# Connect client organisations
URL: https://docs.autociso.io/product/partner/connect-clients/
Description: Give your firm access to a client's AutoCISO organisation, from the client's access link to the Invite Center, and how the client revokes or disconnects you.

A client organisation joins your portfolio when its owner gives your firm access. The client creates an **access link** in their own AutoCISO, sends it to you, and you open it while signed in. Nothing is shared with your firm until that happens, and the client can take access back at any time.

## Before you start

- **Client side:** the person creating the link needs to be able to manage the organisation's settings, in practice the organisation **Owner**. See [Roles and permissions](https://docs.autociso.io/getting-started/roles-and-permissions/).
- **Partner side:** you need the **Partner Owner** role. The page that accepts access links is reserved for Partner Owners. Your firm must already be registered: see [Become a partner](https://docs.autociso.io/product/partner/overview/#become-a-partner).
- **Email:** you need the exact email address you use to sign in to AutoCISO. The client must give it to the link; the link only works for that address.
- An organisation can be managed by **one partner firm at a time**.

## Step 1: The client generates an access link

Ask the client to do this in their own AutoCISO:

1. Open **user menu → Organization Settings** and choose the **Partner Access** tab.
2. Under **Generate an access link**, type the partner's sign-in email in **Bind to email (optional)**.
3. Click **Generate link**. A toast confirms "Access link created."
4. Under **Pending invites**, click the copy button next to the new entry and send the link to you.

**Warning — Enter the email, even though the field says optional**

Although the field is labelled optional, an access link must be bound to an email address. A link without one cannot be created, and a link bound to a different address will not work for you. Always enter the email your partner signs in with.

The link is valid for **7 days**. Until you accept it, the client can cancel it from the same tab; the entry shows the bound email and "Expires" date, and the client revokes it with the delete (bin) button next to it ("Invite revoked." confirms).

## Step 2: You accept the link

1. Sign in to AutoCISO with the email the link was bound to.
2. Open the link the client sent you. The portal shows "Verifying your access link…".
3. On success you see **Access granted**: "You now have partner access to "Client name". It has been added to your portfolio."
4. Click **Go to portfolio**.

The client appears under **Managed Clients** in the portal menu and in your [Portfolio](https://docs.autociso.io/product/partner/manage-portfolio/#portfolio). Accepting the link gives you the **Manager** role inside the client's organisation, so you can open it in full context. The client sees you as **Connected** on their Partner Access tab, with the date.

### If the link does not work

| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| This invite link is invalid or has already been used. | The link is wrong, incomplete or was revoked. | Ask the client for a new link. |
| This invite has already been accepted. | Someone already used it. | Check **Invite Center → Accepted**. |
| This invite link has expired. Ask the organisation owner to generate a new one. | More than 7 days have passed. | Ask for a new link. |
| This invite was sent to a different email address. | You are signed in with another address. | Sign in with the email the client entered, or ask them to generate a link for yours. |
| This organisation is already managed by another partner firm. The current partner must be disconnected first. | The client already has a partner. | The client disconnects the current partner first (see below). |

## Join Existing from the menu

Under **Managed Clients** in the portal menu, Partner Owners also have a **Join Existing** button. It opens a short checklist ("What to ask your client to do") that repeats Step 1 for you to send to the client. It does not accept anything by itself.

**Note — The button only shows once you have a client**

**Managed Clients**, and the **Join Existing** button inside it, appear after your first client is connected. For your first client, send the client the steps above directly.

## Invite Center

**Invite Center** (open the menu at the top of the portal sidebar, then **Invite Center**; Partner Owners only) lists every access link addressed to your email, in three tabs: **Pending**, **Accepted** and **Expired**. Columns: **Organization**, **Invited Email**, **Expires** and **Status**. Your **Dashboard** also shows a **Pending Invites** card with a shortcut to it.

- **Accepted** is your record of which clients you connected and when.
- **Expired** shows "Contact the org admin to re-issue this invitation". Links cannot be extended; the client generates a new one.
- Use the link the client sent you to accept. The **Accept** button on the **Pending** tab depends on a token that is not kept after the link is created, so it may fail with "Could not accept invite".

See the [Invite Center reference](https://docs.autociso.io/console/partner/invite-center/).

## Disconnect a partner

A client can end the arrangement from **user menu → Organization Settings → Partner Access**. Under **Active invites** the connected partner is shown with a **Connected** tag; click **Disconnect** and confirm **Disconnect partner?**.

Disconnecting removes your access to the client's organisation **and deletes everything the portal generated for it**: summaries, action items, AI recommendations and reports. The client's own data is not affected, and the client can invite you again later ("Partner disconnected from …" confirms).

You can also remove a client yourself: on **Portfolio**, open **More actions** on the client's card, choose **Remove from portfolio** and type the client's name to confirm. The same cached data is deleted; the organisation itself is untouched and can be added again.

## Next steps

- [Work across your clients](https://docs.autociso.io/product/partner/manage-portfolio/)
- [Board Packs and advisory templates](https://docs.autociso.io/product/partner/deliverables/)