Join requests come from two places. Community join requests are applications to join your whole community when registration is set to Approval required. Space join requests are requests to join a private space that asks for approval. This article covers how to review both, and what the people asking see.
Who can do this: Community join requests: owners and admins, plus custom roles with the Invite members permission. Space join requests: that space's admins and moderators. · Where: Community requests: web only. Space requests: web and the iOS and Android app. · Plan: Available on every platform plan.
Review community join requests (member applications)
Community join requests appear when your registration mode is Approval required. See Choose who can join.
- Go to Admin → Members → Join Requests. You can also open the community's Members page, click the gear (Members settings), and choose the Join requests tab.
- Filter by Pending, Approved, or Rejected, or search by email.
- Click a request to open Application details. It shows the email, Source (for example Email signup or Google), Submitted, and the Questionnaire answers if you use screening questions.
- Click Approve or Reject. To reject, enter a Reason and click Reject application.
To handle many at once, select the rows and click Approve or Reject in the bar that appears (for example Approve 5).
When you approve someone, they can sign in and are notified by email. When you reject someone, they're notified and their account is removed. They can apply again with the same email.
If the page says Approval mode is off, new sign-ups are active right away and no new applications arrive. Requests already in the list stay there, but you can't process them until you switch registration back to Approval required.
What applicants see while they wait
On the web sign-up page, applicants see a note that community admins review each application. They fill in the form, answer any screening questions, and click Submit application. They then see Application submitted and can't sign in until you approve them.
In the Mateflow app, applicants tap Request access, create their account, and see Request submitted with a note that they'll be emailed once approved.
Review requests to join a private space
A space collects join requests when its join policy asks members to request access. See Set a space's privacy and join policy.
On the web:
- Open the space and click Manage (the gear icon), or hover the space in the sidebar, click ⋯, and choose Manage space.
- Open Join Requests. A badge shows how many are pending, and Pending join requests also appears on the space's Overview.
- Filter by Pending, Approved, Rejected, or All.
- Click Approve or Reject on a request. You can add a Message to applicant (optional).
- To handle several, select them and click Bulk Approve or Bulk Reject.
In the app: open the space, tap ⋯, then Manage space → Join requests. Switch between Pending, Approved, and Rejected, and tap Approve or Reject.
What members see when they request to join a space
On the web, a member opens the private space and clicks to join. The dialog offers Request to Join. They pick a reason under Why do you want to join?, add a Message (some spaces require one), and click Submit Request. The space then shows Request Pending.
In the app, they tap Request to join, then Send request, and the button changes to Requested.
Members get a notification when their request is approved or declined. After a decline, they can apply to that space again in seven days.
Troubleshooting join requests
Symptom: A moderator can't find Join Requests in the admin console. Why it happens: Community join requests need the Invite members permission, which moderators don't have. Fix: Ask an owner or admin to review them, or use a custom role that includes Invite members. See Team roles and permissions.
Symptom: A space's manage menu has no Join Requests tab. Why it happens: The tab only appears when the space's join policy uses requests, or when it has older requests to clear. Archived spaces hide it. Fix: Check the space's join policy, or restore the space first.
Related articles
Was this guide helpful?