How to handle an error "Couldn't retrieve license information. Please contact the solution owner."

This article explains how to resolve the error "Couldn't retrieve license information. Please contact the solution owner." which may appear when using a skybow solution or opening a Modern Form.

This error typically occurs when users do not have the necessary permissions to access the hidden sbSolutionStudio library, which is required for license validation at runtime. There are several other possible causes — follow all the checks below before contacting support.

Table of Contents

• When Does This Error Occur?
• Resolution Checklist
• Check sbSolutionStudio Library Permissions
• Check for Broken Permissions on Specific Files
• Verify Required Files in sbSolutionStudio
• Check Minimum Solution Version
• Embedded Content from Another Site
• If the Error Persists
• Additional Hints

When Does This Error Occur?

Users may encounter the message "Couldn't retrieve license information. Please contact the solution owner." in the following situations:

• While interacting with a skybow-powered solution at runtime.
• When opening a list form customized via skybow Solution Studio.

In both cases, the root cause is usually a missing or insufficient permission on the hidden sbSolutionStudio library, missing files inside that library, or a cross-site embedded content permission issue.

Resolution Checklist

Work through each check below in order. Ask affected users to refresh the page after each fix to confirm whether the error is resolved.

1. Check sbSolutionStudio Library Permissions

The solution owner must verify that the sbSolutionStudio hidden library grants at least Read permission to the affected users.

1. Navigate to the sbSolutionStudio hidden library by entering the following URL in your browser:
   <siteUrl>/sbSolutionStudio
   Replace <siteUrl> with the actual URL of your SharePoint site (e.g., https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/MySite/sbSolutionStudio).
2. Go to Library Settings → Permissions for this document library.
3. Check whether the affected users or their groups are listed with at least Read permission.
4. If permission is missing, click Grant Permissions and assign at minimum the Read permission level to the relevant users or groups.

IMPORTANT: The sbSolutionStudio library is a hidden library and will not appear in the standard SharePoint library list. It must be accessed directly via its URL as described above.

2. Check for Broken Permissions on Specific Files

Even if library-level permissions are correctly set, individual files inside sbSolutionStudio may have broken or unique permissions that override the library settings and block access for certain users.

1. Open the sbSolutionStudio library via <siteUrl>/sbSolutionStudio.
2. For each file or folder, select it and go to Manage Access or check Permissions for this item.
3. Look for any files that have unique permissions set (indicated by a different permission icon or "Stop Inheriting Permissions" status).
4. If found, restore inheritance by clicking Delete Unique Permissions to revert the file to the library-level permission settings.

3. Verify Required Files in sbSolutionStudio

The sbSolutionStudio library must contain a specific set of files for the license check to work correctly. Missing files can cause the error even when permissions are correctly configured.

Open the sbSolutionStudio library and verify that the following files and folders are present:

• GUID folder (a folder named with a GUID, e.g. 6f3c1a2b-…) — open this folder and confirm it contains:
  • appsettings.txt
  • configuration.txt file

4. Check Minimum Solution Version

Verify that your solution is at least version 1.3.122. To check this, open the solution in skybow Solution Studio and review the version in the solution Settings. If the version is below 1.3.122, update the solution to the latest available version. In this version improvements to the license check were released

5. Embedded Content from Another Site

If the page uses a SharePoint Embed web part to display a list or page from a different site, the license check may fail. This is because the license is validated against the sbSolutionStudio library of the site the content is embedded from — not the site the user is currently visiting.

In this case, the affected users must have at least Read permission on the sbSolutionStudio hidden library of the source site the content is embedded from — not only the current site.

1. Identify the source site that the embedded content is loading from.
2. Navigate to its sbSolutionStudio library: <sourceSiteUrl>/sbSolutionStudio.
3. Grant at least Read permission to the affected users on that library.

Back to top

If the Error Persists

If you have worked through all the checks above and the error still occurs, please contact support@skybow.com and include a HAR file captured during the error.

Back to top

Additional Hints