Feature Flag Guide

This guide explains how Hapax feature flags work, including:

Account-level vs. user-level flags
Which settings become the defaults for a new tenant
How precedence works (what “wins” if settings conflict)
A recommended starter profile and a catalog of current flags

Quick mental model: flags are safety rails first and features second. If something is disabled at the tenant level, a user cannot re-enable it for themselves.

1) Scopes and precedence

Scopes:

Account-level (tenant) flags

Apply to everyone in the tenant by default.

User-level flags

Apply to one specific user only.

Flag type:

All flags are boolean: ON or OFF.

Precedence (what wins):

Hapax uses a “most restrictive wins” approach.

If the tenant flag is OFF, the feature is OFF for everyone (even if a user is ON).
If the tenant flag is ON, a user can still be set to OFF for themselves (more restrictive).

Rule of thumb: Tenant OFF overrides User ON.

2) Defaults for new tenants

Where defaults are set:

Go to Feature Flags settings in Hapax.

What “defaults” means:

When a new tenant is created, Hapax applies a baseline set of user-level defaults that new users inherit (admins can adjust later).

Admin best practice:

Set conservative controls at the tenant level
Grant broader access at the user level only when appropriate (pilot groups, advanced users, admins, etc.)

3) Recommended starter defaults

Use this as a sensible baseline and tune to your risk posture.

Core editing and document handling:

document
edit-document
document-attachment
rename-version
duplicate-version
restore-version
version-actions
version-changed-parts
past-version
download-file
download-version
download-history
move-file
upload-document
user-preferences
settings
templates
context-management
saved-prompt
workflows
integrations
request-edit

OFF

delete-file (destructive)
delete-version (destructive)
upload-bulk (enable later if needed)

Governance signals (keep visibility high)

change-impact
changes
approval-changed-parts
institution-groups

Why this profile works: it enables day-to-day work while limiting destructive actions (deletes, bulk uploads) until your processes and approvals are proven. It also keeps governance visibility on so editors and approvers have context.

4) Flag catalog

Flag key	Description	Area	Suggested new-tenant default
approval-changed-parts	Show parts changed that require approval context	Versioning / Approvals	ON
change-impact	Detect/raise related-document impacts during edits	Governance	ON
changes	Enable change tracking visuals in editor	Editor	ON
comment-actions	Allow comment/reply/resolve on doc text	Collaboration	ON
context-management	Manage Current Context items in chat/workflows	Assistant	ON
delete-file	Allow deleting documents	Vault	OFF
delete-version	Allow deleting document versions	Vault	OFF
document	Core document object actions enabled	Vault	ON
document-attachment	Attach files to documents (related artifacts)	Vault	ON
download-file	Download document files	Vault	ON
download-history	Download version/change history exports	Vault	ON
download-version	Download a specific version	Vault	ON
duplicate-version	Duplicate a version as a starting point	Versioning	ON
edit-document	Edit content (enter Edit mode)	Editor	ON
institution-groups	Use institution groups as principals	Access	ON
integrations	Use Google/Microsoft integrations	Integrations	ON
move-file	Move docs/folders in Vault	Vault	ON
past-version	View Past (historical) versions	Versioning	ON
rename-version	Rename a version label	Versioning	ON
request-edit	Request edit access workflow	Governance	ON
restore-version	Restore an older version to Edit/Live	Versioning	ON
saved-prompt	Use and manage Saved Prompts	Assistant	ON
settings	Access user/org settings panels	Admin / User	ON
templates	Use document/templates features	Editor	ON
upload-bulk	Bulk upload documents	Vault	OFF
upload-document	Upload single documents	Vault	ON
user-preferences	Access User Preferences	User	ON
version-actions	Show version-level actions menu	Versioning	ON
version-changed-parts	Highlight changed parts by version	Versioning	ON
workflows	Build/run workflows	Workflows	ON

*Suggested defaults are a starting point—tune to your risk appetite. Remember: tenant OFF overrides user ON.

5) Precedence scenarios (fast intuition)

Tenant disables deletes

Tenant: delete-file = OFF
Alice: delete-file = ON
✅ Effective: OFF (Alice still cannot delete)

User is more restrictive than tenant

Tenant: workflows = ON
Bob: workflows = OFF
✅ Effective: OFF for Bob only (everyone else remains ON)

Safest way to pilot a risky capability

Tenant: upload-bulk = OFF
Pilot users: upload-bulk = ON
✅ Effective: Pilot users can bulk upload; everyone else cannot

If you later switch tenant ON, bulk upload becomes available tenant-wide unless specific users are set to OFF.

6) Operational guidance

Start restrictive at the tenant level for destructive or high-scale actions (deletes, bulk uploads).
Use small pilots with user-level enablement before broad rollout.
Document your decisions: who got access, why, and for how long (especially for governance- and workflow-related flags).

7) FAQ

Where do I set defaults for a new tenant?
In Feature Flags settings. Configure the user-level defaults that new users inherit at tenant creation.

Can a user override an account flag?
Only to be more restrictive for themselves. If the tenant is OFF, user ON is ignored.

Are flags percent-based or variant-based?
No. All flags are boolean.

What’s the safest way to trial a risky capability?
Keep the tenant OFF, enable user-level ON for a small pilot group.

Do guardrails still apply if a flag is ON?
Yes. A feature flag may enable a capability, but Custom Guardrails can still warn or block actions based on your rules.