---
url: /recipes/give-a-contractor-one-branch.md
description: >-
  Let an outside person work in one folder while the rest of your lists and
  tasks stay hidden.
---

# Give a contractor one branch

This recipe is for a lead who brings in a freelancer or an agency for one project and wants
them to work in that project's [folder](/concepts/hierarchy) without seeing the tasks in the
rest of the [workspace](/concepts/hule-model). Hule has no guest links: the contractor joins your
workspace as a member, and [sharing](/concepts/sharing) decides which lists and tasks they see.

You need the contractor's email address and a folder for their project.

## Contractor's view: one folder, the rest hidden

```text
Acme (workspace)
├── Product           ← the contractor doesn't see it
├── Marketing         ← the contractor doesn't see it
└── Website redesign  ← shared with the contractor: Edit
    ├── Design (list)
    ├── Build (list)
    └── Budget (list) ← private: the contractor doesn't see it
```

In **Website redesign** the contractor can:

* create and edit tasks;
* comment;
* [log time](/guides/track-time).

No task outside the folder reaches them.

::: info What every member sees anyway
Like every member, they also see:

* the [member list](/guides/invite-members-and-grant-permissions);
* the workspace's [automations](/concepts/automations), [tags](/guides/tag-tasks) and
  [status templates](/concepts/statuses);
* the [views](/concepts/views) at the top of the workspace, which show them only tasks from lists
  shared with them.
  :::

## Setup: move views off the top

::: info Views at the top are open to every member
Any member, the contractor included, can open a view that sits outside every folder and see its
name and filters. Moving the view under a folder hides it from them.
:::

1. Click **Sort sidebar** at the top of the sidebar and choose **Manual order**
   ([Reorder and move](/guides/organize-folders-and-lists#reorder-and-move)).
   You can now drag rows.

2. Drag each view at the top of the workspace that the contractor shouldn't see onto a folder
   the contractor won't get, such as **Product**. The view appears under the folder.

   ::: warning Moving a view needs two permissions
   You need an **Edit** share on the view and **Update** in the **Views** block of your
   [permission set](/reference/permissions-and-access). The workspace owner always has both. Ask
   someone who has them to move it.
   :::

3. If your team uses a moved view, share it with them again (**…** → **Share…**).
   A moved view keeps its own shares: only its creator, people it is shared with directly, the
   owner and holders of [**See all**](/reference/permissions-and-access) see it. The folder's
   members don't get it.

## Setup: invite the contractor

1. Open **Workspace settings** → **Members** and click **Invite people**
   ([Invite a member](/guides/invite-members-and-grant-permissions#invite-a-member)).
   The invite form opens.

   ::: warning You need **Manage members**
   Inviting needs **Manage members** in your [permission set](/reference/permissions-and-access).
   The workspace owner and the **Admin** set have it.
   :::

2. Enter the contractor's **Email** and **Name**, then click **Send invite**.
   They appear under **Invited**. Once they accept, they hold the
   [**Worker** permission set](/reference/permissions-and-access). They can work on tasks but
   can't:

   * create folders;
   * share;
   * change workspace settings.

   ::: warning Link expired?
   Invitation links last 7 days. Send a new invitation from **Members**.
   :::

3. Wait for them to accept, from the invitation email or from their
   [**Inbox**](/guides/set-up-notifications#inbox-where-notifications-wait) if they already
   have a Hule account.
   They move from **Invited** to **Members**.

## Setup: share the folder

1. If the folder holds a list the contractor shouldn't see, such as **Budget**, make it private
   first: click **…** next to **Budget** in the sidebar, choose **Share…** and turn
   **Inherit access** off ([Private branches](/guides/share-a-folder-or-list#private-branches)).
   The list shows a lock in the sidebar. The folder's share won't reach it, so the contractor
   never holds access to it.

   ::: warning You need **Share** on folders and lists
   Sharing the folder needs **Share** for folders. Making the list private needs **Share** and
   **Update** for lists, and **Edit** on the list. The workspace owner has all of them; see
   [Permissions and access](/reference/permissions-and-access).
   :::

2. Click **…** next to **Website redesign** in the sidebar and choose **Share…**.
   The share dialog of the folder opens.

3. Pick the contractor in **Member**, set **Access** to **Edit** and choose **Add**
   ([Share with a member](/guides/share-a-folder-or-list#share-with-a-member)).
   They appear in the list with **Edit**, and every list inside the folder except the private
   ones is now shared with them.

   ::: warning Not in the Share dialog yet?
   Only members who have accepted appear there. Check **Invited** in **Members**.
   :::

The contractor's sidebar now shows only the shared folder:

![The sidebar as the contractor sees it: their own workspace, and in Acme only the folder Website redesign with the lists Build and Design](/shots/recipes/give-a-contractor-1.light.webp){.light-only}
![The sidebar as the contractor sees it: their own workspace, and in Acme only the folder Website redesign with the lists Build and Design](/shots/recipes/give-a-contractor-1.dark.webp){.dark-only}

## Daily work with the contractor

* Assign tasks in **Website redesign** to the contractor as to anyone else
  ([Assign a task](/guides/assign-and-watch-tasks#assign-a-task)).
* To show them a task from elsewhere, [move it](/guides/create-and-edit-tasks#move-a-task) to a
  list in the project folder, such as **Build**. Sharing its list instead would open all of that
  list's other tasks to them as well.
* If they only need to follow along, not edit, set their access to **Read**
  ([Change or remove access](/guides/share-a-folder-or-list#change-or-remove-access)): they can still
  comment and [watch tasks](/guides/assign-and-watch-tasks#watch-a-task).

## Offboarding when the project ends

1. In **Workspace settings** → **Members**, click the contractor.
   Their card opens.
2. Click **Remove from workspace** and confirm with **Remove**
   ([Remove a member](/guides/invite-members-and-grant-permissions#remove-a-member)).
   They move to **Former**.

::: danger Removing takes access away at once
They lose access to everything shared with them, and those shares are deleted. Their tasks,
comments and time logs stay attributed to them.
:::

## Contractor access problems

| You see | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The contractor isn't in the Share dialog's **Member** list | They haven't accepted the invitation yet | Check **Invited** in **Members**; see [Invitation by notification or email](/guides/invite-members-and-grant-permissions#invitation-by-notification-or-email) |
| The invitation link says it has expired | Links last 7 days | Send a new invitation; see [Invite a member](/guides/invite-members-and-grant-permissions#invite-a-member) |
| The contractor sees **Acme** with no folders or lists in it | Nothing is shared with them yet | Check the folder's **Share…** dialog; see [Share with a member](/guides/share-a-folder-or-list#share-with-a-member) |
| They can open tasks but not change them | Their access is **Read** | Change it to **Edit** on the folder's direct share; see [Change or remove access](/guides/share-a-folder-or-list#change-or-remove-access) |
| Dragging a view onto a folder does nothing | The sidebar is sorted alphabetically, and dragging works only in manual order | Switch **Sort sidebar** to **Manual order**; see [Reorder and move](/guides/organize-folders-and-lists#reorder-and-move) |

## Variations: more contractors, read-only clients

| Variation | What to do | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Two contractors, two branches | Repeat the invitation and the share per person and folder. Neither sees the other's folder | [Share with a member](/guides/share-a-folder-or-list#share-with-a-member) |
| A client who only reviews | Share the folder with **Read** access: they can comment on tasks but not change them | [Change or remove access](/guides/share-a-folder-or-list#change-or-remove-access) |
| A whole team from an agency | Lay out several areas with their own people | [Split a team's work into folders](/recipes/split-a-team-into-folders) |