Quick answers to common questions

Short, checked answers to the questions the Contral team gets most. Each answer links to the full page. Can't find yours? Ask the support assistant, or contact support and a person will reply by email.

How do I redeem (activate) my AppSumo code?#

There's no code to type into Contral. Activation starts on AppSumo:

1. Open appsumo.com/account/products↗.
2. Click Activate on Contral and approve the request.
3. Sign in to Contral, or create an account (Google, GitHub, or email and password). Email sign-ups verify their email first and are brought back automatically.
4. You'll see Your license is now active! and an amber AppSumo Tier badge on contral.ai/overview↗.

Then sign in to the extension or Contral IDE with the same account. Full steps: Redeem your AppSumo code.

My AppSumo redemption link expired. What do I do?#

The link is valid for 24 hours after you click Activate. Go back to appsumo.com/account/products↗ and click Activate again. Activating again is free and doesn't use up your license. If you already created your Contral account, just sign in with it. See Redemption errors.

What does "This license is already linked to another account" mean?#

The license was already redeemed by a different Contral account, usually because you signed in another way the first time (for example Google, then email and password). Sign out of contral.ai, sign in with each method you might have used, and look for the AppSumo Tier badge on the dashboard. If you can't find the original account, or need the license on another email, contact support with your AppSumo order email and both Contral emails. See Redemption errors.

What does "This account already has a different AppSumo license" mean?#

A Contral account holds one AppSumo license, and the account you're signed in with already has one. Licenses don't stack. To get higher limits, upgrade your existing license on AppSumo instead. If the second license is for someone else, they redeem it on their own Contral account. If your earlier license was refunded and you bought again, contact support so we can clear the old license. See Redemption errors.

What does each AppSumo tier include?#

• Tier 1 ($79 one-time, Pro level): 500 AI messages per day, 10 deep dives per day, 5 codebase analyses per month, 500 extension web searches per month, 50 sessions, 500 auto-teach cards per day.
• Tier 2 ($139 one-time, Pro level): 1,000 AI messages per day, 20 deep dives per day, 10 codebase analyses per month, 1,500 extension web searches per month, 100 sessions, 1,000 auto-teach cards per day.
• Tier 3 ($299 one-time, Pro+ level): unlimited AI messages, 200 deep dives per day, 100 codebase analyses per month, 7,500 extension web searches per month, 200 sessions, unlimited auto-teach cards, plus completion certificates, premium model access and priority inference speed.

Every tier also includes all Learn mode topics, unlimited code explanations, Plan, Deep and Recursive agent modes, unlimited codebase chat, unlimited BYOK messages and auto-fix. Tiers 1 and 2 don't include certificates, premium models or priority speed. See AppSumo lifetime deal overview.

How do I upgrade my AppSumo tier? Can I stack codes?#

Upgrade on AppSumo at appsumo.com/account/products↗ (AppSumo calls it "enhancing" your tier). Your Contral account picks up the new tier automatically; you don't redeem again. Codes don't stack: one Contral account holds one license. Contral support can't change tiers for you, because every tier change goes through AppSumo. See Upgrade or change your tier.

How do refunds work for the AppSumo deal?#

AppSumo offers a 60-day refund window from your purchase date, and every refund is requested and processed on AppSumo (appsumo.com/account/products↗, or the AppSumo Help Center↗). Contral can't issue or speed up AppSumo refunds. After a refund the license is deactivated and your Contral account returns to the Free plan; the account itself isn't deleted. See Refunds & deactivation.

Is there an AppSumo discount code?#

Yes. The code contral10 gives 10% off any AppSumo product, including Contral. It works for new AppSumo customers only.

Can my team share one AppSumo license? Can I use it on several computers?#

A license is for one person on one Contral account, and sharing accounts isn't allowed, so each team member needs their own license. Team features (admin dashboard, centralized billing) are part of the separate Teams plan. You can use your own account on any of your own computers and editors; usage on every device counts toward the same limits. See AppSumo FAQ.

Does the AppSumo deal include BYOK and future updates?#

Every AppSumo tier includes unlimited bring-your-own-key (BYOK) messages; your AI provider bills you directly for those tokens. Your license gives you the features and limits of your tier as listed on the AppSumo deal page. For questions about specific upcoming features, contact support. See Bring your own key.

Which editors does Contral work in?#

The Contral extension (ID contral.contral) works in VS Code and in editors built on VS Code 1.93 or later: VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity, Kilo Code and VSCodium. There's also Contral IDE, the desktop app. Editors that aren't built on VS Code, such as JetBrains IDEs, aren't on the supported list. See Install the extension.

How do I install the extension in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf or Antigravity?#

VS Code installs Contral from the Visual Studio Marketplace. Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity, Kilo Code and VSCodium install it from Open VSX. The steps are the same in every editor:

1. Open the Extensions view: Cmd+Shift+X on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows and Linux.
2. Search for Contral.
3. Install Contral: Learn while you vibecode by publisher contral.

If you can't find it (for example your editor or a company proxy blocks the registry), download the .vsix file from Open VSX↗ and use Install from VSIX… in the Extensions view's … menu. See Install the extension.

Is Contral IDE available for Windows, Linux or Intel Macs?#

Contral IDE (the desktop app, in public beta) is available today for macOS on Apple Silicon (M1 to M4), macOS 12 or later. Intel Macs aren't supported. Windows and Linux builds appear on contral.ai/download↗ when they're published; until then the download page shows Coming soon. You don't need the IDE: the extension in VS Code, Cursor and other editors has the same account, plan and features. See Install the desktop IDE.

How do I sign in to Contral?#

In the extension, click the Contral icon and Sign in, run Contral: Sign in from the Command Palette, or type /login in the Contral chat. Your browser opens contral.ai; sign in with Google, GitHub, or email and password, then allow the browser to open your editor. Always use the same sign-in method, because a different method or email creates a separate, empty account. Type /status to check which account and plan the editor is using. See Sign in & connect your account.

What are the limits on Free, Pro and Pro+?#

• Free: 25 AI messages per day, 5 code explanations per day, 25 auto-teach cards per day, Fast mode plus 1 Recursive run per day, 30 BYOK messages per day, 1 codebase analysis and 3 codebase questions in total, 50 web searches per month, 5 sessions. No deep dives.
• Pro: 250 AI messages per day, 10 deep dives per day, 5 codebase analyses per month, 500 web searches per month, 50 sessions, all four agent modes, unlimited explanations, BYOK and codebase chat.
• Pro+: unlimited AI messages, deep dives, codebase analyses and web searches, 200 sessions, premium models, certificates and priority speed.

See Usage limits & quotas explained.

When do usage limits reset?#

Daily limits reset at 00:00 UTC (5:30 AM in India, 8:00 PM in New York during daylight saving time). Monthly limits (codebase analyses and extension web searches) reset on the 1st of each month at 00:00 UTC, following the calendar month rather than your purchase date. Sessions are a running total and don't reset. See Usage limits & quotas explained.

How much do Pro and Pro+ cost?#

With the current 50% launch pricing, Pro is $14.99 per month or $119.88 per year (about $9.99 per month), and Pro+ is $59.99 per month or $599.88 per year (about $49.99 per month). Standard prices are $29.99 and $119.99 per month. Teams starts at $24.99 per user per month (contact sales at team@contral.ai). In India prices are shown in rupees. See Plans & pricing.

How do I cancel my Contral subscription?#

Open Dashboard → Subscription (contral.ai/subscription↗), click Cancel Subscription, then Confirm Cancel. Cancelling takes effect immediately: your account moves to the Free plan right away and you won't be charged again. See Subscriptions, upgrades & cancellation.

Can I get a refund for a subscription bought on contral.ai?#

Under the Terms of Service↗, you can get a full refund within 7 days of purchase if you've used Contral for less than 3 hours in total. Email contact@contral.ai with your account email and the reason. AppSumo purchases follow AppSumo's 60-day policy instead. See Subscriptions, upgrades & cancellation.

What are Build mode and Learn mode? Which languages can I learn?#

Build mode is the AI coding agent: it proposes edits you accept or skip, runs commands with your permission, and explains each change with a teaching card. It works with whatever language your project uses. Learn mode is a structured curriculum; it currently teaches Java (Basics, Intermediate, Advanced and Data Structures). More Learn mode languages are planned, with no published schedule. See Learn mode & curriculum.

What are the Fast, Plan, Deep and Recursive agent modes?#

Pick a mode from the mode chip in the prompt row. Fast answers in one pass (all plans). Plan shows a plan you approve or reject before any file changes. Deep uses a reasoning model for hard, multi-file problems. Recursive drafts, critiques and revises its own output. Plan and Deep need Pro or above or any AppSumo tier; the Free plan gets 1 Recursive run per day. See Agent modes & plan approvals.

How do I use my own API key (BYOK)?#

Sign in, then run Contral: Configure BYOK provider from the Command Palette, choose a provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, xAI, OpenRouter, Groq, Together, DeepInfra, Mistral, Fireworks or Ollama), paste your key and pick a model. Keys are stored in your editor's secure secret storage (your OS keychain). BYOK messages don't use your AI messages: they're unlimited on paid plans and every AppSumo tier, and 30 per day on Free. See Bring your own key.

How do I add MCP servers and skills?#

Type /mcp in the Contral chat to browse the MCP marketplace, and install a server with /mcp install <id>, for example /mcp install context7. Add your own with /mcp add. For skills, use /skills search and /skills install, or create a folder with a SKILL.md file in ~/.contral/skills/<name>/ and run /skills reload. See MCP servers and Skills.

Does Contral explain code written by Cursor, Copilot or Claude Code?#

Yes. When another AI agent edits a file in your workspace, Contral shows a teaching card explaining what changed and why. Keep the extension installed and signed in. For exact attribution of terminal agents, install the hook with npx @contral/claude-code-hook install (Claude Code) or npx @contral/codex-hook install (Codex CLI). Each card uses one auto-teach card from your plan. See Teaching on AI edits from other agents.

I hit "Daily message limit reached". What can I do?#

Wait for the daily reset at 00:00 UTC, switch to your own API key with BYOK (BYOK messages don't use your AI messages), or upgrade. On the AppSumo deal, upgrade your tier on AppSumo; you can't buy a monthly plan on top of a lifetime license. If you're on a paid plan but see Free-plan limits, run /status to check the editor is signed in with the right account. See Limits reached & quota errors.

Contral keeps asking me to sign in, or sign-in never returns to the editor#

1. Check the right account is signed in at contral.ai/overview↗ in the browser Contral opens.
2. Sign out in the editor (Contral: Sign out or /logout), then run Contral: Sign in once and finish it in the tab that opens. Close old sign-in tabs (that's what causes "state mismatch").
3. When the browser asks to open your editor, allow it, or click Open on the One last step page.
4. On Linux, unlock your keychain or keyring so the editor can store your sign-in.

See Extension not loading or sign-in loop.

My new plan or AppSumo tier isn't showing in the editor#

Limits are checked on Contral's servers, so your new plan applies right away even if the label is old. Type /status to confirm the editor uses the same account you redeemed or subscribed with, reload the window (Developer: Reload Window), or sign out and back in. If contral.ai/overview↗ itself shows the wrong plan, the plan isn't on that account: see Redemption errors or contact support. See Your new tier isn't showing in the editor.

macOS or Windows blocks the Contral IDE installer#

• macOS: drag Contral IDE into Applications and open it from there. If it's still blocked, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. "Damaged and can't be opened" means an incomplete download: delete it and download again.
• Windows "Windows protected your PC": click More info, then Run anyway. This only happens on the first install.

See Desktop IDE install issues.

How do I delete my account or get a copy of my data?#

Delete your account at contral.ai/account↗ → Danger Zone → Delete Account. It can't be undone. AppSumo customers should contact support first, because the license stays tied to the deleted account. For a copy of your data, email contact@contral.ai before deleting. Contral never stores your source code on its servers. See Delete your account and Privacy & data.

What can Contral support do, and what only AppSumo can do?#

AppSumo handles purchases, refunds and tier changes for the lifetime deal. Contral support helps with everything after purchase: redeeming, sign-in, moving a license between Contral accounts, account problems, bugs and billing for plans bought on contral.ai. Use the Talk to a human button in the support assistant, the form at contral.ai/support↗, or email contact@contral.ai. We aim to reply within 24 hours on business days. See Contact support.