Projects
Add project collaborators
Invite collaborators or read-only reviewers, select visible files, and manage access as the work changes.
Choose the access needed
Use project access to bring a coauthor or reviewer into the same workspace. Choose the role before inviting them:
| Access | Use it when | What it allows |
|---|---|---|
| Collaborator | A coauthor needs to edit or rerun the work. | Normal read/write access, project runtimes, terminals, SSH, and project tools. |
| Viewer | A reviewer needs to read saved files and results. | Read-only access to allowed files, without editing, code execution, terminals, SSH, or project management. |
| Published file share | You want an unlisted link to selected material. | Signed-in viewers can read and copy the shared content. See Publish project files. |
For an end-to-end example, see Start and hand off a research task.
Invite a collaborator or viewer
- Open the project and go to Settings -> People.
- Find and select an existing account, or enter the recipient's email address.
- Under Access level, choose Collaborator or Viewer. The form starts with collaborator access; select viewer access explicitly for a read-only review.
- For a viewer, set Viewer file access as described below.
- For an email invitation, select Require acceptance using the invited email address when the recipient must accept with that exact verified address.
- Use Invite selected user or Send Invitation, as appropriate. Review the delivery result; if CoCalc provides a link for manual delivery, copy it and send it to the intended recipient.
- After acceptance, check the person's role in the project member list. For a viewer, also check the file-access summary beside their name.
For courses, add students through the course interface instead of manually sharing every project.
Accept an invitation
For an invitation sent to an existing CoCalc account, sign in to that account. On Projects, choose Review on the invitation notice to open Notifications -> Project Invitations. Choose Accept, check the Joined confirmation, then choose Open project.
For an email invitation, open the complete invitation link and sign in. Check the project and the Signed-in account before choosing Accept invite; use Sign out to use a different account if necessary. If the inviter required the invited email address, the accepting account must have that exact verified address. After acceptance, choose Open project. Ask the inviter for a new invitation if the link has expired or been revoked.
If email delivery is unavailable, the invitation creator or project owner can open Pending Invitations -> Copy Link for manual delivery. Keep the complete link and share it only with the intended recipient.
Select the files a viewer can read
Viewer file access offers Full project, excluding sensitive paths and
Selected files and directories only. The full-project option excludes
.snapshots, .ssh, and .local/share/cocalc; selecting particular
files keeps the review focused on the material you intend to share.
For selected access, replace the example entries with one project-relative file, directory, or glob per line. For example:
README.md
review/
A trailing slash includes the directory's contents. The default exclusions remain in effect. Include any figures or supporting files needed to read the report, and check that the selected paths exist. The invitation form requires at least one include rule for selected access; it does not check whether the paths exist or whether exclusions prevent access to every selected path.
Ask the reviewer to open the intended report or notebook and confirm that its saved results are readable. A viewer cannot rerun a notebook; choose collaborator access when that is part of the review.
Change access when the work changes
In Settings -> People, use Make viewer beside a collaborator to choose a read policy and confirm the change. Use Make collaborator beside a viewer only when they need normal write and runtime access, then confirm the change. Check the resulting role in the member list.
Use Remove and confirm when an existing member no longer needs project access. For an invitation that has not been accepted, open Pending Invitations and use Revoke. These controls depend on your permission to manage collaborators; the project owner can help when they are unavailable.
Keep the paths to the report, saved results, and next steps in the research handoff. For coauthors editing together, use chat beside the relevant files to record questions and decisions.