The portal user role is a free, read-only role that gives your clients access to their documentation directly in the main Hudu app. Portal users belong to groups, can be given access to more than one company, and can use tools such as Central KB, My Vault, Client Requests, and Hudini when you allow it. This article covers what portal users can and cannot do, how to invite them, and how to control what they see.
Visit Portal changes are here for additional information on the transition from client portals to portal users.
Visit User Management and Groups & Restrictions for additional information on user roles and group permissions.
Understanding the portal user role
Portal users have a read-only experience similar to spectators, with additional restrictions that cannot be overridden by group settings. Everything else a portal user can see is controlled by the groups they belong to.
- Read company records their groups allow
- Access multiple companies, and switch between them using the company switcher
- Use Central KB and My Vault, when the tool is on for the instance and allowed on their groups
- Create client request links, when Request is allowed on their groups
- Send secure notes, when sharing is on for the instance and Share is allowed on their groups
- Use Hudini, when AI is enabled for the instance and Hudini is allowed on their groups
- Use the Hudu Assist and Hudu Password Manager browser extensions and the mobile app, when those apps are enabled under Admin → External Apps
These limits apply to every portal user, even if they belong to a group that allows them:
- Create, edit, archive, or delete records
- Flag records
- Access the Global tab, Hudu Radar, or the Hudu dashboard
- Access the Companies directory
- View archived companies, archived records, or the Museum
- View company quick notes, Magic Dash, the Agreements tile, or the activity feed on the company home page
- View record activity (Version History and Views)
- Complete process run tasks
- Use the integrations sync button or the Hudu MCP server
Portal users are free and do not count toward your licensed seats.
How to invite a portal user
- Navigate to Admin → Users and choose to invite a new user.
- Enter the user's email address.
- Select Portal user as the role.
- Select the group or groups the user should belong to. These groups determine which companies and tools the portal user can access.
- Click Invite User to send the invitation.
Portal users appear alongside other users on the Internal tab of Admin → Users.
How to change an existing user to a portal user
- Navigate to Admin → Users and open the user.
- Click Edit.
- Change the user's role to Portal user.
- Review the user's groups to confirm they only grant access this person should have.
- Click Update to save the changes.
How to control what portal users can access
Portal users inherit everything their groups can see. They can share groups with your technicians or be placed in their own groups, whichever is easiest for you to maintain.
- Navigate to Admin → Groups and create a new group, or open an existing one.
- On the group's Companies tab, set which companies the group can see.
- Navigate to the Access tab to turn off any Core Tools the group should not use.
- Use the Asset Layouts picker to deny any layouts the group should not see.
- Set the group's Central KB, My Vault, Request, Share, and Hudini permissions as needed.
- Add your portal users as members of the group.
To confirm what a portal user can see, select the user in Admin → Users and click Impersonate in the top right corner.
Visit Groups & Restrictions for additional information on configuring group access.
The portal user experience
Portal users sign in to the same Hudu URL as the rest of your team, with a simplified experience focused on the companies they can access.
After signing in, portal users land on the company overview of the first company they can access, sorted alphabetically. If they do not have access to any companies, they see an empty-state page.
Portal users switch between companies using the company switcher. The search bar inside the company switcher is hidden for portal users, and companies do not appear as a result type in the header search.
When a portal user is on a company page, clicking the logo in the top left corner keeps them where they are. From anywhere else, such as Central KB or My Vault, it returns them to the first company they can access.
Additional abilities
If you use IP access control, you can exempt portal users by enabling Disable IP access control for portal users under Admin → Security.
Visit IP Access Control for additional information on IP restrictions.
Admins can pin important company and Central KB articles so they stay at the top of the list, which is a helpful way to surface key information for portal users.
FAQ
Both roles are read-only. Spectator is a licensed internal role with a broader experience, including the Companies directory, dashboard, Radar, and flagging. Portal user is a free role for clients who should have a more restricted experience.
Usually no. Hudu allows one SSO provider, which is typically used by your staff. Portal users are exempt from enforced SSO and Duo, and sign in with their username and password. If you enforce app-based two-factor authentication (TOTP), portal users may still need to set it up.
Visit Understanding SAML/SSO for additional information on SSO.
Yes. Portal users can belong to any group, including your default group. Keep in mind they can read everything that group allows.
Troubleshooting
The portal user does not have access to any active companies. Add them to a group that allows at least one company.
If the user was converted from a portal member during the v2.47 update, check whether they are still in the Previously ungrouped portal users group. That group blocks all asset layouts and Core features, even when another group allows them. Remove the user from that group.
Visit Upcoming portal changes: what to expect and how to prepare for additional information on the Previously ungrouped portal users group.
Confirm the tool is turned on for the instance under Admin → General and allowed on the user's group. Hudini also requires AI to be enabled for the instance.