Give clients a signed-in place for project overview, review, media, and related tabs. This is separate from one-off guest share links.
Where (agency)
- CRM → open the company → portal section (General, External links, Portal access, Talent options). Under Portal access: Users (invites and View all / View own), Projects & folders (who can see which job or company media folder), and Access requests (client asks for locked projects/folders from Extended search).
- Project → Client portal: what this client sees on this job. Roles that can edit project settings (producer, PM, admin, …) get invites and portal config. Editors (and other roles without project settings) still see the tab with Preview portal only — no invite or settings. Preview portal is also below the header divider (right), so you can open it from Deliverables without switching tabs.
- Media → open the client: Preview portal (everyone) and Portal access button (invite panel — same roles as project settings). On a media project page, Preview portal is also in the header.
- Preview portal when you want to see the client experience early
Do not invite a portal user with the same email as an agency team member. Those logins collide (or you get a “choose where to continue” dual-login mess).
Invite a client
- Make sure the person exists as a contact on the company, with the email they actually use. The same person may have several emails on that company — invite each address that should log in.
- Open the company → Portal access (or the invite control on that portal section). You can also invite from Media → open the client → Portal access (button opens the same panel), or from Project → Client portal.
- Choose Invite to portal.
- Confirm Send portal invitation? → Send invitation. The mail goes to that address and states This invitation is for {email}.
- Optionally set whether they can View all projects for that company or only View own.
- View all: every project (locked checkmarks), and all company media folders. - View own: projects where they are the Contact on the project are included automatically (locked). Tick extra projects or company media folders on the Projects matrix when they should also see those.
Statuses you will see include Not invited, Sent, Active, and Revoked. Use Resend invite if they lost the mail or never activated. Use Revoke access when they should no longer get in.
The email subject looks like Invitation to {company} client portal. The button is Activate account.
What the client does
- Open the activate link from the invitation email → Activate your account.
- Set New password → Save password.
- After that, always sign in at clippter.com/portal (bookmark this — never look for the old invitation button again). Reopening the invite after setup sends them to sign-in, not to set a password again. If the browser already has a Clippter session, they confirm Continue as {email} or Use a different email.
- Land on the company home (one portal) or choose a company (several portals).
/portal is client-only. Agency Preview portal starts from Project → Client portal → Preview portal, CRM → a specific company URL, or Media → Client portals.
If portal MFA is on for that company (see below), they set up an authenticator on first challenge.
Configure what they see
Company areas can include Overview, Media Library, Finances, and custom tabs. Project areas can include Dashboard, Review, Project library (approved finals for that job), Talent (optional), Planning, and custom tabs. Turn on only what that client should see. Project Documents on the dashboard come from Project files on the agency Overview when Share with client is on.
On the company Media Library tab, clients land on Folders first (company archive folders). All assets shows the flat list of approved project finals plus folder files. Inside a project, Project library is the approved media for that job only — not the company-wide Media Library. Calendar-year folders open by default when present; otherwise the newest year folder with content. Search only matches folders and files they can open. Extended search can surface locked project or folder names (name only — no play or download); Request access sends a pending item to the agency under Portal access → Access requests. The same Request access screen appears when a colleague opens a forwarded project or review link while they have company portal login but not that project yet. Grant the project or folder on Projects & folders, then mark the request granted (or dismiss it).
Talent visibility also follows Talent sharing.
Preview vs what the client actually sees
Agency Preview portal can show content earlier while you produce. For real clients, only Internal review stays hidden — every other work state is visible in the portal. Use Copy client project link (whole project portal) or Copy video review link / Send to client (one cut). Clippter does not email it yet — the dialog shows the URL with Copy link, plus a short read-only list of who can open it (Can open this link = Active; Invited, not active yet = invite sent). Roles that can manage portal settings also get a Portal access link into this project’s Client portal → Portal access → Projects & folders. The recipient needs an Active portal invite for the company. If they can sign in but lack that project, they see Request access. If they open the link with no portal account yet, portal login also shows Request access (name + email); that lands under Portal access → Access requests so you can invite them and grant the project. Guest /share/... links remain the path when you do not want a portal account at all. Format labels for clients keep the main deliverable name with Resize and aspect badges (for example 4:5) on the company home waiting list and in review — so clients are not left with bare “Resize (1)” rows. Shorts / snippets / teasers / extras are separate deliverables with their own review: Formats only lists that cut’s chips (resize / translation / subs). They do not appear under Main’s Formats list — use More to review to move between Main and those deliverables. (A line titled “Hooks” that is typed as Snippet is still a snippet.)
If a client says “I see nothing”, use the dedicated checklist: Client says they see nothing.
Portal MFA (clients)
On the company portal General section, owners can turn on Require MFA for portal users. That is not the same as agency Settings → Security → Require MFA for workspace members. Full agency MFA guide: Security and MFA.
Guest share vs portal
Things that trip people up
- Team member email used as portal user.
- Leaving a cut on Internal review and expecting the client to see it in the portal.
- Mixing guest
/share/...with the signed-in portal. - Opening Client portal while signed into an agency account that has no invite — you stay on portal login (no access), not the agency app. Use the invited client email, or agency Preview portal from the project tab / CRM / Media.
- Configuring only the project tab and forgetting the company Portal access invite.
- Invite Sent forever: resend, or check spam / wrong email on the contact.