parabolinc Permissions
Authorization lives in two places: graphql/public/permissions.ts (preferred) and inline in resolver functions (legacy). The goal is to move all auth into permissions.ts.
How it works
permissions.ts exports a permissionMap that maps GraphQL types/fields to shield rules. composeResolvers.ts wraps each resolver with its rule as a higher-order function — avoiding the overhead of graphql-middleware.
'*'wildcard sets a default rule for all fields on a type (e.g., all Mutations default toisAuthenticated)- Specific field entries override the wildcard
- Rules can be composed with
and(),or(),not()fromgraphql-shield
Rules directory: graphql/public/rules/
| Rule | What it checks |
|---|---|
isAuthenticated |
viewer has a valid auth token |
isSuperUser |
viewer has su role |
isTeamMember |
authToken.tms includes the teamId (fast, no DB) |
isViewerTeamLead |
viewer has isLead on the team member record (DB) |
isViewerOnTeam |
viewer has an active (non-removed) team member record (DB) |
isTeamMemberOfMeeting |
viewer's authToken.tms includes the meeting's teamId (fast) |
isMeetingMember |
viewer has an actual meetingMembers record (DB, stricter) |
isViewerBillingLeader |
viewer has BILLING_LEADER or ORG_ADMIN org role |
hasOrgRole |
viewer has a specific org role (ORG_ADMIN, etc.) |
isViewerOnOrg |
viewer is a member of the org |
isOrgTier |
org is on a specific tier (enterprise, etc.) |
hasPageAccess |
viewer has viewer or owner access to a page |
hasProviderAccess |
viewer can access an OAuth provider |
isNull |
an arg is null (used for conditional or() rules) |
isEnvVarTrue |
an env var is set to true |
rateLimit |
rate limits by perMinute/perHour |
Key distinction: isTeamMemberOfMeeting (used for createReflection) only checks team membership and is more permissive. isMeetingMember checks for an actual meeting member record and is stricter. Use isMeetingMember when you need to confirm the viewer has joined the meeting.
Dot-path convention
Rules that take a dotPath accept strings like:
'args.teamId'— top-level arg'args.input.meetingId'— nested arg'args.newAgendaItem.teamId'— nested arg'source.id'— field on the parent resolver's source object'source.orgId'— field on the parent resolver's source object
Moving auth from resolver to permissions.ts
When extracting inline auth:
- Identify the auth check (usually guarded by a comment like
// AUTH) - Find the matching rule or compose existing rules with
and()/or() - Add the entry to
permissionMapinpermissions.ts(keep fields alphabetical,'*'first) - Remove the inline check from the resolver, along with any imports that are no longer used
- If no existing rule fits and the logic is reusable, ask before creating a new rule — most cases can reuse existing rules
When a new rule is needed (ask first)
- Auth that depends on an array of IDs (e.g., "team lead for any of these teamIds")
- Auth that branches on an enum arg (e.g.,
scope === 'global' | 'org' | 'team')