Managing Users in Rounds

Overview

Spades supports two types of users in rounds:

• Hosts: The creator of the round who has full management permissions

• Guests: Participants who can vote on issues but have limited permissions

User Roles and Permissions

Host (Round Creator)

As the host, you have complete control over the round:

• Add and remove users from the round

• Control round settings including workspace restrictions

• Set display names for participants

• Ban users who are disruptive

Guests (Participants)

Guest users have limited permissions:

• Vote on issues in the round

• Set their own display name for identification

• Cannot remove other users or modify round settings

How Users Join Rounds

Sharing Rounds

Rounds are shared through unique URLs that anyone can access. When you create a round, you'll get a shareable link that you can send to team members or stakeholders.

Authentication Types

Anonymous Users

• No registration required: Users can join immediately by clicking the round link

• Automatic user creation: Anonymous users are created automatically when they first access the round

• Session-based: Users stay logged in during their browser session

• IP tracking: Used for banning functionality

Workspace Restrictions

Organizations can control who can join their rounds through workspace settings:

Open Access (Default)

• Anyone with the round link can join

• No authentication required

Restricted Access

• Only authenticated users from the same workspace can join

• Requires Linear account

• Applied to all rounds in the workspace

Managing Active Users

Viewing Participants

Use the Users dropdown in the round interface to:

• See all active participants in the round

• View the host (marked as "Host: You")

• See guest users with their display names or truncated IDs

Removing Users

As a host, you can remove participants:

1. Click the Users dropdown to see all participants

2. Click the X button next to any guest user

3. Confirm the removal in the dialog that appears

4. The user will be immediately removed from the round

Important:

• You cannot remove the host (yourself) from a round

• Removed users lose access immediately

• They can rejoin if they have the round link (unless banned)

User Identification

• Display Names: Users can set custom display names for easier identification

• Fallback IDs: If no display name is set, the last 10 characters of the user ID are shown

• Host Identification: The host is always clearly marked as "Host: You"

Access Control and Security

Banning Users

If a user becomes disruptive:

• Remove them from the current round

• Ban by IP: The system can track and ban users by their IP address

• Persistent bans: Banned users cannot rejoin the round