Custom permission profiles in Bonsai allow you to create or modify user roles with granular control over access levels. Learn more about these roles and the permissions associated with each here.
In addition to default roles (Owner, Partner, Project Manager, Collaborator), you can:
Customize existing roles
Create entirely new roles
Define exactly what each role can access
Custom permission profiles are currently available on select plans. For more details, review our subscription tiers and pricing here.
Default vs custom permission profiles
Default roles
Bonsai includes predefined roles such as:
Owner
Partner
Project Manager
Collaborator
These roles come with fixed permission structures.
Custom roles
CustompPermission profiles allow you to:
Adjust existing roles
Create new roles tailored to your workflow (e.g., Accountant, Finance Reviewer)
Control access at a more granular level
Who can manage permission profiles
Only users with the following roles can create or edit permission profiles:
Owner
Partner
Option 1: Customize an existing permission profile
You can modify an existing role (e.g., Project Manager) to adjust its access.
Go to Settings → Team → Permission
Select an existing role (e.g., Project Manager).
Enable or disable specific permissions using toggles.
Example: Enable access to Deals
Save your changes.
The selected role is immediately updated with the new permissions.
Option 2: Create a new permission profile
If you'd like to create a new permission profile (e.g. "Accountant"):
Click on "New Profile"
Enter a name for the role (e.g., “Accountant”).
Define permissions by selecting what the role can access.
Go to the Members tab.
Click Invite Member.
Assign the new permission profile to the invited user.
The new user receives access based on the custom role configuration.
Configuring team visibility
When creating or editing a permission profile, you can define which team members the role can view. Visibility Options:
All Members
The role can see all team members across the workspace
Only Self
The role can only see their own activity
This setting affects visibility in:
Project Team tab
Team member list when assigning users to a project
Tasks Workload view
Resourcing page
Even with “Only Self” visibility:
Users may still appear in Time Tracking or Tasks, depending on other permissions
Visibility settings control who users can see, not necessarily what they can do