Managing Collaborators (External Users)

Collaborators are external users — usually contractors, client representatives, or other stakeholders — who need limited access to specific clients and projects in nSpec. They can view what you share with them, message your team through action items, and (if you give them the role) add their own observations. This article walks through creating, editing, and managing collaborators.

Collaborators are different from employees

Employees are internal staff with broad access. Collaborators are external contacts with limited, scoped access — and they’re not counted against your employee seat limit. Collaborators are NSPEC-tenant only.

Accessing the Collaborators Screen

1. Sign in to nSpec at inspect-app.nspec.app
2. Open the sidebar (☰ menu)
3. Click Collaborators

You need the View Collaborators permission to see this screen. Procore tenants don’t have collaborators — Procore handles external user invites on its side.

Adding a Collaborator

1. On the Collaborators screen, click the + floating action button in the bottom-right
2. The Create Collaborator modal opens
3. Fill in the contact info, choose which clients and projects to give them access to, and click Save
4. nSpec sends a confirmation email to the collaborator with sign-in instructions

Collaborator fields

Field	Required	Notes
First Name	Yes	Up to 100 characters
Last Name	Yes	Up to 100 characters
Email	Yes	Up to 200 characters. This is what the collaborator will use to sign in. Must be a valid email format.
Title	No	Up to 200 characters (for example, “Project Manager” or “Site Foreman”)
Phone	No	Office or main phone number
Extension	No	Up to 10 characters
Cell	No	Mobile phone number

Selecting clients and projects

Below the contact fields, the form has two scoped-access sections:

1. Client Selection — A searchable list of all clients in your tenant. Check at least one client; the collaborator will be able to see anything they’re given access to under that client.
2. Project Selection — A nested list of projects grouped by client. Check the specific projects you want the collaborator to access. Closed projects are filtered out automatically.

You must select at least one client. If you don’t, the form will show “Please select at least one client.” when you try to save. Project selection is optional — you can grant client-level access without scoping to specific projects.

What Happens When You Save

After you click Save, nSpec:

1. Creates the collaborator account
2. Sends a confirmation email to the address you entered, with a link to set their password
3. Shows a toast: “Collaborator created. A confirmation email has been sent.”

The collaborator clicks the link in the email, sets their password, and can then sign in to nSpec at inspect-app.nspec.app using the same email and the password they just set.

Editing a Collaborator

1. On the Collaborators screen, find the collaborator
2. Click their row (or use the action menu → Edit)
3. Update fields, change client/project access, or assign roles
4. Click Save

Activating and deactivating

The Edit Collaborator modal includes an Is Active checkbox. Uncheck it to deactivate the collaborator without deleting them — they can no longer sign in, but their record and access history are preserved. This is reversible at any time.

Assigning Roles to Collaborators

Collaborators have their own role system, separate from employee roles. By default, collaborators can view what you share with them and post collaboration messages. To give them more access (like the ability to add observations to projects):

1. Open the Edit Collaborator modal
2. Click Edit Roles
3. Move roles between assigned and available
4. Save

See Roles and Permissions for how collaborator roles are created.

Collaboration Messages

Collaborators communicate with your team primarily through Collaboration Messages attached to action items. The flow:

1. An inspector or collaborator opens an action item
2. They click the message icon and post a message
3. The other side gets an unread message indicator on the dashboard (“Unread Collaboration Messages” card)
4. Messages create a thread on the action item so context isn’t lost

This keeps your team’s communication tied to the specific finding instead of getting lost in email.

Deleting a Collaborator

Deactivate before deleting

Deleting a collaborator is permanent and removes their account entirely. If you might need to give them access again later, deactivate them instead.

1. Find the collaborator in the list
2. Click the action menu (three dots)
3. Click Delete
4. Confirm in the dialog

You need the Delete Collaborators permission for this option to be visible.

Permissions Required

Action	Permission
View the Collaborators screen	View Collaborators
Create or edit collaborators	Add/Edit Collaborators
Delete collaborators	Delete Collaborators
Manage collaborator roles	Employee Role Management

Troubleshooting

I don’t see Collaborators in the sidebar

Solutions:

• You need the View Collaborators permission. Ask your administrator.
• Procore tenants don’t have a Collaborators screen.

“Please select at least one client”

Problem: Save fails with this error.

Solutions:

• Scroll down to the Client Selection section and check at least one client
• If the client list is empty, you need to create a client first. See Managing Clients in nSpec.

The collaborator didn’t get the confirmation email

Solutions:

• Ask them to check their spam folder
• Verify the email address you entered is correct
• Open the Edit Collaborator modal and use the resend invite option (if available) or contact support

Related Articles

• Managing Clients in nSpec
• Managing Employees in nSpec
• Roles and Permissions
• Working with Inspections in nSpec