Project Roles

Project roles in Storytell define what each teammate can do within a Project. Assigning the right role ensures that your team can collaborate effectively while keeping control over your workspaces.

Written By Patrick Intervalo

Last updated About 1 month ago

Why Roles Matter

Roles control access to Projects and help maintain the right level of collaboration. By assigning roles thoughtfully, you can:

  • Give team members the permissions they need.

  • Keep sensitive knowledge or chats secure.

  • Ensure that Projects stay organized and manageable.

Roles Overview

There are three roles you can assign when inviting someone to a Project:

Role

Permissions

Ideal Use Case

Owner

Full control: manage Project details, invite/remove team members, assign roles, access/edit all assets and chats

The person who has full ownership over the Project

Editor

Full control over content. Limited control over the project

Project managers or team leads responsible for oversight

Collaborator

Can access all assets in the project, and can add / edit / delete their own assets and labels. Can participate in chats

Active team members contributing to the Project

Reader

View-only: can see Project content and chats. Cannot chat. Cannot make edits

Stakeholders, clients, or anyone needing visibility without editing rights

ⓘ Tip: Use Owners sparingly — ideally, just for those you want to have full administrative access over the project. Assign Editors and Collaborators for most active participants and Readers for those who just need visibility.

⚠️ Important: Anyone with a shared project link gets the access level tied to that link.
Be careful — sharing an Owner link gives full control of the project to anyone who opens it.

Role Permissions

The table below breaks down what each role can do across Assets, Labels, Concepts, chats, and invitations.

ℹ️ An asterisk (*) in the table below means this feature is still being built

Administering the Project:

Owner

Editor*

Collaborator

Reader

Create new Projects

✅ Yes: Any registered user can create a new project, that they will become the owner of.

✅ Yes: Any registered user can create a new project, that they will become the owner of.

✅ Yes: Any registered user can create a new project, that they will become the owner of.

✅ Yes: Any registered user can create a new project, that they will become the owner of.

See other users in Project

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

❌ No

Rename Project

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

❌ No

❌ No

Delete Project

✅ Yes

❌ No

❌ No

❌ No

Inviting Users to the Project:

Owner

Editor*

Collaborator

Reader

Create “Secret Links”

✅ Yes

❌ No, but can share existing Editor links with anyone

❌ No, but can share existing Collaborator links with anyone

❌ No, but can share existing Reader links with anyone

Invite via email address

✅ Yes

🟨 Yes, but only as Editors, Collaborators or Readers*

🟨 Yes, but only as Collaborators or Readers*

🟨 Yes, but only as Readers*

Invite via domain access

✅ Yes

❌ No

❌ No

❌ No

Working with Assets:

Owner

Editor*

Collaborator

Reader

Add Asset

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

🟨 Yes, if added by user

❌ No

Edit Asset

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

🟨 Yes, if added by user

❌ No

Delete Asset

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

🟨 Yes, if added by user

❌ No

Working with Labels:

Owner

Editor*

Collaborator

Reader

Access Labels

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

Create Labels

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

❌ No

Update Labels

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

🟨 Yes, if created by user

❌ No

Delete Labels

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

🟨 Yes, if created by user

❌ No

Working with Concepts:

Owner

Editor*

Collaborator

Reader

Read Concepts

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

Chat with Concepts

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

❌ No

Chats

⚠️ All chats are visible in shared Projects. If you want to have a private chat, move to a project that you haven’t shared with anyone else.

Owner

Editor*

Collaborator

Reader

Read any Chat Thread in the Project

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

Create a Chat Thread

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

❌ No

Participate in a Chat Thread

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

❌ No

Inviting People with Roles

When inviting teammates by email or domain, you can assign their role directly in the invitation panel:

  • Email invitations: Enter one or multiple emails in the field. Use the dropdown next to each email to assign Owner, Collaborator, or Reader.

  • Domain invitations: Enter a domain to allow anyone from that domain to join the Project. Use the dropdown next to the domain to assign the default role for anyone joining from that domain.

ⓘ Tip: Always double-check roles before sending invites to ensure teammates have the correct level of access.

Best Practices

  • Assign Owners carefully — too many Owners can make Projects harder to manage.

  • Use Collaborators for team members actively contributing to the Project.

  • Assign Readers for those who need visibility but shouldn’t edit content.

  • Review roles periodically, especially when team members change or Projects evolve.