> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tackstudio.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installing tools

> Buy, activate, install.

## Sign in

Open the app and enter the email address you used when purchasing, then click **Send verification code**. We’ll email you a code; type it in and click **Submit**. Click **Resend** if it doesn’t arrive.

<Callout icon="lightbulb" color="#F05F3F">
  Signing in only works with a **purchase email**. If you haven’t bought anything from Tack Studio yet, there’s no account to sign in to, so no code will work. If you have purchased but can’t get in, check you’re using the exact email address from your receipt.
</Callout>

## The Tools tab

Every tool has a card in the **Tools** tab, and its button walks you through whatever’s next:

1. **Buy**: takes you to the tool’s page on [tackstudio.co](https://tackstudio.co) to purchase a license.
2. **Activate**: opens the activation panel. Paste your license key, tick **I have permission to use this license key**, and click **Submit**.
3. **Install**: installs the tool into After Effects.

Once a tool is purchased, activated, and installed, the button switches to **Uninstall**.

## Activation screens in After Effects

If a tool isn’t yet activated, its panel shows an activation screen instead of its controls:

* If it asks you to **open the Tack Studio app**, launch the app so it can confirm your license, then click **Refresh** in the panel or dialog.
* If it asks you to **activate**, activate the tool in the app (or click **Purchase** to buy a license), then click **Refresh** in the panel or dialog.

Once activated, a tool stays active. You shouldn’t need to repeat this unless your license changes.