This guide explains who can access your community and how different settings control what people can see and do. It covers access inside the Dashboard as well as on your live website, helping you understand how permissions, visibility, and participation work together.

Where to Find Settings

Go to: Community → Your Forum → Settings

Settings are grouped into four tabs:
General, Posts, Comments, and Access Control

General

The General tab defines the identity of your forum. Changes require clicking Save Changes.

Fields

Forum Name
The display name shown in the header, sidebar, and Community Profile Card. Choose something clear and relevant.

Forum Slug
A URL-friendly identifier used internally by the system and Studio.

Renaming the slug will break Studio bindings and any existing URLs.
After changing it, reconnect the forum in your Studio page.

Forum Description (Optional)
A short summary shown in the Community Profile Card. Useful for setting expectations for new users.

Click Save Changes after editing.

Danger Zone

Delete Forum

Permanently deletes the forum and all associated data:

• Posts and content

• Comments and replies

• Members and memberships

• Categories and tags

Note: This action is irreversible.

Studio pages linked to the forum will remain but show empty content. You’ll need to update or remove them manually.

Only Workspace Owners can delete a forum.

Posts

Controls how posts are created, moderated, and viewed.
All changes save instantly.

Moderation

Auto-approve posts

• Manual → Posts require approval before publishing

• Auto → Posts go live immediately

Moderator Permissions

Unpublish posts

• Disabled → Only admins can remove posts

• Enabled → Moderators can hide posts without deleting them

Post Creation & Visibility

Users can create posts

• Disabled → Only admins can post

• Enabled → Members can create posts

Public post visibility

• Members Only → Only logged-in members can view

• Public → Anyone can view (interaction still requires login)

Comments

Same structure as Posts, but applies to comments.

Moderation

Auto-approve comments

• Manual → Requires approval

• Auto → Instantly visible

Moderator Permissions

Unpublish comments

• Disabled → Only admins can remove

• Enabled → Moderators can hide comments

Visibility

Public comment visibility

• Members Only → Only members can view

• Public → Anyone can read, only members can interact
  

Access Control

Defines how users join and access the forum.

Forum Access

Invite Only

• Open → Any logged-in user gets access automatically

• Invite Only → Access restricted to approved users

  

Join Requests

Allow join requests (only available in Invite Only mode)

• Disabled → No way to request access

• Enabled → Users can submit a request

After submitting, users see a “Request Pending” state.
Admins review requests under Members → Requests.

Users can also include a message to explain why they want access.

Who Can Access Your Forum

Open Forum

• Staff → Full access

• Logged-in users → Full access

• Visitors (not logged in) → Can view if content is public

:check_mark: No approval needed

Invite Only Forum

• Staff → Full access

• Added members → Access

• Approved users → Access

• Others → No access unless approved

Locked State Experience

If a user doesn’t have access:

• They see a restriction overlay

• If join requests are enabled → can request access

• If disabled → only a locked message is shown
  

  

Visibility Layer (Important)

Access and visibility are separate: