> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.cogram.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.cogram.com/guides/external-collaborators.md). # External collaborators Someone outside your organization invited you into Cogram. This page is for you. There are two kinds of invitation: * **A shared project** — a firm invited you to collaborate inside one of their projects (its chat, meetings, and documents). See [Working in a shared project](#working-in-a-shared-project). * **A shared asset** — a firm sent you a single meeting, transmittal, RFI, or submittal. The rest of this page covers this flow. ## What just happened A collaborator at another firm used Cogram to send you something. To preserve your control over your own data, Cogram created a **new, separate account for your email address** rather than dropping you into their organization. Your account is yours; their account is theirs; the share lets you receive their asset into yours. ## What you'll see when you sign in Your account starts in **invitee** mode, which has a focused, read-receive-respond experience: * **Inbox**: the share that was sent to you, plus any future shares to the same email address. * **Directory**: your address book of Contacts and Companies. Empty by default; add people as you collaborate. * **Account Settings**: name, password, two-factor authentication, notifications. The full Cogram experience (Field Reports, Email Management, Workflows, Templates, organization-wide settings) is **not** part of invitee mode. Invitee mode is a scoped surface: you can review and accept incoming shares without taking on the full setup of an AEC project record. ## Accepting your first share 1. Sign in via the link in the notification email or at [app.cogram.com](https://app.cogram.com/auth/login). 2. Open [Contract Admin > Inbox](https://app.cogram.com/dashboard/correspondence/inbox). The pending share is at the top. 3. Click the share to open it. 4. Pick the project to accept the share into. (If your account has no project yet, create one first from the Projects page, then accept.) 5. Click **Accept**. A copy of the asset's key details is created in your project. From then on it's yours: edit, comment, file follow-up emails, generate reports. Attachments and source documents are not copied yet; ask the sender to transmit files directly if you need them. ## Previewing without signing up If the sender enabled the **preview link**, the notification email contains a link you can open without signing up. The preview is read-only. You can read the asset's details, but accepting, declining, or commenting requires signing in. ## Signing up 1. Click **Sign up** on the preview page or follow the link in the notification email. 2. Your email is pre-filled. Pick a password. 3. Confirm. Your invitee account is ready, with the pending share waiting in your Inbox. There is no payment, trial setup, or team-invite step in invitee onboarding. ## Growing into a full account Invitee mode is suitable indefinitely if you only ever receive shares. If you want to use Cogram for your own project record-keeping (running your own meetings, sending your own transmittals, managing your own field reports), your account can be upgraded to a full Cogram organization. This upgrade is **operator-driven**: contact [hi@cogram.com](mailto:hi@cogram.com?subject=Upgrade%20invitee%20account) and the Cogram team will provision your subscription, run any setup, and enable the full UI on your existing organization. Your data, users, and accepted shares stay where they are. ## What "good" looks like * You can sign in within a minute of receiving the invitation email. * The pending share is the first thing you see. * After Accept, the new asset opens in your project. ## Troubleshooting **Symptom**: I clicked the email link and was asked to sign up, but the email is already mine. **Likely cause**: Your email isn't in Cogram yet, even if you have other accounts elsewhere. **Fix**: Sign up; it's a short flow. After sign-up the share is automatically waiting in your Inbox. **Symptom**: I can see the preview but the **Accept** button is disabled. **Likely cause**: You're not signed in. **Fix**: Click **Sign in** in the top right and sign in (or sign up) with the email the share was sent to. **Symptom**: I want to invite my own teammates. **Likely cause**: Invitee accounts don't include teammate management. **Fix**: Email [hi@cogram.com](mailto:hi@cogram.com?subject=Upgrade%20invitee%20account) to upgrade to a full account. Once upgraded, you can add teammates from organization settings. **Symptom**: I lost the email and can't find the share. **Likely cause**: The preview link expired, but the share itself is still valid. **Fix**: Sign in at [app.cogram.com](https://app.cogram.com/auth/login) and check [Inbox](https://app.cogram.com/dashboard/correspondence/inbox). ## Working in a shared project A firm can invite you into a whole project rather than a single asset. The invitation email says who invited you and links you into Cogram; signing in with the invited email address sets up your account if you do not have one. 1. Sign in via the link in the invitation email. 2. On the Projects page, a banner shows the pending invitation. Review it and choose **Accept** or **Decline**. 3. On accept, the shared project appears in your project list. Two things to know before you accept: * **The project lives in the host firm's workspace.** Everything you post, upload, or edit in it belongs to the project's record in their organization. Your own projects and data stay separate and private. * **Your role is set by the host.** As a Member you post in the project chat, upload files, and take part in the day-to-day; as a Viewer you read. The host's project owners and admins keep control of settings, channels, and membership — see [Project Chat](/guides/project-chat.md). Colleagues joining later: if the host invites more people from your firm onto the same project, there is nothing for them to accept — your firm already agreed — and they are added directly. The host can end the share at any time, and the project then leaves your list. Anything in your own projects is unaffected. ## Privacy Your account, your projects, and your data are entirely separate from the sender's organization. The sender sees that you accepted or declined; they do not see anything you do inside your own projects after accept. For full privacy details see [Privacy and Confidentiality](/guides/privacy-and-confidentiality.md). --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. 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