Visibility and access

Every section and every space answers one question: who sees this? The answer is the visibility and, when it's Private, the Who gets in list. That's how you separate what's a showcase from what's only for paying members, only for one cohort or only for the leadership.

#The four visibilities

The order, from most open to most closed, is Public › Members › Subscribers › Private. A new space starts as Members.

The staff sees everything. Owners, admins and moderators see every section and every space, whatever the visibility: they need that in order to moderate. The Finance role isn't part of this rule: for finance, the same applies as for a member. See Roles and permissions.

#Private: the "Who gets in" list

With Private, the Who gets in block appears, with four lists and the minimum level:

The list's rules:

• Meeting any one is enough. A space unlocked for the Mentors group and the Gold plan is seen by anyone in the group or subscribed to the plan.
• Empty list = staff only. That's how you "hide" a space without deleting it. It never shows with a padlock to anyone else; see Team only.
• A plan counts while the subscription is active. Someone who cancels keeps seeing it until the end of the paid period; after that, they lose access automatically.
• A product counts for whoever bought it. A one-time purchase unlocks the space.
• A badge counts while the person holds it. Whoever earns the badge gets in at once, with a bell notice that says what opened it ("Your badge opened the Veterans' Room space"), once per space or section; whoever loses it, or when the badge is deleted, stops seeing the area on the next visit. A private badge also opens the area.
• A level counts while the person is in it. One level per space or section: whoever reaches the level (or passes it) gets in at once, with the bell notice "Your level opened the Veterans' Room space", once per space or section; whoever drops, by points taken away or in the Monday drop for the week's activity, loses access on the next visit. With gamification off, a level opens nothing.

Subscribers and Private with a plan look the same, but they aren't: Subscribers accepts any plan; Private accepts only the plans you list.

#Section and space together

The rules multiply between the section and the space: to see a space, a person needs to get through the section and the space.

• Anyone who can't get through the section sees nothing inside it.
• A space can't be more open than its section. The screen warns you: "This space cannot be more open than the section…", and the more open options appear unavailable.
• For a private space inside a private section, the person needs to be on both lists.
• Tightening a section's visibility also tightens the spaces that were more open; the screen tells you how many.

Example: a Student area section (Private, Full Course plan), with a Mentoring space (Private, March cohort group). To get into Mentoring, the person needs to subscribe to the plan and be in the group.

#For those without access

A restricted area doesn't have to disappear. The For those without access option, on the section and on the space, decides what happens to whoever is left out: the area disappears from the menu, or it shows with a padlock, with its title, its description and the way in (subscribe, buy, sign in). It's the showcase of what's exclusive: whoever sees the padlock knows what they get by coming in.

The default is to show with a padlock. Since October 28, 2026, every section that already existed was set to Section and spaces and every space to Same as the section. In practice, the restricted areas that used to disappear for whoever has no access (a class's room, a group's area, a subscribers-only space) now show with a padlock, with their title and description. No content shows, but the name and the description do. If an area must stay invisible, switch it to Hide (see where).

#On the section

#On the space

The option doesn't appear on a Public area, because nobody is left out of it.

#How section and space combine

• Section on Section and spaces, one space on Hide: that space doesn't show; the others show with a padlock.
• Section on Section only: the spaces never show, not even those on Show with a padlock. The section line is the showcase.
• Section on Hide, one space on Show with a padlock: the person sees the section's title and only that space, with a padlock.
• The person gets through the section, but the space is more closed (a Members section, a Private space unlocked by a plan): on Same as the section, the space shows with a padlock, unless the section is on Hide.

#What shows and what never shows

With a padlock, only the icon, the title and the description of the section or space show. Write the description with whoever is outside in mind: it's what convinces them.

Never shown:

• the content: posts, lessons, events, files, counts, the names of who takes part;
• the address of a Link space: clicking opens the offer screen, never the link;
• the name of the group that unlocks the area;
• the area in search, not even by its title, and its items in the general Feed.

A padlocked space is also never an automatic destination: the home page, the first space of a section, the "where to post" pickers and the notification bell skip padlocked spaces. A member without a plan, in a community whose first space belongs to the Club, lands on the first space they can open, not on the offer.

#The padlock in the menu

Hovering over the padlock, the menu gives the reason:

#The exclusive access screen

Whoever opens a padlocked space (from the menu, a link or an e-mail) sees the space's name, icon and description and, below them, a block that says what opens that space and how to get in.

Space unlocked by a plan, add-on or product: the sale right there.

When what opens the space is on sale, the block is the sale, without leaving the space and with the same payment as the Store. Only what opens that space shows up.

For someone without a plan (or not signed in), every plan that opens the space shows up alike, side by side, sorted by what each one charges per month (lowest first, with the add-on when it is required; a yearly plan counts the year's total divided by 12; the Store keeps the team's order). Both the plans that open the space by themselves and those that open it with an add-on are included. Each card has the plan's price, an add-on box, Renews automatically or the contract term, the plan's benefits, the Total per period (only on the card that carries a required add-on; on the others it would repeat the price) and the Subscribe to {plan} button (just Subscribe when the name is long):

• on a plan that needs an add-on to open the space, the box shows the add-on ("+ Group mentoring", with its price) ticked and locked: "Required to unlock this content". The Total adds plan and add-on, and the button goes to the plan's page with the add-on already ticked, in a single payment;
• on a plan that opens the space by itself, the box says No add-on · "Included in the plan" · "Unlocks this content".

Monthly | Yearly sits above the cards when the plans bill at both rhythms. Yearly carries the tag with the saving against monthly, the same calculation as checkout ("−17%", or "up to −20%" when the plans save differently), and the screen opens on the cheaper option (Yearly, when it has a saving). On Yearly, the card shows the price the way the plan's checkout does: "12× R$ X" on the card, with "interest-free on your card" or "on your card (total R$ Y)", the savings tag, which says where the saving applies ("Save 17% with PIX or boleto", depending on the methods the option accepts) and replaces the up-front line (with no tag, "PIX or boleto: R$ Z up front" stays); without installments, the year's price and "R$ X per month equivalent". The Total with the add-on follows the same format: "Total: 12× R$ X on your card or R$ Z up front". A plan with no yearly option stays monthly, with "No yearly option: billed monthly". With more than one plan, the Recommended badge marks the one featured in the Store. Five plans or more sit in a row that scrolls sideways. An add-on is never bought on its own (see Add-ons): for someone without a plan, it only shows up inside the card of a plan that sells it with the plan. Without such a plan, the add-on card shows Subscribe to plan.

With a single plan, the headline sits on the left, with the "How the subscription works" block under it (Ongoing access, Renews automatically and Instant access), and the card on the right, with Monthly | Yearly above it. The Total only shows when the card carries an add-on (on its own it would repeat the price).

One-off product. When a product (one-off or installments) also opens the space, it comes after the plans, separated by or: "Subscribe to a plan" above, "Or buy one-off access" (one-time payment) below. The product cards follow how many there are: one takes the full width, two sit in two columns, three in one row. Buy opens the payment right there; once done, the space reloads, now open.

The headline says what unlocks it:

Under each card: "Unlocked right after payment is confirmed." A Subscribers space (any plan) shows every public plan.

For someone who already has a plan, the sale starts from it:

When the new plan also needs the add-on, the plan change already opens with it checked: plan and add-on change in a single operation, in a single charge.

Someone not signed in sees the same sale, with the invitation "Already a member? Sign in to see if you already have access." and the Sign in button right under the headline: after signing in, the person comes back to the space, which checks access again. To pay, the checkout asks them to sign in or create an account ("You need an account in this community to pay."). After subscribing to a plan from the space, the payment confirmation goes back to the space, now open (unless the billing option has its own address for after payment).

What is never offered:

• a Link only plan: it only opens through its own address and never shows up in the offer;
• a product the person could not buy: Buy only shows up when the product is in a Store the person sees or has its direct link on (the same rule as the payment, which refuses the rest);
• a draft or inactive product, and a loose billing option outside any plan.

If nothing that opens the space is on sale for the person, the block shows no card: it says "Talk to the community team to ask for access to “Club”.", with the Talk to the team button when someone can answer (see below).

A group's space.

A space unlocked by a group is not for sale: the team decides who gets in. The block says This space belongs to a community group, never the group's name:

• for a member: "Members of the group get in directly. If you should be in it, ask the community team for access.", with Talk to the team (without the chat, "The community team decides who joins the group.", with no button);
• for someone not signed in: "Members of the group get in directly. Sign in to see if that is you.", with Sign in.

Space unlocked by a badge.

A badge is not bought: the person earns it. The block says "Earn the Mentor badge" (or "Earn one of these badges", when there is more than one) and shows each public badge with its image and description. A private badge never shows its name, image or description: only "A special badge". When a purchase also opens the space, it comes right after, separated by or. Whoever is not signed in sees the badges and the Sign in button. When the person earns the badge, the bell says "Your badge opened the Veterans' Room space" (or "section"), once.

In Who gets in, + Badges picks from the community's catalog; private ones carry the private mark: "Private badge: it opens too, but people without access only see "a special badge", never its name." Moderators and finance do not see private badges in the list.

Space unlocked by a level.

The Unlocked by level badge and the title "Available from level 9 · Legend". For a member: "Take part in the community to earn points and reach that level: “Veterans' Room” opens right away.", the points ("You have 420 points · 80 to go"), the The level's activity this week block (the same as the profile's; a space the person cannot open shows without its name) and the See my progress button, which opens the member page. If a badge also opens the space, it shows below ("One of these badges also unlocks it:"). For a visitor: "Members from level 9 get into “Veterans' Room”. Sign in to see your progress."

In the editor, under Who gets in, the + Level button picks the level; the space shows the chip "From level 9 · Legend". Picking level 1 warns: "Level 1 is every member. To open it to everyone, use the Members visibility instead." With gamification off: "Gamification is off: the level opens nothing until it is turned on."

Other cases.

When there is no sale, the padlock's reason shows above the title (Granted by the team, Requires a plan…). The screen never gives the name of the group that unlocks the area. A padlocked section keeps the same box (This section is exclusive), with the buttons to the plans or products page.

#The Talk to the team button

In an area closed by group (or with nothing on sale) there is nothing to buy: the team grants access. So the exclusive access screen has a Talk to the team button, which opens a chat conversation with someone who can let you in.

When it shows. For a member of the community, in a padlocked section or space unlocked by group or with nothing on sale, and only when the chat is on in the community and someone on the team can answer (below). Otherwise the screen shows only the text. Visitors, pending sign-ups and people from another community don't see the button: the screen offers them their own way in (table above).

Who answers. Memberfy picks one person, in this order:

1. the first admin online (in alphabetical order of name);
2. with no admin online, the first moderator online;
3. with nobody online, the owner.

In every case, only someone who is Available to chat and with no block either way. Finance never answers: that role handles money, not access.

What the click does. The chat opens on a direct conversation with that person; if you already have a conversation with someone on the team who can answer, it is reused. The message box comes with the draft "I'd like access to Club", which you can edit: nothing is sent until you click Send. If the conversation doesn't open, the reason shows under the buttons, for example "No one on the team is available to chat right now. Try again later."

Chat rules. The button ignores the Who can start a conversation rule (it works even with Team only) and doesn't require the person asking to be available to chat. A new conversation counts toward the limit of 10 new conversations per hour (see Limits against spam); a reused one doesn't.

#Team only

A Private area with nobody under Who gets in (and the spaces that inherit from such a section) is administration only: it never shows to anyone outside the team, not with a padlock, not by default. A space linked to a product from the products screen doesn't count as administration only: whoever buys the product gets in.

For owners, admins and moderators, an administration-only area has three notices:

• the Team only badge, with an icon, next to its name in the menu;
• a banner at the top of the space or section: "Only the team can see this area. No one else has access until you choose who gets in under "Who gets in".";
• the same notice inside the Who gets in block, when editing.

On these areas, the For those without access option is disabled, with the explanation: "Only the team can get into this area, and it never shows to anyone else, not even with a padlock. Choose who gets in under "Who gets in" to use this option." Once you add someone under Who gets in, the badge and the banner go away and the option applies again.

#Where to change the option

Role: owner or admin.

On a section:

1. In the menu, hover over the section and open Section options › Edit section.
2. Under For those without access, right below Visibility and Who gets in, choose Hide, Section only or Section and spaces.
3. Click Save.

On a space:

1. In the menu, hover over the space and open Space options › Edit space.
2. Under For those without access, choose Same as the section, Hide or Show with a padlock.
3. Save.

The same option appears when creating the section (Add Section) and the space (Add Space). To check the result, open the community in a private window (as a visitor) or ask a member without access.

The menu updates right away. When the team creates, edits, moves, reorders or removes a section or a space, or changes who has access, the side menu of everyone who has the community open updates by itself, without reloading the page. Anyone inside a space that was removed, or that they lost access to, goes right away to the no-access screen.

#A link to an area the person cannot see

An area that doesn't show for the person (on Hide, administration only, or a mistyped link) opens the This space is restricted box: "It is not available to your account: access may depend on a group, an approval or a plan. Talk to whoever runs the community; if someone sent you the link, check that it is complete." For a visitor, the screen asks them to sign in, with a Sign in button. The screen is the same for a hidden area and for a link that doesn't exist, on purpose: it doesn't reveal that the area exists.

#Access follows payment

When a space is Subscribers or unlocked for a plan, nobody has to grant or remove access by hand:

• Paid: gets in as soon as the payment is confirmed.
• Canceled: stays until the end of the period already paid, and then leaves.
• Late on renewal: the subscription becomes past due.

Someone on a free trial doesn't count as a subscriber yet for subscribers' spaces or for plans on the access list. If the trial should unlock the space, let the Memberfy team know.

#Examples

#Step by step: unlock a space for a plan

Role: owner or admin.

1. Create the plan first, in Monetization › Plans. The space only lists what already exists. See Plans.
2. In the menu, open Space options › Edit space.
3. Under Visibility, choose Private.
4. Under Who gets in, click + Plans and choose the plan.
5. Save. Non-subscribers now see the space with the Requires a plan lock.

The same goes for + Products and + Groups.

#Common errors and how to fix them

#Frequently asked questions

Why does the staff see a space I made private? Because owners, admins and moderators always see everything.

Can I unlock a space for just one person? Create a group with that person and unlock the space for the group.

Does someone without access see the content of a padlocked area? No. They only see the icon, the title and the description, and the way in.

Does changing the visibility delete anything? No. It only changes who sees it.

Does a post from a private space show up in the general Feed? Only for those who have access to the space it came from.

#In the API

visibility: public, members, plan or private; and access: { groupIds, productIds, subscriptionGroupIds, badgeIds } on POST/PUT for sections and spaces. See Sections & Spaces. In badgeIds, absent (or null) keeps the badges that already open the area, and [] removes them all; a badge from another community or a deleted one returns 400. The team reads access.badges and requiredBySection.badges (id, name, imageUrl, visibility).

For those without access:

• lockedDisplay on POST/PUT for sections (hide, section or section_and_spaces, the default) and spaces (inherit, the default, hide or show). On an edit, leaving it out changes nothing.
• In the lists (GET /api/sections, GET /api/spaces), a padlocked area comes with locked: true and lockReason (signIn, plan, product, subscription or group, never the group's name). A padlocked space carries only id, title, slug, icon, description, module, sectionId, locked and lockReason: no moduleConfig, no externalUrl and no counts. A section on section comes without spaces.
• Opening a padlocked space answers 403 with data: { reason, actions, productIds?, subscriptionGroupIds?, lockReason, space: { id, title, slug, icon, description, module, sectionId } }. reason: plan, group, approval or other; actions: signIn, joinCommunity, seePlans, buy or askTeam.
• Unlocked by a badge: reason: "badge" (and lockReason: "badge" in the lists and in the section denial), with the earnBadge action, badges (public ones only: id, name, imageUrl, description) and hasHiddenBadge: true when a private badge also opens the area. Earning the badge publishes the space.access_granted event with source: "badge".
• Unlocked by a level: access.minLevelId (the level's id) or access.minLevel (the number, 1 is the first) on POST/PUT; absent keeps it, null removes it. The refusal carries reason: "level" (and lockReason: "level"), the earnPoints action, level and, for a member with gamification on, progress (points, pointsToGo, currentLevel and requirements with thisWeek and minCount); a visitor gets only level. Reaching the level publishes space.access_granted with source: "level".
• When the next step is buying or subscribing (actions with buy or seePlans), the space 403 also carries offers: { plans, addOns, products }, the offer's cards in the same shapes as GET /api/storefront/spaces/{spaceId}/products: only what opens the space, active, and, among products, only what checkout sells to the caller (in a store the person sees or with the direct link on). addOns carry availability (owned, add, upgrade or subscribe) and the plans that take them. Never a link_only plan (which is no longer named in subscriptionGroupIds either). It works for visitors; a group-only space has no offers. With nothing on sale, actions falls back to askTeam.
• GET /api/sections/{id} for a padlocked section answers 200 with locked, lockReason and denial (the same shape, with section instead of space).
• A hidden area (on hide, or administration only) answers 403 with data: { reason: "other", actions: [] }, with no title and nothing about what unlocks it.
• The padlocked refusal (the space 403 and the section denial) carries canContactTeam: true when the Talk to the team button has someone to answer. The button calls POST /api/chat/contact-team with spaceId or sectionId (one of the two), which returns the conversation (201 new, 200 reused) without sending anything; 403 with contactTeamNotAllowed (the area isn't padlocked with askTeam for the caller), teamUnavailable (nobody to answer) or disabled (chat off); 429 at the new-conversations limit.
• The team also gets lockedDisplay and adminOnly (true when the area is administration only).

#Related

• Roles and permissions
• Sections
• Spaces
• Plans
• Groups and org chart