If you’ve got a team using Arti and you care about not letting everyone see or change everything, you’re in the right spot. This guide is for admins and team leads who want to set up role-based access control (RBAC) in Arti—without the runaround, and without locking folks out by mistake. If the words “who can see what” give you a headache, stick around.
Why Role-Based Access Matters in Arti
Let’s get real: If everyone’s an admin, someone’s going to break something or see data they shouldn’t. RBAC means you give people just enough access to do their jobs—nothing more, nothing less. In Arti, this keeps your projects tidy, your secrets safe, and your teammates out of each other’s way. The default settings are okay for small teams, but if you’re growing or handling sensitive info, you want something tighter.
Before You Start: What You Need
Make sure you’ve got:
- Admin rights in Arti (if you’re not an admin, this is going to be pretty short)
- A clear idea of your team’s structure—who needs to do what?
- A test project or workspace you can play with (so you don’t break the “real” stuff)
If you haven’t mapped out your team’s roles, spend 10 minutes sketching it on paper. Seriously, it’ll save you pain later.
Step 1: Understand Arti’s Default Roles and Permissions
Arti usually ships with a handful of built-in roles. As of early 2024, the typical ones are:
- Admin: Can do everything—including user management, billing, and nuking projects.
- Editor: Can create, edit, or delete content, but can’t mess with settings or users.
- Viewer: Can look, but not touch.
Check your version—Arti sometimes adds or renames roles. If you’re not sure what a role can do, poke around in the settings or look up the documentation in your admin dashboard.
Pro tip: Don’t invent new roles just because you can. Start with the basics, then tweak as needed.
Step 2: Map Out Who Needs What Access
Here’s the part most teams skip (and regret later): Actually writing down which people need which roles.
- List your team members.
- For each person, ask: Do they really need to edit/delete, or just view?
- Who needs admin rights? (Hint: Fewer is better.)
If you’re not sure, err on the side of less access. You can always loosen things up later.
Example Mapping
| Name | Needs to… | Role | |--------------|---------------------|---------| | Alice | Manage users, billing| Admin | | Bob | Edit and publish | Editor | | Carol | Just view documents | Viewer |
Step 3: Assign Roles in Arti
Now the rubber meets the road.
- Log into Arti as an admin.
- Go to your team or workspace settings (usually under “Settings” → “Team” or “Users”).
- Find the member you want to edit, and click the role dropdown next to their name.
- Select the right role (Admin, Editor, Viewer, or whatever matches your mapping).
- Save or confirm changes.
If you’re inviting someone new:
- There’s usually an “Invite” button. Enter their email, assign a role, and send the invite.
- They’ll get an email to join—remind them to check spam.
Heads up: Don’t assign admin by default, even if it’s “just for now.” That’s how accidents happen.
Step 4: Fine-Tune Access With Custom Roles (If Needed)
If your team has special needs—say, someone needs to edit some projects but not others—you might want custom roles. Not every Arti plan supports this; check your pricing tier.
How to Create a Custom Role
- In “Roles” or “Permissions,” look for “Create Role” or “Add Custom Role.”
- Name your role something obvious (e.g., “Project Lead”).
- Pick specific permissions (e.g., “Can edit Project X, view Project Y”).
- Assign this custom role to the right people.
What works: Custom roles are great for complex orgs or client workspaces.
What doesn’t: Don’t go overboard. If you’re making a new role for every person, you’re just making a mess.
Step 5: Audit Your Access (and Fix Mistakes Fast)
Even if you set things up perfectly, people change roles, join, or leave. Make it a habit to review access every month or so.
- Check for ex-teammates: Remove anyone who’s left.
- Spot-check permissions: Is anyone an admin who shouldn’t be?
- Look for “role creep”: Over time, people end up with more access than they need.
If you find an issue, fix it right away. Don’t wait for the next “security review.” Most headaches are preventable with a quick 5-minute check.
What to Ignore (Mostly)
- Over-complicating with groups and sub-groups: Unless you’re a huge org, you probably don’t need a group for every possible function.
- Third-party integrations: Only connect what you really use. More integrations = more ways something can go wrong.
- Automated “least privilege” tools: Fancy, but often more trouble than they’re worth unless you’re regulated.
Pro Tips for Sanity
- Document your choices: Keep a simple Google Doc of who has what role and why.
- Train your team: A quick “here’s what you can and can’t do” email goes a long way.
- Keep admins to a minimum: Resist the urge to make everyone an admin “just in case.”
- Test with a dummy account: Log in as a viewer and see what they can actually see. Don’t trust the checkbox—test it.
A Few Gotchas to Watch For
- Role changes don’t always take effect instantly. If someone says, “I still can’t see it,” give it a minute or have them log out and back in.
- People share accounts. Don’t do this. It blows up your audit trail.
- Default roles change. After a big Arti update, double-check your settings. Defaults sometimes shift.
Keep It Simple, Review Often
Role-based access in Arti isn’t rocket science, but it does need a little care and feeding. Start simple, document what you did, and plan to adjust as your team (and the tool) changes. Most of the time, less is more—if you find yourself lost in a maze of custom roles, back up and rethink. The best setup is the one you actually understand.
Now go lock things down—then get back to actual work.