# Permission Levels (/docs/v0-1/story-portal/collaboration/permission-levels)

## Overview [#overview]

Living Stories Portal uses three permission levels to control what collaborators can do with your shared stories. Each level provides different capabilities, allowing you to grant appropriate access based on each person's role.

## The Three Permission Levels [#the-three-permission-levels]

### Preview Only [#preview-only]

**Icon**: Newspaper icon

**What it allows**:
- View the story as an interactive experience
- Test interactions and story flow
- Experience the narrative as end users would
- See the final output of the story

**What it doesn't allow**:
- View the story structure or editor
- See scenes, sequences, or interactions in edit mode
- Access any editing capabilities
- View the canvas or story settings

**Best for**:
- Stakeholders reviewing the final experience
- Clients previewing completed work
- Testers providing feedback on the interactive story
- Anyone who needs to experience the story without seeing how it's built

**When to use**:
- Quality assurance testing
- Client demonstrations
- Gathering feedback on story flow
- Sharing with non-technical stakeholders

---

### Full View [#full-view]

**Icon**: Eye icon

**What it allows**:
- View the complete story structure in the editor
- See all scenes, sequences, interactions, and influences
- Understand how the story is built
- Read all content and see all connections
- Navigate the story canvas
- View story settings and configuration

**What it doesn't allow**:
- Edit any content
- Modify scenes or interactions
- Change story structure or flow
- Update settings or configurations
- Delete or duplicate elements
- Share the story with others

**Best for**:
- Reviewers analyzing story structure
- Team members learning from your work
- Documentation and reference purposes
- Collaborators who need to understand but not change the story

**When to use**:
- Peer review of story structure
- Teaching or learning story construction
- Documentation purposes
- Reference for creating similar stories
- Analysis without modification

---

### Editor [#editor]

**Icon**: Pencil icon

**What it allows**:
- **All Full View permissions**, plus:
- Edit scenes and modify content
- Create and modify interactions
- Change story structure and connections
- Add or remove scenes and sequences
- Update story settings
- Modify influences and conditional logic
- Full editing capabilities

**What it doesn't allow**:
- Delete the original story (owner-only action)
- Change story ownership
- Remove the owner's access
- Modify sharing settings (typically owner-only)

**Best for**:
- Co-creators and active collaborators
- Team members working on the story
- Writers developing content together
- Designers building the experience

**When to use**:
- Active collaboration on story development
- Delegating story creation to team members
- Working with co-authors
- Collaborative editing sessions

## Changing Permissions [#changing-permissions]

### How to Change [#how-to-change]

1. Open the share panel for your story
2. Find the user whose permissions you want to change
3. Click the new permission level button
4. Changes take effect immediately

### Removing Access [#removing-access]

To completely remove a user's access:

1. Open the share panel
2. Find the user in the shared list
3. Click their currently active permission button again
4. Their permission is set to null (no access)
5. They are removed from the story

## Permission Management Best Practices [#permission-management-best-practices]

### Start Conservative [#start-conservative]

- Begin with Preview or View permissions
- Increase to Edit only when necessary
- It's easier to grant more access than to recover from unwanted changes

### Match Permission to Role [#match-permission-to-role]

| Role | Recommended Permission |
|------|----------------------|
| Client/Stakeholder | Preview Only |
| Reviewer/Analyst | Full View |
| Content Writer | Editor |
| Designer | Editor |
| Team Lead | Editor |
| External Tester | Preview Only |

### Regular Review [#regular-review]

- Periodically review who has access
- Remove permissions for completed projects
- Downgrade permissions when collaboration ends
- Keep Edit access limited to active collaborators

### Communication [#communication]

- Inform users about their permission level
- Explain what they can and cannot do
- Set expectations about collaboration
- Document permission decisions for your team

## Security Considerations [#security-considerations]

### Protect Edit Access [#protect-edit-access]

- Only grant Edit to trusted collaborators
- Monitor changes when multiple editors are active
- Keep backups before granting Edit access
- Review edit permissions regularly

### Use Appropriate Levels [#use-appropriate-levels]

- Don't give Edit when View is sufficient
- Don't give View when Preview meets the need
- Consider the sensitivity of your content
- Match permissions to trust level

## Next Steps [#next-steps]

- Learn about [Managing Access](/docs/v0-1/story-portal/collaboration/managing-access) for detailed collaboration workflows
- See [Sharing Stories](/docs/v0-1/story-portal/collaboration/sharing-stories) for how to grant these permissions