Cannot activate windows after installing AtlasOS

[AdamantiumSpork]

I cannot seem to activate windows after installing Atlas OS. This is a new PC, self built, and nothing preinstalled. I was determined way before I actually built it that I was going to run AtlasOS from the start, and not plain windows 11 with all it's despised "features". So I bought a windows 11 pro activation key. Made a USB installer. Then went through the step by step "Fresh Install" guide on atlasos.net. With the playbook option.

I doubt this matters - but I'll mention it:

"If prompted, click I don't have a product key, as Windows should auto-activate later"
"If Windows doesn't auto-activate, you can enter a key later within Windows."

I entered the key on this step. "Windows should auto-activate later" - suggested to me that the guide was presuming windows had been installed (and activated) on the computer previously. Brand new PC - it hadn't. Thus, I didn't see how it could "auto-activate" later since it never had a key in the first place. I didn't see the second phrase underneath. I entered the key; didn't think it would cause any problem (still don't). The installer said that the key appeared to be legitimate.

Regardless, followed the rest of the guide, everything installed very smoothly. I installed all the drivers that it needed before running the atlasos playbook installer.

Now I've had atlasos installed for several days. Just now realized windows was never activated. I don't know why. In Settings/System/Activation - It still has the key I entered during installation. It says:
"We can't activate windows on this device because you don't have a valid digital license or product key" I triple checked and re-entered the key several times. Frankly I can't tell what's wrong.

So the real, absolute question I need answered, is:

Whether or not AtlasOS either interfers or prevents windows activation - after installing.
I've searched the web and only got a tiny few, fuzzy, conflicting answers to this question.

Please feel free to answer - but I'd appreciate everyone not getting sidetracked away from this question. If we can't conclude for sure, let me know if there's a way to contact the devs themselves to find out for certain. It'd be nice to post a definitive answer here for anyone asking this question in the future.