diff --git a/server/index.js b/server/index.js
index dd8e598..0ff1af8 100644
--- a/server/index.js
+++ b/server/index.js
@@ -36,6 +36,16 @@ import {
 } from "./cookies.js";
 import * as config from "./config.js";
 import { resolveApiKey } from "./config.js";
+import * as licenseMW from "./license-middleware.js";
+import {
+  setupLicenseMiddleware,
+  setupLicenseRoutes,
+  startLicenseRefresh,
+  refreshLicenseOnline,
+  isFreeUser,
+  tryAcquireFreeSlot,
+  releaseFreeSlot,
+} from "./license-middleware.js";
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
 const app = express();
@@ -63,184 +73,14 @@ await initCookies({ dataDir: DATA_DIR, envPath });
 app.use(cors());
 app.use(express.json({ limit: "100mb" }));
 
-// ── Keysat licensing (hard-gate / activate-screen flavor) ─────────────────
-// All /api/* routes return 402 until a valid license is activated, except
-// the allowlisted endpoints that exist precisely so the frontend can render
-// an activation UI. See server/license.js for the verifier.
-let LIC = license.checkLicense();
-console.log(
-  `[license] state=${LIC.state} entitlements=[${[...LIC.entitlements].join(",")}]` +
-    (LIC.reason ? ` reason=${LIC.reason}` : "")
-);
-
-// Periodic online validation against licensing.keysat.xyz. Catches
-// revocations, suspensions, and expirations that happen after activation —
-// without it, a revoked key keeps working until the customer reinstalls.
-//
-// On network errors we keep the prior state up to MAX_OFFLINE_DAYS (see
-// server/license.js); past the ceiling we lock out.
-const VALIDATE_INTERVAL_MS = parseInt(
-  process.env.RECAP_VALIDATE_INTERVAL_MS || String(6 * 60 * 60 * 1000),
-  10
-);
-const ACTIVATE_VALIDATE_TIMEOUT_MS = 8000;
-
-async function refreshLicenseOnline(reason) {
-  const prev = LIC;
-  try {
-    LIC = await license.validateOnline();
-  } catch (e) {
-    // validateOnline shouldn't throw, but be defensive.
-    console.error(`[license] refresh threw (${reason}):`, e?.message || e);
-    return;
-  }
-  if (LIC.state !== prev.state || LIC.reason !== prev.reason) {
-    console.log(
-      `[license] refresh (${reason}): state=${LIC.state}` +
-        (LIC.reason ? ` reason=${LIC.reason}` : "") +
-        ` entitlements=[${[...LIC.entitlements].join(",")}]`
-    );
-  }
-}
-
-// Async startup check — don't block the server from coming up.
-refreshLicenseOnline("startup").catch(() => {});
-setInterval(() => {
-  refreshLicenseOnline("scheduled").catch(() => {});
-}, VALIDATE_INTERVAL_MS);
-
-// Endpoints reachable without a license — kept intentionally minimal.
-// /api/process is open so unlicensed (free-tier) users can summarize one
-// video at a time with their own Gemini key. The route handler enforces
-// BYO-key + a one-at-a-time concurrency lock for free users.
-const LICENSE_OPEN_PATHS = new Set([
-  "/api/health",
-  "/api/heartbeat",
-  "/api/status",
-  "/api/license-status",
-  "/api/license/activate",
-  "/api/license/deactivate",
-  "/api/process",
-]);
-
-// Activation-screen gate: any /api/* request without a valid license is
-// rejected with 402, except the allowlist above. Non-/api requests
-// (the static frontend, /assets, etc.) pass through so the UI can load.
-app.use((req, res, next) => {
-  if (!req.path.startsWith("/api/")) return next();
-  if (LICENSE_OPEN_PATHS.has(req.path)) return next();
-  if (LIC.state === "licensed" && LIC.entitlements.has("core")) return next();
-  return res.status(402).json({
-    error: "license_required",
-    message:
-      LIC.state === "licensed"
-        ? "Your license is missing the 'core' entitlement. Contact the seller."
-        : "This feature requires a Keysat license. Upgrade to unlock.",
-    state: LIC.state,
-    reason: LIC.reason,
-    activate_url: "/#activate",
-    keysat_base_url: license.KEYSAT_BASE_URL,
-    product_slug: license.PRODUCT_SLUG,
-  });
-});
-
-// Free-tier concurrency lock. Unlicensed users may process one video at
-// a time — second submission while another is in flight returns 409.
-// Released in a finally block at the bottom of /api/process.
-let freeJobInFlight = false;
-
-// Pro-tier feature gates. Each entry maps URL prefixes → required
-// entitlement; first match wins. A licensed user without the right
-// entitlement gets a clean 402 feature_not_in_tier (vs. the generic
-// activation gate above).
-const PRO_FEATURE_GATES = [
-  {
-    prefixes: ["/api/subscriptions", "/api/auto-queue", "/api/sub-check-log"],
-    entitlement: "subscriptions",
-    feature: "subscriptions",
-    message:
-      "Channel subscriptions and auto-queue require a Pro license. Upgrade to unlock.",
-  },
-  {
-    prefixes: ["/api/history"],
-    entitlement: "history",
-    feature: "history",
-    message:
-      "Summary history requires a Pro license. Upgrade to unlock.",
-  },
-  {
-    prefixes: ["/api/library"],
-    entitlement: "library",
-    feature: "library",
-    message:
-      "Library import/export requires a Pro license. Upgrade to unlock.",
-  },
-];
-app.use((req, res, next) => {
-  for (const gate of PRO_FEATURE_GATES) {
-    if (gate.prefixes.some((p) => req.path.startsWith(p))) {
-      if (LIC.entitlements.has(gate.entitlement)) return next();
-      return res.status(402).json({
-        error: "feature_not_in_tier",
-        feature: gate.feature,
-        message: gate.message,
-        keysat_base_url: license.KEYSAT_BASE_URL,
-        product_slug: license.PRODUCT_SLUG,
-      });
-    }
-  }
-  next();
-});
-
-// License management endpoints — kept open by LICENSE_OPEN_PATHS above.
-app.get("/api/license-status", (_req, res) => {
-  res.json(license.publicView(LIC));
-});
-
-app.post("/api/license/activate", async (req, res) => {
-  try {
-    LIC = license.activate(req.body && req.body.license_key);
-  } catch (e) {
-    if (e && e.code === "bad_format") {
-      return res.status(400).json({
-        error: "bad_format",
-        message: "Expected a license key starting with 'LIC1-'.",
-      });
-    }
-    return res.status(500).json({ error: "activation_failed", message: e?.message });
-  }
-  if (LIC.state !== "licensed") {
-    // Offline signature check failed — no point hitting the server.
-    return res.status(400).json({
-      ok: false,
-      error: LIC.reason || "invalid",
-      ...license.publicView(LIC),
-    });
-  }
-
-  // Offline check passed. Confirm with the licensing server so a key that
-  // was revoked before activation gets rejected immediately. Cap the wait
-  // so a slow server doesn't hang the activation UI — if we time out,
-  // accept the offline-verified state and let the periodic poll catch up.
-  await Promise.race([
-    refreshLicenseOnline("activation"),
-    new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ACTIVATE_VALIDATE_TIMEOUT_MS)),
-  ]);
-
-  if (LIC.state === "licensed") {
-    return res.json({ ok: true, ...license.publicView(LIC) });
-  }
-  return res.status(400).json({
-    ok: false,
-    error: LIC.reason || "invalid",
-    ...license.publicView(LIC),
-  });
-});
-
-app.post("/api/license/deactivate", (_req, res) => {
-  LIC = license.deactivate();
-  res.json({ ok: true, ...license.publicView(LIC) });
-});
+// ── Keysat licensing ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// All license-aware request handling (gate, Pro feature gates, /api/license
+// routes, free-tier slot management, periodic online refresh) lives in
+// ./license-middleware.js. Importers read the current state via
+// licenseMW.LIC (a live binding).
+setupLicenseMiddleware(app);
+setupLicenseRoutes(app);
+startLicenseRefresh();
 
 // ── History storage ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
@@ -1192,7 +1032,7 @@ async function checkSubscriptions() {
 async function _checkSubscriptionsInner() {
   // Pro-tier feature: skip silently when not entitled. The HTTP gate above
   // returns 402 to callers; this guards the background timer + manual paths.
-  if (!LIC.entitlements.has("subscriptions")) {
+  if (!licenseMW.LIC.entitlements.has("subscriptions")) {
     subCheckLog = [];
     subLog("Skipped: subscriptions require a Pro license.");
     return;
@@ -1731,26 +1571,25 @@ app.post("/api/process", async (req, res) => {
   // web UI Settings panel (client-side). The future "bundled key" relay
   // (paid users' requests proxied through the operator's service) isn't
   // built yet, so there's nothing here that gates key sourcing by tier.
-  const isFreeUser = !(LIC.state === "licensed" && LIC.entitlements.has("core"));
-  if (isFreeUser) {
-    if (freeJobInFlight) {
+  const isFree = isFreeUser();
+  if (isFree) {
+    if (!tryAcquireFreeSlot()) {
       return res.status(409).json({
         error: "processing_in_progress",
         message:
           "A summary is already being processed. Free mode handles one video at a time — wait for the current one to finish.",
       });
     }
-    freeJobInFlight = true;
   }
 
   const apiKey = resolveApiKey(clientKey);
 
   if (!url) {
-    if (isFreeUser) freeJobInFlight = false;
+    if (isFree) releaseFreeSlot();
     return res.status(400).json({ error: "Missing url" });
   }
   if (!apiKey) {
-    if (isFreeUser) freeJobInFlight = false;
+    if (isFree) releaseFreeSlot();
     return res.status(400).json({ error: "No API key provided. Set GEMINI_API_KEY in .env or enter one in Settings." });
   }
 
@@ -1759,7 +1598,7 @@ app.post("/api/process", async (req, res) => {
   const videoId = isPodcast ? (episodeId || url) : extractVideoId(url);
 
   if (!isPodcast && !videoId) {
-    if (isFreeUser) freeJobInFlight = false;
+    if (isFree) releaseFreeSlot();
     return res.status(400).json({ error: "Invalid YouTube URL" });
   }
 
@@ -2354,7 +2193,7 @@ Return ONLY the timestamped transcript, nothing else.`;
     // the host's library with anonymous summaries. The result still streams
     // back so the UI can render it; it just isn't persisted.
     const contentType = isPodcast ? "podcast" : "youtube";
-    const historyId = isFreeUser
+    const historyId = isFree
       ? null
       : await saveToHistory(videoId, url, videoTitle, chunks, entries, logHistory, videoUploadDate, contentType).catch(() => null);
 
@@ -2370,7 +2209,7 @@ Return ONLY the timestamped transcript, nothing else.`;
       res.end();
     }
   } finally {
-    if (isFreeUser) freeJobInFlight = false;
+    if (isFree) releaseFreeSlot();
     // Clean up temp files
     try {
       await fs.rm(tmpDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
diff --git a/server/license-middleware.js b/server/license-middleware.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c2420dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/license-middleware.js
@@ -0,0 +1,222 @@
+// License gate, Pro-tier feature gates, license routes, and the free-
+// tier concurrency lock. All license-aware request-handling lives here.
+//
+// LIC is exported as a `let` binding (ESM live binding) — importers
+// reading it get the current value. The activate / deactivate routes
+// and refreshLicenseOnline mutate it inside the module.
+
+import * as license from "./license.js";
+
+// ── Module state ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// LIC is the in-memory snapshot of the current license state, refreshed
+// on startup, periodically against the licensing server, and after each
+// activate / deactivate.
+export let LIC = license.checkLicense();
+
+console.log(
+  `[license] state=${LIC.state} entitlements=[${[...LIC.entitlements].join(",")}]` +
+    (LIC.reason ? ` reason=${LIC.reason}` : "")
+);
+
+// Free-tier concurrency lock. Unlicensed users may process one video at
+// a time — second submission while another is in flight returns 409 from
+// /api/process. The /api/process handler calls tryAcquireFreeSlot() at
+// entry and releaseFreeSlot() in its finally block.
+let freeJobInFlight = false;
+
+// ── Online validation tunables ──────────────────────────────────────────────
+const VALIDATE_INTERVAL_MS = parseInt(
+  process.env.RECAP_VALIDATE_INTERVAL_MS || String(6 * 60 * 60 * 1000),
+  10
+);
+const ACTIVATE_VALIDATE_TIMEOUT_MS = 8000;
+
+// ── Online refresh ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Calls the licensing server (with the network-error grace logic in
+// license.validateOnline) and updates LIC. Logs only on state/reason
+// changes to keep a clean log on healthy machines.
+export async function refreshLicenseOnline(reason) {
+  const prev = LIC;
+  try {
+    LIC = await license.validateOnline();
+  } catch (e) {
+    console.error(`[license] refresh threw (${reason}):`, e?.message || e);
+    return;
+  }
+  if (LIC.state !== prev.state || LIC.reason !== prev.reason) {
+    console.log(
+      `[license] refresh (${reason}): state=${LIC.state}` +
+        (LIC.reason ? ` reason=${LIC.reason}` : "") +
+        ` entitlements=[${[...LIC.entitlements].join(",")}]`
+    );
+  }
+}
+
+// Kick off a startup refresh and the periodic poll. Async startup so the
+// server doesn't block on a slow Keysat round-trip.
+export function startLicenseRefresh() {
+  refreshLicenseOnline("startup").catch(() => {});
+  setInterval(() => {
+    refreshLicenseOnline("scheduled").catch(() => {});
+  }, VALIDATE_INTERVAL_MS);
+}
+
+// ── Free-tier slot management ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Whether the current LIC counts as a "free" (unlicensed / no core) user.
+export function isFreeUser() {
+  return !(LIC.state === "licensed" && LIC.entitlements.has("core"));
+}
+
+// Returns true if the slot was acquired, false if another free job is in
+// flight. The /api/process handler must release via releaseFreeSlot()
+// in a finally block on every exit path.
+export function tryAcquireFreeSlot() {
+  if (freeJobInFlight) return false;
+  freeJobInFlight = true;
+  return true;
+}
+
+export function releaseFreeSlot() {
+  freeJobInFlight = false;
+}
+
+// ── Endpoints reachable without a license ───────────────────────────────────
+// /api/process is open so unlicensed (free-tier) users can summarize one
+// video at a time with their own Gemini key. The route handler enforces
+// BYO-key + the concurrency lock for free users.
+const LICENSE_OPEN_PATHS = new Set([
+  "/api/health",
+  "/api/heartbeat",
+  "/api/status",
+  "/api/license-status",
+  "/api/license/activate",
+  "/api/license/deactivate",
+  "/api/process",
+]);
+
+// ── Pro-tier feature gates ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Each entry maps URL prefixes → required entitlement; first match wins.
+// A licensed user without the right entitlement gets a clean 402
+// feature_not_in_tier (vs. the generic activation gate above).
+const PRO_FEATURE_GATES = [
+  {
+    prefixes: ["/api/subscriptions", "/api/auto-queue", "/api/sub-check-log"],
+    entitlement: "subscriptions",
+    feature: "subscriptions",
+    message:
+      "Channel subscriptions and auto-queue require a Pro license. Upgrade to unlock.",
+  },
+  {
+    prefixes: ["/api/history"],
+    entitlement: "history",
+    feature: "history",
+    message:
+      "Summary history requires a Pro license. Upgrade to unlock.",
+  },
+  {
+    prefixes: ["/api/library"],
+    entitlement: "library",
+    feature: "library",
+    message:
+      "Library import/export requires a Pro license. Upgrade to unlock.",
+  },
+];
+
+// ── Middleware setup ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Registers the activation gate + Pro-tier gates on the given Express
+// app. Order matters — both must be in the chain BEFORE any /api/*
+// route registration, so call this early in boot.
+export function setupLicenseMiddleware(app) {
+  // Activation-screen gate: any /api/* request without a valid license is
+  // rejected with 402, except the allowlist above. Non-/api requests
+  // (the static frontend, /assets, etc.) pass through so the UI can load.
+  app.use((req, res, next) => {
+    if (!req.path.startsWith("/api/")) return next();
+    if (LICENSE_OPEN_PATHS.has(req.path)) return next();
+    if (LIC.state === "licensed" && LIC.entitlements.has("core")) return next();
+    return res.status(402).json({
+      error: "license_required",
+      message:
+        LIC.state === "licensed"
+          ? "Your license is missing the 'core' entitlement. Contact the seller."
+          : "This feature requires a Keysat license. Upgrade to unlock.",
+      state: LIC.state,
+      reason: LIC.reason,
+      activate_url: "/#activate",
+      keysat_base_url: license.KEYSAT_BASE_URL,
+      product_slug: license.PRODUCT_SLUG,
+    });
+  });
+
+  // Pro-tier feature gates run after the activation gate.
+  app.use((req, res, next) => {
+    for (const gate of PRO_FEATURE_GATES) {
+      if (gate.prefixes.some((p) => req.path.startsWith(p))) {
+        if (LIC.entitlements.has(gate.entitlement)) return next();
+        return res.status(402).json({
+          error: "feature_not_in_tier",
+          feature: gate.feature,
+          message: gate.message,
+          keysat_base_url: license.KEYSAT_BASE_URL,
+          product_slug: license.PRODUCT_SLUG,
+        });
+      }
+    }
+    next();
+  });
+}
+
+// ── License management endpoints ────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Open by virtue of being in LICENSE_OPEN_PATHS — the gate lets them
+// through unauthenticated.
+export function setupLicenseRoutes(app) {
+  app.get("/api/license-status", (_req, res) => {
+    res.json(license.publicView(LIC));
+  });
+
+  app.post("/api/license/activate", async (req, res) => {
+    try {
+      LIC = license.activate(req.body && req.body.license_key);
+    } catch (e) {
+      if (e && e.code === "bad_format") {
+        return res.status(400).json({
+          error: "bad_format",
+          message: "Expected a license key starting with 'LIC1-'.",
+        });
+      }
+      return res.status(500).json({ error: "activation_failed", message: e?.message });
+    }
+    if (LIC.state !== "licensed") {
+      // Offline signature check failed — no point hitting the server.
+      return res.status(400).json({
+        ok: false,
+        error: LIC.reason || "invalid",
+        ...license.publicView(LIC),
+      });
+    }
+
+    // Offline check passed. Confirm with the licensing server so a key
+    // that was revoked before activation gets rejected immediately. Cap
+    // the wait so a slow server doesn't hang the activation UI — if we
+    // time out, accept the offline-verified state and let the periodic
+    // poll catch up.
+    await Promise.race([
+      refreshLicenseOnline("activation"),
+      new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ACTIVATE_VALIDATE_TIMEOUT_MS)),
+    ]);
+
+    if (LIC.state === "licensed") {
+      return res.json({ ok: true, ...license.publicView(LIC) });
+    }
+    return res.status(400).json({
+      ok: false,
+      error: LIC.reason || "invalid",
+      ...license.publicView(LIC),
+    });
+  });
+
+  app.post("/api/license/deactivate", (_req, res) => {
+    LIC = license.deactivate();
+    res.json({ ok: true, ...license.publicView(LIC) });
+  });
+}