Knowledge Base / platform-basics / roles-permissions
Roles on Reel: Member vs Captain vs Operator
Last reviewed: 2026-01-15
Roles on Reel: Member vs Captain vs Operator
Summary
Reel has different roles with different permissions. This article explains what each role can do and why some actions may be unavailable in your account.
What this means
- Members book trips and communicate with captains about their booking.
- Captains publish trips and manage bookings for their own trips.
- Operators (businesses) manage multiple captains and listings under a business.
States & eligibility (why things look different)
Some actions depend on role and account state:
- Not seeing a captain dashboard: you’re signed in as a Member (or your Captain account isn’t created/approved yet).
- Can’t publish a trip: the listing or vessel may be in Draft, Pending review, or Blocked due to missing/expired/under-review compliance.
- Can’t assign bookings to captains: you need an Operator business with the right permissions.
Steps
- Confirm which account you’re signed into (Member vs Captain vs Operator).
- If you need a different role, use the appropriate onboarding flow:
- Member → create a Member account
- Captain → complete captain onboarding + required documents
- Operator → create a business account + add captains + assign permissions
Fix it fast
- Signed into the wrong account: sign out and sign back in using the email tied to the correct role.
- Role exists but features are missing: check whether your account, listing, or documents are Pending review or Blocked.