⚠️ IMPORTANT: The role-based permission system described in this article is currently in development and not yet available. At present, all users in an organization have full access to all features and capabilities. The information below describes the planned functionality for future releases.
Microscope.ai is planning to implement a role-based permission system to control what users can do within an organization. Understanding the planned roles and permissions will help you prepare for effective collaboration, security, and delegation of responsibilities once this feature becomes available.
Overview of Planned User Roles
Microscope.ai plans to offer three distinct user roles, each with progressively greater permissions:
- Member - Standard user with access to view and create content
- Admin - Advanced user with management capabilities
- Owner - Ultimate authority with full control over the organization
When implemented, roles will be assigned at the organization level, meaning a user's permissions will apply across all projects within that organization.
Current Status: Right now, all users have full access equivalent to what will be the "Owner" role. Role restrictions will be introduced in a future update.
Member Role (Planned)
The Member role will be designed for team members who need to perform analyses and view results without managing organizational settings.
What Members Will Be Able to Do
Members will have comprehensive access to core features:
Project Access
- View all projects in the organization
- Switch between projects
- View project details and settings
- Access project dashboards
Product Management
- View the product catalog
- Add new products
- Edit existing products
- View product performance metrics
Prompt Management
- Browse the prompts library
- Create custom prompts
- Edit their own custom prompts
- Use automatic prompts in analyses
Analysis Operations
- Create new analyses
- Configure analysis settings
- Run analyses manually
- Schedule analyses (one-time, daily, weekly, monthly)
- View analysis results
- Access detailed execution data
Results and Insights
- View all analysis results
- Access detailed AI responses
- Review scores and metrics
- Track trends over time
- Export results
What Members Will Not Be Able to Do
Members will have limited access to administrative functions:
- Create or delete projects
- Modify organization settings
- Invite or remove users
- Change user roles
- Access billing information
- Manage subscription plans
- Delete other users' custom prompts
- Transfer organization ownership
Ideal For
- Marketing team members
- SEO specialists
- Content creators
- Data analysts
- Anyone who needs to monitor and analyze but not administer
Admin Role (Planned)
The Admin role will be designed for team leaders and managers who need to configure projects, manage users, and oversee operations.
Everything a Member Can Do, Plus
Admins will inherit all Member permissions and gain additional capabilities:
Project Management
- Create new projects
- Edit all project settings
- Delete projects
- Archive or restore projects
- Configure project-level preferences
User Management
- Invite new users to the organization
- Resend invitations
- Remove users from the organization
- View user activity logs
- Manage pending invitations
Organization Configuration
- Edit organization name and details
- Configure organization-wide settings
- Set default preferences
- Manage integrations
Advanced Prompt Management
- Edit any user's custom prompts
- Delete any custom prompts
- Create organization-wide prompt templates
Analysis Administration
- Edit or delete any analysis
- Modify scheduled analyses created by others
- Cancel running analyses
- Manage analysis quotas
What Admins Will Not Be Able to Do
Admins will still have some restrictions:
- Manage billing and payment methods
- Change subscription plans
- Delete the organization
- Transfer organization ownership
- Change the Owner's role
- Access API keys (if restricted to Owner)
Ideal For
- Team leads and managers
- Project coordinators
- Marketing directors
- Operations managers
- Anyone responsible for team oversight
Owner Role (Current Default)
The Owner role will provide complete control over the organization, including financial and administrative authority. Currently, all users have this level of access.
Everything an Admin Can Do, Plus
Owners will have unrestricted access:
Billing and Subscription
- View and update billing information
- Change payment methods
- Upgrade or downgrade subscription plans
- View invoices and payment history
- Manage billing contacts
- Access usage reports and quotas
Ultimate Administrative Control
- Delete the entire organization
- Transfer ownership to another user
- Change any user's role (including other Owners)
- Access and regenerate API keys
- Export all organizational data
- Configure advanced security settings
Legal and Compliance
- Accept terms of service updates
- Manage data processing agreements
- Handle legal notifications
- Configure data retention policies
Multiple Owners
Organizations will be able to have multiple Owners. This will provide:
- Redundancy in case an Owner leaves
- Shared responsibility for billing and administration
- No single point of failure
However, all Owners have equal power, so trust and communication are essential.
Ideal For
- Company founders and executives
- IT administrators
- Finance controllers
- Anyone with fiduciary responsibility
- Primary account holders
Comparison Table
Quick reference for planned role capabilities:
Planned roles: Member (view and create content) | Admin (manage projects and users) | Owner (full control including billing). Currently: All users have Owner-level access.
Managing User Roles (When Available)
Note: The following role management features are not yet available. Currently, you can invite users to your organization, but all users will have full access.
Assigning Roles During Invitation (Future)
When role management is implemented, inviting a new user will include:
- Navigate to Organization settings
- Click Invite Members
- Enter the user's email address
- Select the role from the dropdown (Member, Admin, or Owner)
- Add an optional personal message
- Send the invitation
Changing an Existing User's Role (Future)
Once available, you'll be able to modify a user's role:
- Go to Organization settings
- Click on the Members tab
- Find the user in the list
- Click the role dropdown next to their name
- Select the new role
- Confirm the change
The user's permissions will update immediately.
Best Practices for Role Assignment (Future)
When role management becomes available, follow these guidelines:
- Principle of Least Privilege - Give users only the permissions they need
- Start with Member - Promote to Admin only when necessary
- Limit Owners - Keep the number of Owners small (2-3 maximum)
- Review Regularly - Audit user roles quarterly
- Revoke Promptly - Remove access immediately when someone leaves the team
- Document Responsibilities - Clarify what each role is expected to do
Role-Based Scenarios (Planning Guide)
These scenarios illustrate how you might want to structure roles once the feature is available:
Scenario 1: Small Marketing Team
A startup with 5 people might structure roles as:
- 2 Owners - CEO and CMO (for billing and strategic decisions)
- 1 Admin - Marketing Manager (for day-to-day project management)
- 2 Members - Marketing Coordinators (for executing analyses)
Scenario 2: Agency Managing Multiple Clients
An agency with separate projects per client might structure roles as:
- 1 Owner - Agency Owner (for billing)
- 3 Admins - Account Managers (one per major client)
- 8 Members - SEO Specialists and Analysts (distributed across accounts)
Scenario 3: Enterprise with Distributed Teams
A large company with regional divisions might structure roles as:
- 2 Owners - CTO and CFO (for governance and billing)
- 5 Admins - Regional Marketing Directors
- 20 Members - Local marketing teams
Security Considerations
Protecting Full Access (Current)
Since all users currently have complete control over the organization:
- Use strong, unique passwords for all users
- Enable two-factor authentication (when available)
- Only invite trusted team members
- Be cautious about who has access to sensitive information
- Plan ahead for how you'll structure roles when they become available
Audit Trail (Future)
When implemented, activity logs will show:
- Who invited or removed users
- Role changes and when they occurred
- Project creation and deletion
- Billing changes
- Login activity (if available)
Frequently Asked Questions
When will role-based permissions be available?
Role-based permissions are currently in development. Please check our changelog or contact support for updates on when this feature will be released.
Can I currently restrict what certain users can do?
No, all users currently have full access to all features within an organization. If you need to limit what someone can see or do, consider creating separate organizations for different teams or purposes.
Will existing users automatically get roles assigned when the feature launches?
When role-based permissions are implemented, all existing users will likely default to the Owner role. Organization administrators will then be able to adjust roles as needed.
Can users see each other's custom prompts?
Yes, all custom prompts are visible to all users within the organization, and currently any user can edit or delete them.
Next Steps
While role-based permissions are not yet available, you can:
- Invite team members to your organization (they'll have full access)
- Plan how you'll structure roles when the feature becomes available
- Create your first project
- Start collaborating with your team
- Provide feedback about what role capabilities are most important to you
Although role-based permissions are coming soon, you can still collaborate effectively with your team. Just be mindful that all users currently have full access to all features.