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The Tightknit companion site supports two access modes: Public Access and Restricted Access. When you enable restricted access, visitors must sign in to view your site content.

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Access Control Options

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Public Access

  • All pages are publicly accessible to anyone on the internet
  • No login required
  • Content is discoverable by search engines
  • Perfect for public communities and open knowledge sharing

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Restricted Access

  • All pages require authentication
  • Only members of your Slack workspace can access the site
  • Content is private and not indexed by search engines
  • Ideal for internal teams and private communities

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Enabling Authentication

To enable restricted access for your companion site:
  1. Go to the Tightknit app home in Slack
  2. Navigate to the Companion Forums Site module
  3. Click General to open the site settings
  4. Under Site Access Control, select 🔒 Restricted Access - login required
  5. Save your changes
Site Access Control Modal

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Supported Login Methods

When authentication is enabled, visitors can sign in using:
  • Google Account - Sign in with any Google account
  • Slack Account - Sign in with a Slack account that’s a member of your workspace
Both login methods are secure and use industry-standard OAuth 2.0 authentication.

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Limitations

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Google Groups and Aliases

Google Sign-in does not support email aliases, Google Groups, or other distribution list emails. OAuth authentication requires individual user accounts, not shared or group email addresses.
If a user attempts to sign in with a Google Group email (e.g., [email protected]) or a distribution list, the authentication will fail. Users must sign in with their personal Google account.
Examples of unsupported email types:

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Session Management

Once signed in, users remain authenticated for 7 days. After this period, they’ll need to sign in again to access restricted content. Sessions are automatically refreshed when users are active on the site. If a user accesses the site within 24 hours of their last activity, their session is extended for another 7 days. This means active users won’t be logged out unexpectedly during normal use.

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Security Features

  • Secure Cookies - All authentication cookies are encrypted and secure
  • HTTPS Only - Authentication only works over secure connections
  • Session Timeout - Automatic logout after 7 days of inactivity
  • OAuth 2.0 - Industry-standard authentication protocol
  • Token Encryption - OAuth access tokens and refresh tokens are encrypted at rest in the database to protect against unauthorized access if the database is compromised

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Troubleshooting

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Users Can’t Sign In

  • Ensure the user using a supported browser
  • Check that they have a valid Google or Slack account
  • Verify the user a member of your Slack workspace (for Slack login)

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Session Issues

  • Clear browser cookies and try again
  • Check that the site is using HTTPS
  • Ensure cookies are enabled in the browser

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Access Denied

  • Confirm the user is a member of your Slack workspace
  • Check that the site access control is set to “Restricted Access”
  • Verify the user completed the full OAuth flow