Sharing — Scope Rules (Full Deck vs Sub-deck)

Why Are There Scope Rules?

Without rules, a user could share both a full deck and each of its sub-decks independently, creating overlapping, redundant links that are confusing to manage and revoke. The platform enforces three simple rules to prevent this.

Rule 1 — System Decks Are Never Shareable

Some decks are created and managed by the platform itself (e.g. the Uncategorised deck that holds cards not yet sorted into a sub-deck, or the default General sub-deck). These are marked as system decks and cannot be shared. The Share button does not appear for them, and trying to access their share page redirects you back.

Rule 2 — If the Parent Deck Is Shared, Sub-decks Are Covered

When you share a top-level deck, the share token gives access to all cards in every sub-deck of that deck. There is no need (and it is not permitted) to also share the sub-decks individually.

If you open the share page of a sub-deck whose parent is already shared, you will see a 🔒 Blocked banner:

"The deck 'Parent Name' is already shared — its sub-decks are covered. Manage sharing from the parent deck."

To share a sub-deck on its own, first revoke the parent deck's share, then go to the sub-deck's share page.

Rule 3 — Sub-decks Use One Share Type at a Time

A sub-deck may be shared using one of the three share types: Public Link, Specific Users, or Groups & Spaces.

You cannot combine share types on the same sub-deck. For example, if a sub-deck already has a Public Link, the user-share and group-share forms are locked with the message:

"Not available — revoke the existing share type first."

To switch to a different type, revoke the existing share, then create a new one of the desired type.

Top-Level Decks Are Not Restricted

Only Rule 1 applies to top-level decks — they cannot be system decks. A regular top-level deck may have all three share types active simultaneously:

• A Public Link for anyone to study from
• A user share giving a specific colleague copy permissions
• A group share for a whole team

Each share type carries its own independent permission set (Study · Export · Copy).

Quick Reference