monday.com Board Permissions Management Limitations

The pain point: When you onboard a new client or contractor, you create 9 project boards and manually invite them to each one. One board. Click invite. Wait. Next board. Repeat 8 times. Then assign the right permission level for each (Member vs Viewer vs Guest). If they leave, you manually revoke access from all 9 boards.

monday.com’s permission system has 5 separate layers: Account permissions, Workspace permissions, Board permissions, Column permissions, and Dashboard permissions. Navigating this is challenging enough when done manually.

But what if you could automate it? “When a deal closes, automatically invite the client to these 3 boards as a Guest. When the project completes, revoke their access.”

Here’s the honest answer: You can’t. And neither can anyone else — not Zapier, not Make, not any third-party tool.

The real limitation: monday.com’s API does not include permission management endpoints. You cannot programmatically:

• Grant board access to a user
• Revoke board access from a user
• Change a user’s role on a board (Owner → Member → Viewer)
• Update workspace permissions
• Grant column-level permissions
• Manage Shareable Board access

All permission changes must be done manually through the monday.com UI.

This isn’t a BoardBridge limitation. It’s a monday.com platform limitation. Every automation tool (Zapier, Make, integrations, native automations) faces the same constraint. monday.com’s API simply doesn’t expose the endpoints needed to manage permissions.

Meta Description

Board permissions can’t be automated on monday.com—the API doesn’t support it. Here’s what you can automate instead and how to minimize manual permission work.

Related Articles

For workarounds and related workflows:

• Auto-Create Multi-Board Project Folders from CRM Triggers
• Send Email Notifications When New Boards Are Created
• Roster Population: Automatically Load Team Members onto New Boards

What Are Monday.com’s Permission Layers?

Monday.com uses a complex multi-layered permission model:

1. Account Permissions (Account-Level Roles)

• Admin — Full account control, billing access, user management
• Member — Standard user access
• Viewer — Read-only across all boards they’re granted access to
• Guest — Limited access to specific Shareable Boards only

(Source: Monday.com Support – Account Permissions)

2. Workspace Permissions

• Workspace Owner — Full workspace control
• Workspace Member — Can see all workspace boards
• Workspace Viewer — Read-only on workspace boards

Understanding monday.com folder structure and board organization helps when planning permission strategies across workspaces.

3. Board Permissions

• Board Owner — Full board control
• Board Member — Can edit items and columns
• Board Viewer — Read-only board access
• Shareable Board — Special board type accessible to Guests

4. Column Permissions

• Specific columns can be restricted to certain users
• Example: “Budget” column visible only to managers

5. Dashboard Permissions

• Dashboards have separate access control
• Can be shared with specific users or teams

The complexity problem: When trying to grant access, Monday.com evaluates the strictest rule across all layers. A Workspace Member who is a Board Viewer on a specific board can only view that board, not edit it — even though their workspace role would normally allow editing. This complexity is compounded when combined with monday.com board naming and organization challenges at scale.

The API Limitation: No Permission Automation Endpoints

Monday.com’s GraphQL API (the primary way external systems interact with Monday.com) does not include permission management mutations.

What Monday.com’s API CAN Do

• Create boards
• Duplicate boards
• Create items
• Update column values
• Create automations (via integration recipes)
• Manage webhooks
• Query board data
• Manage users (add/remove from account)

What Monday.com’s API CANNOT Do

• Grant board access to a user
• Revoke board access from a user
• Change a user’s role on a board (Owner → Member → Viewer)
• Update workspace permissions programmatically
• Grant column-level permissions
• Manage Shareable Board access for Guests

This is confirmed by Monday.com’s official API documentation: There are no update_board_permissions, grant_board_access, or similar mutations in the API schema.

(Source: Monday.com API Reference Documentation)

Community Evidence: Users Need Permission Automation (But It’s Not Possible)

Thread: “Workspace permissions” (May 2024)

User asks how workspace permissions interact with board permissions. Monday.com staff (BiancaT) confirms:

“A person’s account role, workspace role, and board permissions are all considered when they try to view or edit something, and the strictest rule applies.”

No mention of API or automation support for permission changes — all examples are manual UI-based workflows.

(Source: Monday.com Community Forum)

Thread: “Managing board permissions” (Multiple threads, 2020-2025)

Users frequently ask how to bulk-update permissions or automate permission grants for new project boards. No Monday.com staff response has ever mentioned an API solution — all solutions are manual:

1. Go to Board Settings → Permissions
2. Add or remove users manually
3. Repeat for each board

Third-Party Integrations Can’t Help Either

Even third-party automation platforms (Zapier, Make, Integromat) cannot automate Monday.com permissions because they all rely on Monday.com’s API — which doesn’t support permission mutations.

Zapier’s Monday.com integration actions:

• Create item
• Update item
• Create board
• Create update (comment)
• No “Update Board Permissions” action

Make’s (formerly Integromat) Monday.com module:

• Same limitation — no permission management actions available

Why Permission Automation Would Be Valuable (Use Cases That Aren’t Possible)

Even though permission automation isn’t technically possible, it’s worth understanding what users want to do (and why the limitation is frustrating):

Use Case 1: Client Onboarding with Automatic Board Access

Desired workflow:

• CRM deal marked “Won” → Multi-board project folder created
• New client user account created in Monday.com
• Client automatically granted access to their project boards (Event Overview, Confirmations, etc.)
• NOT POSSIBLE: Must manually invite client and grant board access through Monday.com UI

Note: Even if you could automate permissions, custom automations don’t carry over to duplicated boards, creating additional setup complexity.

Use Case 2: Contractor Access Expiration

Desired workflow:

• Project status changes to “Completed”
• All contractor accounts automatically lose access to project boards
• Prevents contractors from viewing archived project data
• NOT POSSIBLE: Must manually revoke access for each contractor on each board

Use Case 3: Role-Based Board Access

Desired workflow:

• New employee added to Monday.com account
• Based on their job title (from HR system), automatically grant access to relevant boards
• Example: New project manager → granted Member access to all active project boards
• NOT POSSIBLE: Must manually add user to each board

Use Case 4: Guest Access for Shareable Boards

Desired workflow:

• Client submits form → Item created on board
• Client email extracted from form submission
• Client automatically invited as Guest to the Shareable Board
• NOT POSSIBLE: Must manually invite Guest via email and grant board access

Use Case 5: Column Permission Automation

Desired workflow:

• Budget column visibility restricted based on user role
• When user’s role changes (promoted to manager), automatically grant access to budget columns
• NOT POSSIBLE: Column permissions must be manually configured per board

What BoardBridge Can and Cannot Do (Honest Disclosure)

BoardBridge is an external automation platform for Monday.com. Like all external tools, we are constrained by Monday.com’s API limitations.

What BoardBridge CAN Automate

✓ Board creation — Create multi-board project folders automatically ✓ Board duplication — Duplicate template boards with data pre-filled ✓ Webhook registration — Auto-register webhooks on new boards ✓ Cross-board automations — Create items, update statuses, sync data across boards ✓ Email workflows — Send emails with CC/BCC, conditional logic, dynamic content ✓ Item creation with column values — Populate 10+ column types correctly ✓ Status/dropdown mapping — Map values by text (not hardcoded IDs) ✓ Roster population — Load team members onto new boards from master lists

What BoardBridge CANNOT Automate (Monday.com API Limitation)

✗ Grant board access to users — Not supported by Monday.com API ✗ Revoke board access — Not supported by Monday.com API ✗ Change user roles on boards — Not supported by Monday.com API ✗ Update workspace permissions — Not supported by Monday.com API ✗ Grant Guest access to Shareable Boards — Not supported by Monday.com API ✗ Column-level permission changes — Not supported by Monday.com API

Workarounds for Permission Management (Manual but Structured)

While permission automation isn’t possible, here are structured approaches to minimize manual work:

Workaround 1: Pre-Configured Template Boards with Permissions

Approach:

• Set up template boards with permissions already configured
• Include all users who will need access to future projects
• When you duplicate the board, permissions carry over

Example:

• Template board “Event Overview” has permissions set: Project Managers (Member), Finance Team (Viewer)
• Duplicate template → new board inherits same permissions
• Only need to manually add client as Guest

Limitation:

• Only works if the same users need access to every project
• Can’t dynamically adjust based on client, project type, or other criteria

Workaround 2: Shareable Boards for External Clients

Approach:

• Use Shareable Boards for boards where external clients need access
• Shareable Boards allow Guest users (no Monday.com account required)
• Guests can only access Shareable Boards, not Main or Private boards

Example:

• Create Event Overview as a Shareable Board
• Email client a link with Guest access
• Client can view and edit (if permissions allow) without Monday.com account

Limitation:

• Guest invitation still manual (must email invite link)
• Guests cannot access other board types
• Shareable Boards have feature limitations (e.g., automations may not work identically)

(Source: Monday.com Support – Shareable Boards)

Workaround 3: Workspace-Level Permissions Instead of Board-Level

Approach:

• Use workspace-level permissions (Workspace Member, Workspace Viewer) instead of board-specific permissions
• All workspace members automatically have access to all workspace boards
• Reduces need for per-board permission management

Example:

• Create a workspace for each client
• Add client as Workspace Member
• All project boards in that workspace are automatically accessible to the client

Limitation:

• Creates workspace sprawl (many small workspaces instead of one organized workspace)
• Harder to manage cross-client reporting or resource allocation
• Monday.com has workspace count limits on lower plans

Workaround 4: Permission Audit Spreadsheet

Approach:

• Maintain a spreadsheet documenting who has access to which boards
• When creating new project boards, manually reference the spreadsheet to add correct users
• Not automated, but at least structured and repeatable

Example:

• Spreadsheet columns: Board Name, Project Manager, Finance Team, Contractors, Client Contact
• When creating “Smith Wedding” boards, look up “Wedding” template row and manually add listed users

Limitation:

• Completely manual
• Prone to human error (forgetting to add someone)
• No enforcement (someone can grant access outside the documented list)

Comparison: What Can Be Automated vs What Can’t

Workflow Step	Can Be Automated?	Tool/Method
Create multi-board project folder	✓ Yes	BoardBridge, Monday.com Workflow Builder
Duplicate template boards	✓ Yes	BoardBridge, Monday.com API
Pre-fill CRM data on new boards	✓ Yes	BoardBridge automation
Load team rosters onto boards	✓ Yes	BoardBridge roster population
Grant board access to client	✗ No	Manual (Monday.com UI)
Grant column-level permissions	✗ No	Manual (Monday.com UI)
Send email to client with board link	✓ Yes	BoardBridge email automation
Revoke access when project completes	✗ No	Manual (Monday.com UI)
Track who has access to which boards	~ Partial	Manual spreadsheet or Monday.com’s permission UI

What You CAN Automate (Even Though Permission Grants Can’t)

Since permission automation isn’t possible, here’s what BoardBridge can do to reduce manual permission work:

1. Auto-Create Multi-Board Project Folders

When a CRM deal closes, automatically create a project folder with 9 boards pre-configured with correct names, templates, and column structures. Manual permission step: Add the client to the boards (still manual, but at least the boards are ready).

2. Send Email Notifications with Board Links

When a project is created, send an email to the client with direct links to their boards and login instructions. This doesn’t grant access, but it guides them through the access request process faster.

3. Pre-Configure Template Boards with Permissions

Set up template boards with the permissions structure you want:

• Project Managers: Member
• Finance Team: Viewer
• Clients: Guest (on Shareable Board only)

When you duplicate the template for a new project, those permission defaults carry over. You only need to add the new client manually.

4. Roster Population on New Boards

When a board is created, automatically load team members from a master roster list. This populates the Confirmations board with all current team members—not granting access to the board, but filling a roster column with data.

5. Admin Notification Checklist

When a new project is created, send an admin notification with a checklist:

• ✓ Boards created
• ✓ Data populated
• ☐ Grant client access to Event Overview board (manual step highlighted)
• ☐ Grant finance team Viewer access to Budget board (manual step highlighted)

This ensures you don’t forget permission steps even if they can’t be automated.

How BoardBridge Helps (Within API Constraints)

While we can’t automate permission grants, BoardBridge can reduce manual work in related areas:

1. Pre-Configured Template Boards

When you duplicate boards via BoardBridge, permissions set on the template board carry over to the new board. This means:

• Configure permissions once on the template
• Every duplicated board inherits those permissions
• Only need to manually add client or project-specific users

2. Notification Emails with Board Links

When a new project is created, BoardBridge can send an email to the client with a direct link to their board. The email can include:

• Board URL
• Instructions on how to access
• Monday.com login link (if they’re a Guest on a Shareable Board)

Example email:

“Your event workspace is ready! Click here to access your Event Overview board: [Board Link]. If prompted, log in with the email address this message was sent to.”

This doesn’t automate the access grant, but it streamlines the communication.

3. Admin Panel Checklist

BoardBridge’s admin panel can display a “Post-Creation Checklist” for each new project:

• ✓ Boards created
• ✓ Webhooks registered
• ✓ Automations cloned
• ☐ Grant client access to Event Overview board (manual)
• ☐ Grant finance team Viewer access to Budget board (manual)

This ensures you don’t forget permission steps even if they can’t be automated.

4. Permission Audit Trail (Manual Data Entry)

You can log which users should have access to which boards in BoardBridge’s database (manual entry). When creating new projects, the system can display this list as a reminder.

Example:

• Template: “Event Production”
• Default access: Project Managers (Member), Finance Team (Viewer), Client (Guest on Shareable Board)
• Reminder shown every time a new event is created

Try BoardBridge: Honest About Limitations, Powerful Where Possible

BoardBridge cannot automate monday.com board permissions because the API doesn’t support it. We’re completely transparent about this.

But we CAN automate:

• ✓ Multi-board project creation (folder + 9 boards in 15 seconds)
• ✓ Board ID remapping (cross-board automations don’t break on duplication)
• ✓ Webhook auto-registration (new boards automatically connected to automation system)
• ✓ Email workflows with CC/BCC recipients (monday.com doesn’t offer this natively)
• ✓ Roster population (team members auto-loaded from master lists)
• ✓ CRM data mapping (client details flow into new boards correctly)
• ✓ Admin notification checklists (reminders for manual permission steps)

Book a free consultation to discuss what CAN be automated in your workflow: https://calendly.com/rp-spaceo/call-with-rakesh-est-timezone

FAQ

Can any tool automate monday.com board permissions?

No. The monday.com API does not include permission management endpoints. This affects all tools—Zapier, Make, native automations, and BoardBridge. It’s a platform limitation, not a tool limitation.

Is monday.com planning to add permission automation?

Not according to any public announcements. The feature request exists in the community forum but has received no official response from monday.com staff.

What if I use OAuth to build a custom integration?

OAuth authentication grants your app access to the API, but the permission management mutations simply don’t exist in the API schema. You’d have access to the same endpoints as any other tool—which doesn’t include permission mutations.

Can I at least automate permission notifications?

Yes. BoardBridge can send an email when a new project is created, reminding admins to grant board access to the client. The email includes a checklist of which boards need which permission levels. It’s not automated, but it’s a structured reminder system.

What about Shareable Boards? Can I automate guest access?

Partially. You can automate sending an email with a Shareable Board link to a guest. But the actual permission grant (creating the Guest account and assigning access) still requires a manual step or Monday.com staff to manually invite the guest.

Why doesn’t monday.com support this?

Likely for security and compliance reasons. Permission management is a sensitive operation—platforms often require human oversight to prevent accidental access grants or revokes. This is a common pattern across project management platforms (Asana, ClickUp, Trello have similar limitations).

What’s the best workaround?

1. Use pre-configured template boards where permissions are already set
2. Automate everything else (board creation, data population, email notifications)
3. Handle permission grants with a structured checklist and reminders
4. Consider using workspace-level permissions instead of board-level for clients you add to multiple projects

If I’m managing 100+ projects per year, how do I scale permissions?

• Use Shareable Boards for external clients (they don’t need a monday.com account)
• Create workspace-level permissions for internal teams
• Use BoardBridge to automate board creation and roster population (reduces setup time)
• Use Zapier or Make to send notification emails with board links and instructions
• Implement a permission audit spreadsheet to track who should have access where

Final Thoughts: Automate What You Can, Document What You Can’t

monday.com’s permission system is powerful, but the lack of API support for automation is frustrating—especially for teams managing 50-100+ projects per year.

This is a platform limitation, not a tool limitation. Every automation platform faces the same constraint.

Here’s what we recommend:

1. Use structured workarounds (pre-configured templates with permissions, Shareable Boards for guests, permission checklists)
2. Automate everything else (board creation, data flows, email workflows, notifications)
3. Minimize manual permission work with systematic checklists and reminders
4. Advocate for API support by voting on monday.com feature requests in the community forum

BoardBridge automates what’s possible (board creation, data population, email notifications) and is transparent about what isn’t (permission automation).

Book a consultation to see what we can automate for you: https://calendly.com/rp-spaceo/call-with-rakesh-est-timezone