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

# Register the Desktop Agent

> Register the Windows Starfort Desktop Agent to your company with a Company Access Key, then verify the connection and the profile (Starfort v1.4 docs)

<Note>
  **Windows only.** Registration screenshots are being finalized and will be added in a documentation update.
</Note>

On first launch the Desktop Agent must **register** to your company before it starts protecting AI usage. If your administrator pre-baked the Company Access Key into the installer, registration happens automatically and you won't see this window.

## What happens during registration

On first launch the Agent makes sure a unique **Agent ID** exists on your PC — if it's the very first run, the Agent generates one and stores it permanently in protected local storage. It then sends three things to the server: your **Company Access Key**, the **Agent ID**, and a basic **hardware fingerprint** of the machine. The server validates them and issues an access token, after which the Agent enters its normal operating state. You never see or manage the Agent ID or the token yourself.

## Registering

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Agent">The registration window appears on first launch (only if the key wasn't pre-baked into your installer).</Step>
  <Step title="Enter the Company Access Key">Paste the key your administrator gave you (issued in [Desktop Agent settings](/en/v1.4/admin/desktop-agent-settings)).</Step>
  <Step title="Confirm">Once validated, the Agent is registered to your company. Your administrator then assigns it to a project.</Step>
</Steps>

## If registration is refused

If the server rejects the registration, **no token is issued** and the Agent never starts protecting (or intercepting) anything — the reason is shown on the registration screen. Common reasons:

* Your company has reached its limit on the number of Agents.
* The Desktop Agent feature is disabled for your company.
* The Agent ID conflicts with another registration (for example, an Agent ID was copied into a cloned machine image).

These require an administrator to resolve (raise the limit, enable the feature). There is no way to bypass a refusal from the PC.

## Before you're assigned to a project

Until an administrator assigns your Agent to a project, **no Guard Policy applies**. What happens to your AI traffic in the meantime follows your company's **Unassigned Default Policy**: depending on that setting, requests to AI services either pass through untouched or are all blocked until you're assigned.

Once your administrator assigns the Agent to a project, that project's [Control Profiles](/en/v1.4/admin/control-profiles) apply automatically and normal protection begins — no action is needed on your PC. See [How it works](/en/v1.4/desktop/how-it-works).