. Machines 0 of 2 means it has not been activated anywhere yet.
02
Paste it into the licence screen
Open Scalpel. After the splash you see Activate Scalpel. Click the key box 1 and paste with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac).
You do not have to be exact: spaces are dropped, upper and lower case are the same, and the letters O, I and L are read as 0, 1 and 1, the characters keys use instead.
Activate Scalpel
Paste your licence key. It is on your account page and in your purchase email.
SCLP-7K3M-Q9XD-2HTF-W8RBActivate
Already bought one?Find my key
No licence yet?One payment covers two computers and every update, with a 7-day refund. Buying takes a minute at scalpeltrade.com; your key arrives straight away.
Buy a licence
This computer: TRADING-PC. Each licence covers two computers; free one up on your account page.
12345
The licence screen: the key box 1, Activate 2, Find my key 3 (opens your account page), Buy a licence 4, and this computer's name 5.
03
Click Activate
Click Activate2 or press Enter. The button reads Checking... while Scalpel asks scalpeltrade.com, then the cockpit opens. Scalpel saves the key, so you never type it again on this computer.
04
Check it in Settings
Open Settings (Ctrl+,) and the About tab. Under Licence you see Licensed with your key masked to its last four characters, such as SCLP-****-****-****-W8RB, and how many of your two computers are in use. Manage licence and computers opens your account page.
Back on the account page, the computer now appears under Machines 1 of 2 with the name from the licence screen 5, when it was last seen, and the Scalpel version it runs.
Two computers per licence
A licence is for one trader on two computers: a desktop and a laptop, or a Windows PC and a Mac. Each computer is recognised by a private fingerprint of its system ID; Scalpel never sends your files or your trading to the licence server, only the key, that fingerprint, the computer's name and the app version.
To use Scalpel on a third computer, free one first: on your account page, click Free this machine next to the one you no longer use, then activate the new one. You can free up to three computers in any 30 days; ask in Discord if you need more. Step by step: guide 12.1.
The 12-hour check and the 72-hour offline grace
Scalpel checks the licence when it starts (the launch screen stays on the Scalpel logo with "Checking your licence" until it answers, about 10 seconds at most if scalpeltrade.com cannot be reached) and every 12 hours while it runs. Each good check gives this computer a signed pass that is valid for 72 hours without the internet. So:
Your internet drops, or scalpeltrade.com is down: nothing happens. Scalpel runs on its last pass, and Settings > About says checked offline and how long is left.
Scalpel cannot check in for more than 72 hours: the next time it starts, it asks you to connect. It never locks you out in the middle of a session.
Licensed (SCLP-****-****-****-W8RB), checked offline. Scalpel needs to reach scalpeltrade.com within 2 days.
Manage licence and computers
Updates
ChannelStable
CancelApply
Settings, About during the offline grace: Scalpel has not reached scalpeltrade.com recently and says how long it can keep running without it.
A licence problem never traps you in a trade
If a check fails while you trade (the licence was refunded, say, or the offline period ran out), Scalpel shows a banner under the header that says so and keeps running until you quit. Your positions, orders and app-monitored stops carry on as normal.
If the licence screen ever appears at start-up while you still hold something (a position left over in your IBKR account, for example), it shows what is open and a red Flatten all button that closes everything at the market. Your stops are still being watched in the meantime.
Activate Scalpel
Paste your licence key. It is on your account page and in your purchase email.
SCLP-7K3M-Q9XD-2HTF-W8RBActivate
Already bought one?Find my key
No licence yet?One payment covers two computers and every update, with a 7-day refund. Buying takes a minute at scalpeltrade.com; your key arrives straight away.
Buy a licence
This computer: TRADING-PC. Each licence covers two computers; free one up on your account page.
You have an open position. Your stops are still watched; Flatten all closes everything at the market.Flatten all
The licence screen with a position still open: the stops are still watched, and Flatten all closes everything.
What the licence screen can say
Message
What it means
What to do
That licence key was not found. Check it on scalpeltrade.com/account.
A typo, or a key from somewhere else
Copy the key from your account page again
That licence key is not in the right format.
Characters are missing
Paste the whole key, starting SCLP
This licence is already active on 2 machines. Free one at scalpeltrade.com/account.
Both slots are taken
Free one on your account page, then click Try again (guide 13.8)
Scalpel can't reach scalpeltrade.com to check your licence. Check your connection and try again.
This licence is no longer active (refunded or disputed).
The purchase was refunded or charged back
Buy again, or contact support if this is a mistake
Scalpel is not licensed on this computer
This licence is already active on 2 machines. Free one at scalpeltrade.com/account.
SCLP-7K3M-Q9XD-2HTF-W8RBActivate
Already bought one?Find my key
No licence yet?One payment covers two computers and every update, with a 7-day refund. Buying takes a minute at scalpeltrade.com; your key arrives straight away.
Buy a licence
This computer: TRADING-PC. Each licence covers two computers; free one up on your account page.Try again
Refused for the machine limit. Free a computer on your account page, then click Try again: the key you pasted is kept.
Questions
Where do I find my Scalpel licence key?
On your account page at scalpeltrade.com/account, in the Lifetime licence panel, with a Copy key button. It is also in your purchase email. The licence screen's Find my key button opens the account page.
Is there a free trial?
No. Scalpel needs a licence key to open. Every purchase has a 7-day refund instead, and the whole app, SIM included, is yours from the first minute.
How many computers can I use Scalpel on?
Two at a time, Windows or Mac in any mix. Free one on your account page to move the licence to another computer; you can free up to three in any 30 days.
Does Scalpel need the internet to run?
It needs to reach scalpeltrade.com to activate and then at least once every 72 hours. Between checks it runs offline on its last check. It always needs your TWS or IB Gateway connection for market data.
What happens if my licence check fails in the middle of a trade?
Nothing changes until you quit. Scalpel shows a banner and keeps running, your stops keep being watched, and it asks for the licence again at the next start.