---
title: Client portal
description: Give clients one place to review projects, bookings, documents, and studio messages.
section: Client experience
order: 1
---

# Client portal

The client portal gives a client one signed-in place to review their work with a studio. It brings together project and booking details, open documents, completed documents, and the related conversation.

## What appears in the portal

A client sees only the studios, projects, and bookings connected to their portal access. For the selected project or booking, the portal can show:

- Date, time, and location.
- Contracts.
- Invoices.
- Questionnaires.
- Studio messages and client replies.

Draft or internal records do not appear as open client documents. A document needs a client-visible status and public link before the client can act on it.

## Sign in and choose the right work

After signing in, the client can:

1. Choose a **Studio** if they have portal access with more than one business.
2. Choose a **Portal** item to switch between their projects and bookings.
3. Use **Overview**, **Messages**, or **Documents** for the selected item.

The sidebar shows the selected item's date, time, location, and count of open documents. On a smaller screen, the sidebar is available from the menu button.

## Overview

The overview highlights the next useful actions:

- A summary of the selected project or booking.
- The most recent studio conversation activity.
- The first open document that needs attention.

An open document may offer **View**, **Pay**, **Sign**, or **Answer**, depending on whether it is an invoice, contract, or questionnaire and what state it is in.

If the overview says more activity may be available, use **Load older activity** before assuming the project has no earlier documents or messages.

## Messages

The **Messages** tab keeps the studio conversation attached to the selected project or booking. Clients can:

- Read the loaded message history.
- Search by sender, subject, date, or text.
- Write and send a reply to the studio.

A reply is sent in the context of the selected conversation. If there is no conversation yet, the portal explains that studio messages will appear after the studio starts one.

## Documents

The **Documents** tab groups client-visible items into:

- **Open** - needs a signature, payment, or response.
- **Completed** - signed, paid, or submitted.
- **No longer active** - kept for reference but no longer valid.

Invoices can show an amount and date. Each document shows the action currently available from its public page.

Opening a document launches its public page in a new tab. After the client pays, signs, or submits, the portal status updates from the same underlying record.

## What the studio controls

The portal reflects the work already managed elsewhere in LYGHTBOX:

- Project and booking details come from the selected record.
- Contracts appear after they are published or sent to the client.
- Invoices appear after they are published or sent.
- Questionnaires appear after a questionnaire request is sent.
- Messages come from the related project or booking conversation.

If something is missing, update or send it from its normal project, event, contract, invoice, or questionnaire surface. The portal is the client's view of those records, not a separate place to create them.

## Help a client recover

If a client cannot find an item:

1. Confirm they selected the correct studio.
2. Confirm they selected the correct project or booking.
3. Check whether more activity can be loaded.
4. Confirm the document is published or sent and still active.
5. Confirm the document belongs to that project or booking and has a public link.
6. If sign-in fails, have the client return to the portal login page and request a fresh sign-in code.

## Related guides

- Manage client context in [projects](/docs/projects).
- Publish [contracts](/docs/contracts) and [invoices](/docs/invoices).
- Send planning questions with [forms and questionnaires](/docs/forms).
- Keep studio replies connected with [email and templates](/docs/email).