diff --git a/src/packages/frontend/projects/actions.ts b/src/packages/frontend/projects/actions.ts
index d6550cfb59..5cd7199dea 100644
--- a/src/packages/frontend/projects/actions.ts
+++ b/src/packages/frontend/projects/actions.ts
@@ -347,6 +347,7 @@ export class ProjectsActions extends Actions<ProjectsState> {
     image?: string; // if given, sets the compute image (the ID string)
     start?: boolean; // immediately start on create
     noPool?: boolean; // never use the pool
+    license?: string;
   }): Promise<string> {
     const image = await redux.getStore("customize").getDefaultComputeImage();
 
@@ -356,12 +357,14 @@ export class ProjectsActions extends Actions<ProjectsState> {
       image?: string;
       start: boolean;
       noPool?: boolean;
+      license?: string;
     } = defaults(opts, {
       title: "No Title",
       description: "No Description",
       image,
       start: false,
       noPool: undefined,
+      license: undefined,
     });
     if (!opts2.image) {
       // make falseish same as not specified.
diff --git a/src/packages/frontend/projects/create-project.tsx b/src/packages/frontend/projects/create-project.tsx
index 9727e8b0ef..5659450d21 100644
--- a/src/packages/frontend/projects/create-project.tsx
+++ b/src/packages/frontend/projects/create-project.tsx
@@ -137,6 +137,7 @@ export const NewProjectCreator: React.FC<Props> = ({
       title: title_text,
       image: await derive_project_img_name(custom_software),
       start: true, // used to not start, due to apply_default_upgrades, but upgrades are  deprecated
+      license: license_id,
     };
     try {
       project_id = await actions.create_project(opts);
@@ -146,9 +147,6 @@ export const NewProjectCreator: React.FC<Props> = ({
       set_error(`Error creating project -- ${err}`);
       return;
     }
-    if (isValidUUID(license_id)) {
-      await actions.add_site_license_to_project(project_id, license_id);
-    }
     track("create-project", {
       how: "projects-page",
       project_id,