Permissions and Access

Windmill uses role-based access control to ensure members see the right information. This guide covers access levels, delegation, and how permissions work throughout the platform.

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Access levels

Windmill has five access levels: Admin, HR Admin, Integration Manager, Data Analyst, and Member (sometimes called Team Member). Admins have the broadest workspace access. HR Admins focus on people operations. Integration Manager and Data Analyst are specialized roles for managing integrations and viewing company-wide analytics, respectively. Members are regular platform users, including individual contributors and people managers. Managers are determined by the org chart, not by a separate access level. When you invite members to Windmill, you choose between these access levels:

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Admin

Admins manage workspace configuration and have the broadest company-settings access, including:

• Managing org charts
• Managing members and access levels
• Managing billing
• Managing integrations
• Setting up groups and departments
• Running performance review cycles
• Creating and managing company-wide 1:1 templates

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HR Admin

HR Admins can manage people operations settings. This role includes all standard Member permissions, plus:

• Running and managing performance review cycles
• Managing org charts
• Managing members and access levels
• Managing billing
• Managing integrations
• Creating and managing company-wide 1:1 templates

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Integration Manager

Integration Managers handle technical and account administration without full Admin access. This role includes all standard Member permissions, plus:

• Connecting and configuring company integrations
• Managing members and access levels
• Managing billing
• Managing security settings (SSO)

Integration Managers cannot run performance review cycles, manage the org chart, or access company-wide people data. This role is a good fit for IT or operations teams who manage your tech stack but don’t need people operations access.

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Data Analyst

Data Analysts can view analytics across the entire company. This role includes all standard Member permissions, plus:

• Viewing analytics for all employees, not just their direct reports

Data Analysts cannot manage members, billing, integrations, settings, or run performance review cycles. This role is a good fit for people analytics or data teams who need company-wide reporting visibility without administrative access.

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Member

Members, also referred to as Team Members, have standard access. They can view their own information and anyone who reports to them. This is the typical role for people managers and individual contributors. Members can:

• View their own data and feedback
• View their direct reports’ data (if they manage anyone)
• Access 1:1 agendas and notes
• Respond to Windy in Slack
• Create and manage pulses

If a member doesn’t manage anyone, they only have access to their own information.

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Changing access levels

If you need to change a user’s permissions:

1. Go to Settings > Org Chart
2. Click on the user’s name
3. Update their access level
4. Click Save

Admins, HR Admins, and Integration Managers can change user access levels.

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Org chart-based visibility

Beyond access levels, Windmill uses your org chart to determine what each person can see.

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Managers can view

• Their own profile and data
• All direct reports’ profiles and data
• Indirect reports (their team’s direct reports)
• 1:1 agendas with their reports

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Individual contributors can view

• Their own profile and data
• Public information about other team members (name, title, department)
• Feedback they’ve given or received
• Their own 1:1 notes

This access model ensures managers have visibility into their team while respecting privacy for individual contributors.

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User delegation

User delegation lets you grant another person manager-like visibility into someone’s Windmill scope, similar to a dotted-line manager relationship. This is useful for assistants, interim managers, or HR team members who need visibility without changing the org chart.

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How it works

When you delegate access, the delegated user can see most of the Windmill information they could see if they were that employee’s manager. This includes:

• Their team’s data and feedback
• Recaps and reports

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Important limitations

Delegation does NOT grant access to 1:1 notes or agendas. 1:1 content stays private to the two participants in the meeting, even for a delegated user. Delegation does NOT alter privacy settings for Google meetings or Google Docs. If the delegated user doesn’t have access to a Google Doc or meeting in Google Workspace, they won’t have access in Windmill either. Windmill respects the source system’s permissions—delegation only applies to Windmill-specific data. Delegation affects visibility, not admin or configuration permissions. It does not impersonate the original employee or let the delegated user act on their behalf. It does not grant extra permissions to edit Pulses, change settings, manage integrations, or perform other administrative actions unless the delegated user’s own Windmill role already allows those actions.

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Setting up delegation

Admins and HR Admins can set up delegation:

1. Go to Settings > Access Delegation
2. Click on the employee whose access you want to delegate
3. Add the delegated user
4. Click Delegate Access

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Removing delegation

To remove delegated access:

1. Go to Settings > Access Delegation
2. Delete the delegated access

Access is removed within an hour of saving changes.

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Permission mirroring from connected systems

Windmill mirrors permissions from your connected systems to ensure you only see information you already have access to. How it works:

• If you can’t access a Google Doc in Google Drive, you can’t see it in Windmill
• If you weren’t invited to a meeting, you can’t see the transcript in Windmill
• If you don’t have access to a Slack channel, you can’t see messages from that channel in Windmill

This applies across all integrations. Windmill never grants access to information you don’t already have permission to view in the source system.

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FAQs