Capability Levels
How Capabilities Work
Every participant in a Ripple has a capability level that determines what they can do. The four levels, from most to least access:
- Editor — full control (edit Ripple, moderate, manage)
- Moderator — manage participants (mute, kick, grant speaker access)
- Authenticated — standard participation (mic, camera, screen share, chat)
- Guest — minimal access (join and chat only, with mic and camera enabled by default)
Capability levels are assigned based on the participant's role in the Wave. You can view the full capability matrix in Wave Settings → Roles.
Default Capabilities
Here's what each level can do by default:
| Capability | Editor | Moderator | Authenticated | Guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Join | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Screen share | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Chat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Broadcast audio | Yes | Yes | ||
| Broadcast screen | Yes | Yes | ||
| View zone occupancy | Yes | Yes | ||
| Organiser drops | Yes | Yes | ||
| Mute others | Yes | Yes | ||
| Kick participants | Yes | Yes | ||
| Edit Ripple | Yes | |||
| Create Ripple | Yes | |||
| Delete Ripple | Yes | |||
| Manage roles | Yes |
Controlling Access During Sessions
While the default capability levels can't be customised per-wave yet, you have several tools to control access during live sessions:
- Speakers-only mode — restrict microphone access to speakers and moderators. See Speakers-Only Mode.
- Session grants — moderators and editors can temporarily promote individual participants during a session. For example, grant a participant speaker access for a Q&A segment. Session grants last for the duration of the session only.
- Room locking — lock the Ripple to control who can join. See Locking Rooms.
What's Next?
- Understanding Roles — how roles are assigned
- Session Grants — temporary promotions during sessions
- Speakers-Only Mode — restricting who can speak