Authorization & Permissions

The NCT Hub platform implements a sophisticated role-based access control (RBAC) system with granular workspace-scoped permissions designed for club management, member roles, and department-specific access control.

Permission Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Workspace                             │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │  Workspace Member (User + Role)                    │ │
│  │  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │ │
│  │  │  Role Permissions                            │  │ │
│  │  │  ├─ manage_workspace_settings                │  │ │
│  │  │  ├─ manage_users                             │  │ │
│  │  │  ├─ manage_finance                           │  │ │
│  │  │  └─ ...                                      │  │ │
│  │  └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Permission System

Available Permissions

The platform defines 30+ workspace permissions organized into groups:

Infrastructure

manage_infrastructure_settings - Manage infrastructure-level settings

Workspace

manage_workspace_settings - Manage workspace configuration
manage_workspace_security - Manage security settings

Users

manage_users - Create, update, delete users
manage_user_groups - Manage user groups and tags
manage_user_roles - Assign and modify user roles
view_disabled_users - View disabled user accounts
disable_user - Disable/enable user accounts

Finance

manage_finance - Manage financial resources
ai_lab_assistant - Access AI lab features

Calendar

manage_calendar - Manage calendar events
manage_external_users - Manage external/guest users

Content

manage_documents - Manage document resources

Inventory

manage_inventory - Manage inventory resources

Permission Groups

Defined in @ncthub/utils/permissions:

export const permissionGroups = {
  INFRASTRUCTURE: ['manage_infrastructure_settings'],
  WORKSPACE: ['manage_workspace_settings', 'manage_workspace_security'],
  USERS: [
    'manage_users',
    'manage_user_groups',
    'manage_user_roles',
    'view_disabled_users',
    'disable_user',
  ],
  FINANCE: ['manage_finance', 'ai_lab_assistant'],
  CALENDAR: ['manage_calendar', 'manage_external_users'],
  DOCUMENTS: ['manage_documents'],
  INVENTORY: ['manage_inventory'],
};

Database Schema

`workspace_role_permissions`

CREATE TABLE workspace_role_permissions (
  ws_id text REFERENCES workspaces(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  role_id text NOT NULL,
  permission workspace_role_permission NOT NULL,
  created_at timestamptz DEFAULT now(),
  PRIMARY KEY (ws_id, role_id, permission)
);

`workspace_members`

CREATE TABLE workspace_members (
  id uuid PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
  ws_id text REFERENCES workspaces(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  user_id uuid REFERENCES workspace_users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  role text NOT NULL,
  pending boolean DEFAULT false,
  created_at timestamptz DEFAULT now()
);

Checking Permissions

Server-Side Permission Check

import { createClient } from '@ncthub/supabase/server';
import type { Database } from '@ncthub/types';

type Permission = Database['public']['Enums']['workspace_role_permission'];

export async function hasPermission(
  userId: string,
  wsId: string,
  permission: Permission
): Promise<boolean> {
  const supabase = createClient();

  const { data, error } = await supabase
    .from('workspace_members')
    .select(
      `
      role,
      workspace_role_permissions!inner (
        permission
      )
    `
    )
    .eq('user_id', userId)
    .eq('ws_id', wsId)
    .eq('workspace_role_permissions.permission', permission)
    .limit(1);

  if (error) return false;
  return (data?.length || 0) > 0;
}

Usage in Server Actions

'use server';

import { hasPermission } from '@/lib/permissions';
import { createClient } from '@ncthub/supabase/server';
import { redirect } from 'next/navigation';

export async function deleteUser(wsId: string, userId: string) {
  const supabase = createClient();

  // Get current user
  const {
    data: { user: currentUser },
  } = await supabase.auth.getUser();
  if (!currentUser) {
    throw new Error('Unauthorized');
  }

  // Check permission
  const canManageUsers = await hasPermission(
    currentUser.id,
    wsId,
    'manage_users'
  );

  if (!canManageUsers) {
    throw new Error('Forbidden: You do not have permission to manage users');
  }

  // Perform operation
  const { error } = await supabase
    .from('workspace_members')
    .delete()
    .eq('user_id', userId)
    .eq('ws_id', wsId);

  if (error) throw error;

  redirect(`/${wsId}/users`);
}

Usage in API Routes

// app/api/[wsId]/users/route.ts
import { hasPermission } from '@/lib/permissions';
import { createClient } from '@ncthub/supabase/server';
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';

export async function DELETE(
  request: NextRequest,
  { params }: { params: { wsId: string } }
) {
  const supabase = createClient();

  const {
    data: { user },
  } = await supabase.auth.getUser();
  if (!user) {
    return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 401 });
  }

  const canManageUsers = await hasPermission(
    user.id,
    params.wsId,
    'manage_users'
  );

  if (!canManageUsers) {
    return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Forbidden' }, { status: 403 });
  }

  const body = await request.json();

  const { error } = await supabase
    .from('workspace_members')
    .delete()
    .eq('user_id', body.userId)
    .eq('ws_id', params.wsId);

  if (error) {
    return NextResponse.json({ error: error.message }, { status: 500 });
  }

  return NextResponse.json({ success: true });
}

Check Multiple Permissions

export async function hasAnyPermission(
  userId: string,
  wsId: string,
  permissions: Permission[]
): Promise<boolean> {
  const supabase = createClient();

  const { data, error } = await supabase
    .from('workspace_members')
    .select(
      `
      role,
      workspace_role_permissions!inner (
        permission
      )
    `
    )
    .eq('user_id', userId)
    .eq('ws_id', wsId)
    .in('workspace_role_permissions.permission', permissions)
    .limit(1);

  if (error) return false;
  return (data?.length || 0) > 0;
}

export async function hasAllPermissions(
  userId: string,
  wsId: string,
  permissions: Permission[]
): Promise<boolean> {
  const results = await Promise.all(
    permissions.map((p) => hasPermission(userId, wsId, p))
  );

  return results.every((result) => result === true);
}

Permission Utilities

Get User Permissions

import { createClient } from '@ncthub/supabase/server';

export async function getUserPermissions(
  userId: string,
  wsId: string
): Promise<string[]> {
  const supabase = createClient();

  const { data, error } = await supabase
    .from('workspace_members')
    .select(
      `
      role,
      workspace_role_permissions (
        permission
      )
    `
    )
    .eq('user_id', userId)
    .eq('ws_id', wsId)
    .single();

  if (error || !data) return [];

  return data.workspace_role_permissions.map((p) => p.permission);
}

Get User Role

import { createClient } from '@ncthub/supabase/server';

export async function getUserRole(
  userId: string,
  wsId: string
): Promise<string | null> {
  const supabase = createClient();

  const { data, error } = await supabase
    .from('workspace_members')
    .select('role')
    .eq('user_id', userId)
    .eq('ws_id', wsId)
    .single();

  if (error || !data) return null;
  return data.role;
}

Assigning Permissions

Create Role with Permissions

'use server';

import { hasPermission } from '@/lib/permissions';
import { createClient } from '@ncthub/supabase/server';

export async function createRole(
  wsId: string,
  roleId: string,
  permissions: string[]
) {
  const supabase = createClient();

  // Check if user can manage roles
  const {
    data: { user },
  } = await supabase.auth.getUser();
  if (!user) throw new Error('Unauthorized');

  const canManageRoles = await hasPermission(
    user.id,
    wsId,
    'manage_user_roles'
  );

  if (!canManageRoles) {
    throw new Error('Forbidden');
  }

  // Insert permissions
  const permissionRows = permissions.map((permission) => ({
    ws_id: wsId,
    role_id: roleId,
    permission,
  }));

  const { error } = await supabase
    .from('workspace_role_permissions')
    .insert(permissionRows);

  if (error) throw error;

  return { success: true };
}

Assign Role to User

'use server';

import { hasPermission } from '@/lib/permissions';
import { createClient } from '@ncthub/supabase/server';

export async function assignRole(wsId: string, userId: string, roleId: string) {
  const supabase = createClient();

  const {
    data: { user: currentUser },
  } = await supabase.auth.getUser();
  if (!currentUser) throw new Error('Unauthorized');

  const canManageRoles = await hasPermission(
    currentUser.id,
    wsId,
    'manage_user_roles'
  );

  if (!canManageRoles) {
    throw new Error('Forbidden');
  }

  const { error } = await supabase
    .from('workspace_members')
    .update({ role: roleId })
    .eq('user_id', userId)
    .eq('ws_id', wsId);

  if (error) throw error;

  return { success: true };
}

Client-Side Permission Checks

usePermissions Hook

'use client';

import { getUserPermissions } from '@/lib/permissions';
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';

export function usePermissions(wsId: string, userId: string) {
  const [permissions, setPermissions] = useState<string[]>([]);
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);

  useEffect(() => {
    getUserPermissions(userId, wsId)
      .then(setPermissions)
      .finally(() => setLoading(false));
  }, [wsId, userId]);

  const hasPermission = (permission: string) =>
    permissions.includes(permission);

  return { permissions, hasPermission, loading };
}

Usage

'use client';

import { usePermissions } from '@/hooks/usePermissions';
import { useUser } from '@/hooks/useUser';

export function UserManagementPanel({ wsId }: { wsId: string }) {
  const { user } = useUser();
  const { hasPermission, loading } = usePermissions(wsId, user?.id || '');

  if (loading) return <div>Loading...</div>;

  const canManageUsers = hasPermission('manage_users');
  const canManageRoles = hasPermission('manage_user_roles');

  return (
    <div>
      {canManageUsers && <button>Create User</button>}
      {canManageRoles && <button>Manage Roles</button>}
      {!canManageUsers && !canManageRoles && (
        <p>You do not have permission to manage users</p>
      )}
    </div>
  );
}

Conditional Rendering

'use client';

import { usePermissions } from '@/hooks/usePermissions';

export function PermissionGate({
  wsId,
  userId,
  permission,
  children,
  fallback = null,
}: {
  wsId: string;
  userId: string;
  permission: string;
  children: React.ReactNode;
  fallback?: React.ReactNode;
}) {
  const { hasPermission, loading } = usePermissions(wsId, userId);

  if (loading) return fallback;
  if (!hasPermission(permission)) return fallback;

  return <>{children}</>;
}

Usage:

<PermissionGate
  wsId={wsId}
  userId={user.id}
  permission="manage_finance"
  fallback={<p>Access denied</p>}
>
  <FinancePanel />
</PermissionGate>

Common Permission Patterns

Admin Check

export async function isWorkspaceAdmin(
  userId: string,
  wsId: string
): Promise<boolean> {
  return hasPermission(userId, wsId, 'manage_infrastructure_settings');
}

Owner Check

import { createClient } from '@ncthub/supabase/server';

export async function isWorkspaceOwner(
  userId: string,
  wsId: string
): Promise<boolean> {
  const supabase = createClient();

  const { data, error } = await supabase
    .from('workspace_members')
    .select('role')
    .eq('user_id', userId)
    .eq('ws_id', wsId)
    .eq('role', 'owner')
    .limit(1);

  if (error) return false;
  return (data?.length || 0) > 0;
}

Member Check

import { createClient } from '@ncthub/supabase/server';

export async function isWorkspaceMember(
  userId: string,
  wsId: string
): Promise<boolean> {
  const supabase = createClient();

  const { data, error } = await supabase
    .from('workspace_members')
    .select('id')
    .eq('user_id', userId)
    .eq('ws_id', wsId)
    .eq('pending', false)
    .limit(1);

  if (error) return false;
  return (data?.length || 0) > 0;
}

Permission Middleware

Create reusable permission middleware for API routes:

// lib/middleware/permissions.ts
import { hasPermission } from '@/lib/permissions';
import { createClient } from '@ncthub/supabase/server';
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';

export function withPermission(
  permission: string,
  handler: (req: NextRequest, context: any) => Promise<NextResponse>
) {
  return async (req: NextRequest, context: any) => {
    const supabase = createClient();

    const {
      data: { user },
    } = await supabase.auth.getUser();
    if (!user) {
      return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 401 });
    }

    const wsId = context.params.wsId;
    const allowed = await hasPermission(user.id, wsId, permission);

    if (!allowed) {
      return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Forbidden' }, { status: 403 });
    }

    return handler(req, context);
  };
}

Usage:

// app/api/[wsId]/users/route.ts
import { withPermission } from '@/lib/middleware/permissions';

export const DELETE = withPermission(
  'manage_users',
  async (req, { params }) => {
    // Implementation
    return NextResponse.json({ success: true });
  }
);

Best Practices

✅ DO

Always check permissions server-side

const allowed = await hasPermission(userId, wsId, 'manage_users');
if (!allowed) throw new Error('Forbidden');

Use granular permissions

// ✅ Good: Specific permission
hasPermission(userId, wsId, 'manage_finance');

// ❌ Bad: Too broad
hasPermission(userId, wsId, 'admin');

Check permissions before operations

// Check first
if (!(await hasPermission(userId, wsId, 'manage_users'))) {
  throw new Error('Forbidden');
}
// Then perform operation
await deleteUser(userId);

Return appropriate HTTP status codes

if (!user) return 401; // Unauthorized
if (!hasPermission) return 403; // Forbidden

Cache permission checks when appropriate

const permissions = await getUserPermissions(userId, wsId);
const canManageUsers = permissions.includes('manage_users');
const canManageRoles = permissions.includes('manage_user_roles');

❌ DON’T

Don’t rely only on client-side permission checks

// ❌ Bad: Client can bypass this
if (!hasPermission) return;

Don’t expose permission logic in URLs

// ❌ Bad
/api/admin/delete-user?isAdmin=true

Don’t hard-code permission checks

// ❌ Bad
if (user.role === 'admin') { ... }

// ✅ Good
if (await hasPermission(userId, wsId, 'manage_users')) { ... }

Don’t skip permission checks for “trusted” operations

// ❌ Bad: Always check permissions
async function internalDeleteUser(userId: string) {
  await supabase.from('users').delete().eq('id', userId);
}

Authentication - User authentication
RLS Policies - Database-level security
Supabase Client - Client usage patterns

​Permission Architecture

​Permission System

​Available Permissions

​Infrastructure

​Workspace

​Users

​Finance

​Calendar

​Content

​Inventory

​Permission Groups

​Database Schema

​workspace_role_permissions

​workspace_members

​Checking Permissions

​Server-Side Permission Check

​Usage in Server Actions

​Usage in API Routes

​Check Multiple Permissions

​Permission Utilities

​Get User Permissions

​Get User Role

​Assigning Permissions

​Create Role with Permissions

​Assign Role to User

​Client-Side Permission Checks

​usePermissions Hook

​Usage

​Conditional Rendering

​Common Permission Patterns

​Admin Check

​Owner Check

​Member Check

​Permission Middleware

​Best Practices

​✅ DO

​❌ DON’T

​Related Documentation

​External Resources