> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.vlex.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://support.vlex.com/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/skills/skills-roles-and-permissions.md).

# Skills Roles and Permissions

#### Summary

Vincent Skills use three hierarchical roles, Publisher, Builder, and User, that control who can create, edit, and publish Skills across your organization. This guide explains what each role does and how Publishers assign or change roles.

#### Why This is Important

Roles determine how Skills flow through your firm. Builders create and test Skills for their own use, Publishers decide which of those Skills become available to everyone, and Users apply the approved Skills in their day-to-day work. Understanding this structure, and configuring roles correctly, is what turns Vincent from an individual productivity tool into a firm-wide standard for how legal work gets done.

Assigning roles thoughtfully also protects quality. When only trusted senior lawyers, legal ops leads, or IT admins hold Publisher rights, your firm-wide Skills library stays curated and reliable rather than cluttered with untested experiments.

#### The Three Skills Roles

| Role          | What They Can Do                                                                                                                                                                                               | Typical Users at a Firm                                                              |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Publisher** | Full control over Skills across the organization: create, edit, and delete any Skill; review and approve Skills submitted by Builders; publish Skills to the whole organization; manage roles and permissions. | IT admin, Legal Ops lead, Managing Partner, General Counsel, a trusted senior lawyer |
| **Builder**   | Create and manage their own Skills: create Skills available to themselves; submit Skills to their Publisher for organization-wide approval. Cannot publish directly to the whole organization.                 | Senior associates, paralegals, power users of all levels of seniority                |
| **User**      | Use Skills that have been published by the organization. Cannot create or edit Skills.                                                                                                                         | Trainees, associates, support staff, general users                                   |

{% hint style="info" %}
Roles are hierarchical: **User < Builder < Publisher**. Publishers have all the privileges of Builders and Users. Everyone in your organization is a **User by default**, so no action is needed to grant Builder access.
{% endhint %}

#### Step-by-Step Guide

Only Publishers can view and change roles. If you don't see the **Roles & Permissions** tab, contact your firm's Publisher.

**Step 1: Open the Roles & Permissions Tab**

1. On the Vincent home page, click **Customize** in the top right.
2. Select the **Roles & Permissions** tab.

You'll see a list of any users who have been explicitly assigned a role. Users not listed are Builders by default.

<figure><img src="/files/E5rdll9ecvds7XKVbUnK" alt=""><figcaption><p>Need to update user permissions? Click Customize in Vincent to view and modify your team's roles instantly.</p></figcaption></figure>

**Step 2: Change an Existing User's Role**

1. Locate the user in the list by scrolling or using the **Search assigned users** field.
2. Click the role dropdown next to their email.
3. Select one of the following:
   * **Publisher:** grants full control over Skills, roles, and organization-wide instructions.
   * **User:** restricts the person to using published Skills only (no creating or editing).
   * **Reset to Builder (Default):** removes any explicit assignment, returning them to the default Builder role.

The change takes effect immediately.

**Step 3: Assign a Role to a New User**

If the person you want to configure isn't already in the list:

1. Click **+ Assign role** in the top right.
2. Search for the user by name or email.
3. Select the role you want to assign, **Publisher** or **User**.
4. Click **Assign**.

The user now appears in the Roles & Permissions list with their new role.

<figure><img src="/files/JS5mpmJjCoT9GP9ghneX" alt=""><figcaption><p>Add team members instantly: click "+ Assign role", find the user, and select Publisher or User.</p></figcaption></figure>

#### Choosing the Right Role for Each Person

Use this as a quick reference when deciding who should hold which role:

* **Make someone a Publisher** when they are responsible for quality control across the firm, curate firm-wide standards, or need to manage other users' access. Keep this list short — usually 2–5 people at most firms.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Keep the Publisher circle small and trusted.** Publishers control what every user in your firm sees and can approve Skills that will be used on live client matters. A tight group — a Managing Partner or General Counsel, a Legal Ops lead, and an IT admin as backup — is usually enough. More Publishers means more inconsistency in what gets approved firm-wide.
{% endhint %}

* **Leave someone as a Builder (default)** when they are a lawyer, paralegal, or power user who benefits from creating their own Skills but doesn't need to control what everyone else uses.
* **Assign someone as a User** when you want to restrict them to consuming published Skills only — typically appropriate for trainees, temporary staff, or roles where custom Skill creation isn't part of the job.

#### Best Practices & Pro Tips

* **Don't demote lawyers to User without a reason.** Because everyone is a Builder by default, moving someone to User actively removes their ability to create Skills. Only do this when the restriction is deliberate , for example, when onboarding trainees or when a Skill audit revealed governance issues.

#### Related Articles

* [What are Skills in Vincent?](/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/skills/what-are-skills-in-vincent.md)
* [Setting Organization-Wide Instructions](/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/skills/setting-organization-wide-instructions.md)
* [Reviewing and Publishing Skills for Your Organization](/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/skills/reviewing-and-publishing-skills-for-your-organization.md)
* [Submitting a Skill for Organization-Wide Use](/vincent-by-vlex/vincent/skills/submitting-a-skill-for-organization-wide-use.md)

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| **New to Vincent?**                                                                                                                                                                                        | **Already a Vincent Customer?**                                                                                                                            |
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