In Productive, permission sets define what each team member can see and do — from managing projects and tracking time to accessing financials or client data.

This article breaks down the default system permission sets into clear tables, helping you understand what each user can access.

Use these examples to compare permissions side by side and decide which permission set best fits each team member’s responsibilities.

Need help assigning permission sets? Get the full guide here: Assigning and Understanding User Permission Sets.

Productive’s default permissions can be organized into the following categories:

Each category provides a structured way to manage access, helping teams collaborate effectively while maintaining control over sensitive data.

📌 AI agents run on their own permissions, assigned on the agent's Permissions tab. A new agent starts with a copy of its creator's permissions, and the permissions available to it are limited to those its manager holds.

In addition to the default permission sets covered above, you can also create custom sets tailored to your team’s specific needs.

👉 Learn how to build custom permission sets here.

To check and compare exactly what permissions are included in each system set, head to Settings > Permission sets.

Click Compare to open a comparison window.

Select sets at the top to add them as columns and see exactly which permissions each one includes.