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Visibility and access

CellRepo gives you control over who can see your work and who can change it.

Nothing is shared automatically.

By default, everything you create starts private, and you choose when and how to share.

This page explains:

  • what visibility means
  • what access means
  • where each setting applies
  • how sharing works in practice

Visibility vs access (simple difference)

These two ideas are related but not the same.

Visibility

Who can see something exists

For example:

  • Can they see the project name?
  • Can they open the repository?
  • Can they view commits?

Access

What someone is allowed to do

For example:

  • read only
  • add commits
  • edit settings
  • invite other people
  • delete things

Quick mental model

Think of it like a lab:

  • Visibility → who is allowed into the room
  • Access → what they’re allowed to touch inside

Default behaviour (important)

When you create:

  • an organisation
  • a project
  • a repository
  • a commit template

It is private by default.

This means:

  • only you (or your organisation, if applicable) can see it
  • nothing is public unless you choose it

You never accidentally expose data.

Where visibility is set

Visibility is configured at different levels depending on what you are creating.

Projects

Control who can see and use the project and everything inside it.

Typical options:

  • Private
  • Organisation
  • Public (optional, depending on setup)

Repositories

Usually inherit visibility from the project.

You normally don’t need to configure this separately.

Commit templates

Can also have their own visibility, depending on how they are shared.

For example:

  • personal use only
  • organisation-wide
  • public templates

(See Commit templates for details.)

Working alone (no organisation)

If you are not part of an organisation:

Everything belongs only to you.

Your options are simple:

  • Private (just you)
  • Public (if you intentionally want to share)

There is no organisation level.

You don’t need to think about teams at all.

Working inside an organisation

If you belong to an organisation:

You get an additional sharing level:

Organisation visibility

This means:

  • everyone in the organisation can see it
  • external users cannot
  • it stays inside your lab or company

This is the most common setting for team work.

Roles and permissions

Inside organisations and labs, people have roles that control what they can do.

Typical roles include:

Viewer

  • can see content
  • cannot make changes

Member

  • can create and edit content
  • can make commits

Admin / Manager

  • can manage people
  • can change settings
  • can delete resources

Exact permissions depend on the resource level.

The key idea:

visibility controls who sees
roles control what they can do

Labs and visibility

Labs help organise people into groups.

They do not directly control permissions.

Adding a lab to a project or repository simply means:

  • members of that lab get access together

Labs are for grouping, not security.

Permissions are still enforced at the project or repository level.

Changing visibility later

Nothing is permanent.

You can:

  • change visibility
  • add or remove people
  • move projects
  • reorganise labs

at any time.

CellRepo is designed for evolving workflows, not fixed structures.

Practical examples

Example 1 – personal research

You are working alone on a strain.

  • project → private
  • repository → private

Only you can see it.

Example 2 – lab collaboration

Three people in the same lab.

  • project → organisation
  • lab added to project

All lab members can see and contribute.

Example 3 – sharing a template publicly

You create a generic protocol template.

  • template → public

Anyone can reuse it.

Common misunderstandings

“If I create something, is it public?”

No. Everything starts private.

“Do labs automatically share everything?”

No. Labs only group people.
You still decide visibility.

“Do I need to configure everything up front?”

No. You can start private and adjust later.

Summary

  • Visibility → who can see
  • Access → what they can do
  • Everything starts private
  • Sharing is always intentional
  • You can change settings anytime

If you’re unsure how to structure access for your team, you can always reach out:

📧 support@cellrepo.com