Client Portal
The Client Portal gives your clients a branded, real-time view of their projects — without needing a dronelist.io account. Share a secure link, and your client can track progress, review deliverables, approve work, exchange messages, and view invoices.How It Works
Each portal link is tied to a client’s email address and your organization. When a client opens the link, they see a sidebar-driven interface branded with your organization’s logo and name. No signup, no password — just a direct link to their project information.Access flow
Create a portal link
From any project detail page, open the Client Portal section and click Create Link. Enter the client’s email, optional name, and security settings.
Share the link
Copy the generated URL and send it to your client via email or any channel you prefer. If email notifications are enabled, the client receives automatic updates when you send messages.
Client opens the portal
Your client clicks the link and sees their personalized portal dashboard — branded with your organization’s identity. If an access code is set, they enter it first.
Security
Portal links use cryptographic tokens in the URL — long, random strings that are effectively unguessable. You can add two additional layers of security:Access codes
Set a 6-digit access code when creating a portal link. The client must enter this code before viewing any portal content. The code is verified server-side and remembered via a secure cookie for 30 days.Link expiry
Set an expiration period (in days) when creating a link. After the expiry date, the link becomes inactive and the client can no longer access the portal. You can create a new link at any time.Revoking access
Revoke any portal link instantly from the project detail page. Once revoked, the link stops working immediately — even if it hasn’t expired.Security summary
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Token-based URLs | Cryptographically random tokens — no account required |
| Access code | Optional 6-digit PIN for additional verification |
| Link expiry | Optional expiration date after which the link becomes inactive |
| Revocation | Instantly deactivate any link from the project detail page |
| Access tracking | See when a client last accessed the portal and how many times |
| Email notifications | Per-link toggle to control whether clients receive email alerts |
Portal Navigation
When a client opens their portal link, they see a sidebar with four sections:
Section badges show counts so clients can see at a glance how many proposals, projects, and invoices they have. Sections with no data are hidden automatically.
Project Progress Phases
Inside each project, clients see a visual progress stepper that maps your internal project status to five client-friendly phases:
This stepper appears in the project detail sidebar, giving clients a clear sense of where things stand without exposing your internal status labels.
Deliverables & Files
Clients can only see deliverables and files that you’ve explicitly marked as client-visible. This is controlled per-deliverable and per-file from the project detail page on your side.What clients can do
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| View deliverables | See deliverable title, type, format, status, and version |
| Download files | Download any client-visible files attached to a deliverable |
| Approve deliverables | Mark a deliverable as accepted |
| Request revisions | Reject a deliverable with a reason — the reason is posted as a message |
Client approval statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Deliverable is awaiting client review |
| Approved | Client has accepted the deliverable |
| Revision Requested | Client has requested changes — check messages for details |
| Rejected | Client has rejected the deliverable |
Messaging
The portal includes a built-in messaging thread for each project. Both pilots and clients can send messages, creating a simple conversation history.- Pilot messages are sent from the project detail page under the Client Portal section
- Client messages are sent from the portal’s Messages tab within a project
- Messages show the sender name, sender type (pilot or client), and timestamp
- If email notifications are enabled on the portal link, clients receive an email when you send a new message
Organization Branding
The portal automatically displays your organization’s branding in the sidebar header:| Element | Source |
|---|---|
| Logo | From your organization settings |
| Organization name | Your organization’s display name |
| Website | Links to your organization’s website |
| Contact email | Your organization’s email address |
Cross-Organization Discovery
If a client works with multiple drone operators who use dronelist.io, they can switch between organizations directly from the portal sidebar. The portal automatically detects all organizations that have shared portal links with the client’s email address. Each organization’s access code is independent — verifying with one organization doesn’t grant access to another.Managing Portal Links
From the Projects detail page, the Client Portal section lets you:- Create new links — with optional access code and expiry
- View existing links — see client email, access count, last accessed date
- Toggle notifications — enable or disable email notifications per link
- Revoke links — instantly deactivate a link
- Send messages — communicate with clients through the portal thread
clientPortalEnabled flag on a project is set automatically when you create the first portal link for that project.
Tips
Set access codes for sensitive projects
Set access codes for sensitive projects
For high-value or confidential projects, add a 6-digit access code to the portal link. Share the code separately (e.g., via phone or text) for an extra layer of security.
Control visibility before sharing
Control visibility before sharing
Before creating a portal link, review which deliverables and files are marked as client-visible. Only items you’ve toggled to visible will appear in the portal.
Use messages instead of email threads
Use messages instead of email threads
Portal messages keep the conversation in context — tied to the project, visible to both sides, and preserved in the activity timeline. This is easier to reference than scattered email threads.
Leverage cross-org discovery for repeat clients
Leverage cross-org discovery for repeat clients
If you have multiple organizations (e.g., separate divisions), your clients automatically see all of them in the portal sidebar. Each org manages its own links and access codes independently.
Set expiry dates for one-time reviews
Set expiry dates for one-time reviews
For deliverable review rounds, create a link that expires in 7 or 14 days. This keeps access time-boxed and encourages clients to review promptly.