Skip to content
Docs

Troubleshooting Permission Issues

BuddyPress Member Blog overviewFree + ProGet BuddyPress Member Blog →

Use this page when a member cannot write, publish, edit or see something they expect to. Settings live under WB Plugins > Member Blog.

Quick checklist

Section titled “Quick checklist”
  1. Is the member logged in?
  2. Is their role ticked under Access > Allowed User Roles, or (BuddyPress and BuddyBoss) their member type under Allowed Member Types?
  3. Is review on? With Publish immediately off, their posts go to Pending, which is not an error.
  4. Pro: have they reached a posting limit, or run out of credits?

A member cannot write at all

Section titled “A member cannot write at all”

What they see. Their blog home shows only Saved and Following, and there is no Create Post button. The submission page tells them “You are not allowed to create posts.”

Cause. Neither their role nor their member type is allowed.

Fix.

  1. Go to Access.
  2. Under Allowed User Roles, tick the member’s role. Find their role under Users > All Users in the Role column.
  3. On BuddyPress or BuddyBoss, you can instead tick their type under Allowed Member Types. A member can write with an allowed role or an allowed member type; leaving every type unticked skips the member-type check.
  4. Click Save Settings.

Administrators can always write. If the Access tab warns that no roles are allowed, only administrators can post.

Posts go to Pending instead of publishing

Section titled “Posts go to Pending instead of publishing”

This is the review setting, not a permission problem. When Access > Publish immediately is off, every member post waits in Posts > Member submissions. Only administrators and users who can edit others’ posts (editors) publish directly. A member’s WordPress role, even Author, does not bypass review.

To let members publish directly, turn on Publish immediately. See Moderation.

A member hit a posting limit (Pro)

Section titled “A member hit a posting limit (Pro)”

What they see. A banner above the form, such as “You have reached your daily post limit.” with the reset time, for example “Resets at midnight (site time).” The composer stays open: they can write and save drafts, and update posts that are already live. Only publishing a new post is blocked.

Fix. Choose one:

  • Raise the role’s limit under Restrictions.
  • Add the member to Exempt Users on the Restrictions tab. Exempt users bypass post limits and word count requirements.
  • Set a personal limit on their user profile under Blog Posting Limits (Override). Leave a field empty to use the member type or role limit for that period.

Limits count calendar periods, so a daily limit resets at midnight site time and a weekly limit on Monday. Administrators are always exempt. See Restrictions.

A member has no credits (Pro)

Section titled “A member has no credits (Pro)”

What they see. A message such as “You have no post credits remaining.” with a Get more credits link when you have set up a place to buy credits.

Fix. Add credits to the member under Post Credits, or untick Block at Zero Balance. A member whose role cannot write is told that, not offered credits. Administrators and editors are never charged. See Post Credits.

A member cannot edit a post

Section titled “A member cannot edit a post”
  • Members can edit and delete their own posts in any status: draft, pending, scheduled, private or published.
  • Updating a published post keeps it live, even when review is on and even when the member is at a posting limit.
  • Members cannot edit other members’ posts. Administrators and editors can.
  • With Pro: co-authors can edit a post they accepted an invitation for, and group admins can manage posts in their group blog.

If a member sees no Edit link on their own post, check they are logged in as the author and clear the page cache.

A reviewer cannot approve posts

Section titled “A reviewer cannot approve posts”

Approving and rejecting needs the WordPress capability to edit others’ posts, which administrators and editors have. Authors, contributors and subscribers cannot review. With Pro’s Co-Authors module you can also pick Reviewer Roles under Editorial Workflow: those roles get the Member submissions queue and the front-end review buttons, but never for their own posts. A role that cannot open the wp-admin Posts screen (such as Subscriber) reviews from the front-end editor only. See Co-Authors.

The Blog tab is missing on a profile

Section titled “The Blog tab is missing on a profile”
  • BuddyPress and BuddyBoss. The tab shows on every profile for every visitor. If it is missing, clear caches, re-save Settings > Permalinks, and check no code returns false from the bp_member_blog_nav_visible filter.
  • PeepSo. The tab is hidden on another member’s profile until that member publishes a post.
  • Only Published shows on my own profile. The member’s role cannot write, or they are looking at someone else’s profile.

Admins can do it, members cannot

Section titled “Admins can do it, members cannot”

Administrators bypass every check. Always test as a real member:

  1. Create a test user with the same role as the member.
  2. Log in as that user in a private browser window.
  3. If the test user works, the problem is specific to that member’s account (for example a different member type or a personal limit). If the test user fails too, the problem is in the settings.
Section titled “Related”