Permissions #

HappyView uses a granular permission system to control access to the admin API. Each user has a set of permissions that determine which endpoints they can access. Permissions can be assigned individually, via templates, or both.

Permission list #

HappyView defines 20 permissions organized by category:

Lexicons #

Permission	Description
lexicons:create	Upload and upsert lexicons (local and network)
lexicons:read	List and view lexicon details
lexicons:delete	Delete lexicons

Records #

Permission	Description
records:read	List and view indexed records
records:delete	Delete individual records
records:delete-collection	Bulk-delete all records in a collection

Script Variables #

Permission	Description
script-variables:create	Create and update script variables
script-variables:read	List script variables (values are masked)
script-variables:delete	Delete script variables

Users #

Permission	Description
users:create	Add new users
users:read	List and view user details
users:update	Modify user permissions
users:delete	Remove users

API Keys #

Permission	Description
api-keys:create	Create new API keys
api-keys:read	List API keys
api-keys:delete	Revoke API keys

Operations #

Permission	Description
backfill:create	Start backfill jobs
backfill:read	View backfill job status
stats:read	View record and Tap statistics
events:read	Query the event log

Permission templates #

Templates are predefined sets of permissions that simplify user creation. Pass a template value when creating a user via POST /admin/users.

Viewer #

Read-only access. Can browse lexicons, records, stats, events, and user lists but cannot modify anything.

Includes: lexicons:read, records:read, script-variables:read, users:read, api-keys:read, backfill:read, stats:read, events:read

Operator #

Everything in Viewer, plus the ability to run backfill jobs and manage API keys.

Adds: backfill:create, api-keys:create, api-keys:delete

Manager #

Everything in Operator, plus the ability to manage lexicons, records, and script variables.

Adds: lexicons:create, lexicons:delete, script-variables:create, script-variables:delete, records:delete

Full Access #

All 20 permissions. Equivalent to granting every permission individually (but still not a super user).

Super user #

The super user is a special user created automatically when the first person logs in to a fresh HappyView instance. The super user:

• Has unrestricted access to all endpoints, regardless of which permissions are assigned
• Is the only user who can call POST /admin/users/transfer-super
• Cannot be deleted
• Cannot have their permissions modified by other users

There is always exactly one super user. Super status can be transferred to another user via the transfer endpoint.

Escalation guards #

HappyView prevents privilege escalation:

• When creating a user or API key, you can only grant permissions that you yourself have. Attempting to grant a permission you lack returns 403 Forbidden.
• When updating a user's permissions, the same rule applies — you cannot grant permissions beyond your own.

Self-modification guards #

Users cannot modify their own account in destructive ways:

• You cannot delete yourself
• You cannot revoke your own permissions

These guards prevent accidental lockout.

API key permissions #

API keys have their own set of permissions, specified at creation time. The effective permissions of an API key are the intersection of:

1. The permissions assigned to the key
2. The permissions of the user who owns the key

This means if a user's permissions are later reduced, any API keys they created are also effectively reduced — even though the key's own permission list doesn't change.

For example, if a user with lexicons:create and lexicons:read creates a key with both permissions, and the user later loses lexicons:create, the key can only use lexicons:read.

Managing permissions #

Via the dashboard #

Go to Settings > Users to view and manage user permissions. Click on a user to see their current permissions and modify them. You can also assign templates when creating new users.

Via the API #

• POST /admin/users — create a user with a template or explicit permissions
• PATCH /admin/users/{id}/permissions — grant or revoke individual permissions
• POST /admin/users/transfer-super — transfer super user status (super user only)

See the Admin API reference for full details.

Next steps #

• Admin API reference — endpoint documentation with required permissions
• API Keys — creating scoped API keys
• Event Logs — permission-denied events are logged for auditing