CLI reference: system

Licensing, the Thunderbird bridge host, and keeping atbridge.ai current. Part of the CLI reference.

license

Activate and manage your license, devices, and subscription. See also When activation fails.

Command	What it does
`license activate`	Activate this device (`--email --key`, or `--auto` to read Thunderbird identities)
`license start-trial`	Email a code, then mint + activate a free 14-day license
`license status`	The cached license + entitlement on this device (`--pretty`)
`license refresh`	Force a fresh `/license/verify` against the server
`license devices`	List + remote-deactivate this license’s devices
`license billing`	Subscription view + Stripe Billing Portal URL
`license consent`	Show (or `--accept`) the privacy disclosure before any server contact

atbridge license activate --auto         # detects your Thunderbird email, no copy-paste

bridge

Control and diagnose the Thunderbird native-messaging host.

Command	What it does
`bridge install`	Wire Thunderbird to launch this binary as the host
`bridge ping`	Round-trip ping through the bridge to the extension
`bridge accounts`	List Thunderbird accounts + identities (for `mail send --identity`)
`bridge status`	Bridge state + live health
`bridge tb-check`	Verify Thunderbird’s offline-storage settings work for search
`bridge service`	Manage the standalone bridge service (loopback fallback for Snap/Flatpak Thunderbird): `install` / `start` / `status`
`bridge pair`	Show the loopback token to paste into the extension (Snap/Flatpak fallback)

Updates & maintenance

Keeping atbridge.ai current and removing it are built into the binary — no Node, no package manager, no separate updater. update self-replaces the running binary (the download is sha256-verified before the swap), and update-extension refreshes the @bridge add-on in your Thunderbird profile to match.

Command	What it does
`check`	Report whether a newer atbridge.ai core or extension is available
`update`	Self-replace this binary with the latest version (sha256-verified)
`update-extension`	Refresh the @bridge add-on XPI in your Thunderbird profile
`uninstall`	Remove the native-messaging host, service, config, and binary (`--yes` to confirm, `--keep-data` to keep `~/.atbridge`)

atbridge check          # anything newer?
atbridge update         # update the binary, then:
atbridge update-extension   # refresh the Thunderbird add-on to match

atbridge uninstall --yes        # remove everything
atbridge uninstall --yes --keep-data   # …but keep ~/.atbridge

Was this page helpful?