Permission Issues

2 min read

“I can’t see X” — the most common support request you will get.

Overview

Clientish permissions are granular, which is powerful and occasionally confusing. Nearly every visibility complaint is a role setting, a per-member override, or department access scope.

Common Symptoms

A whole module is missing from the sidebar
Likely cause: The role has no permission for it at all.
Fix: Grant the module’s base permission — the sidebar item appears once any permission in it is on.

They see the module but nothing in it
Likely cause: Department access scope is on and they, or the records, have no department set.
Fix: Set the department on the member and the records, or turn scope off for that role.

A field shows as blank or hidden
Likely cause: Visibility permissions — order amount, client email, balance, total spent — are separately controlled.
Fix: Enable the specific view permission on their role.

One person behaves differently from their teammates
Likely cause: A per-member override is in place.
Fix: Open their permissions page and use Restore to role defaults.

A dashboard widget is missing
Likely cause: Widgets follow their module’s permission.
Fix: Grant the underlying module permission rather than looking for a widget setting.

A report tab is not there
Likely cause: Report visibility is permission-gated per tab.
Fix: Enable that specific report permission on the role.

A row action is missing from a menu
Likely cause: Each action is gated by its own module — Create Invoice needs invoice access.
Fix: Grant the action’s permission, not the module the menu lives in.

Tips & Best Practices

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Fix the role, not the person. If you are making the same override for a third member, that is a role you have not created yet.