> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.larafast.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Accepting Invitations

> How recipients join your team

## Overview

When someone receives a team invitation, accepting it is quick and simple. The system **automatically handles everything** - from account creation to adding them to the team with the correct permissions.

## The Invitation Link

Recipients receive an email with a unique invitation link that looks like:

```
https://yourapp.com/invitations/accept/abc123...
```

This link:

* ✅ Is **unique and secure** - 64-character random token
* ✅ **Expires after 7 days** - For security
* ✅ Can only be used **once** - Prevents duplicate acceptances
* ✅ Works on **any device** - Desktop, mobile, tablet

## Acceptance Flow

### For Existing Users

If the recipient already has an account with your app:

1. **Click invitation link** - Opens in their browser
2. **Log in** (if not already) - Uses their existing credentials
3. **Email verification** - System checks their email matches the invitation
4. **Automatic join** - Added to the team immediately
5. **Redirected to team** - Taken to the new team's dashboard

**Total time: \~10 seconds** ⚡

### For New Users

If the recipient doesn't have an account yet:

1. **Click invitation link** - Opens in their browser
2. **Redirected to registration** - Shown the sign-up page
3. **Create account** - Email is pre-filled from the invitation
4. **Email verification** - May need to verify their email
5. **Automatic join** - Added to the team immediately
6. **Welcome to the team** - Taken to the team dashboard

**Total time: \~2 minutes** ⚡

## What Happens Automatically

When someone accepts an invitation, the system automatically:

1. ✅ **Adds them as a team member** - No manual approval needed
2. ✅ **Assigns their role** - The role you selected when inviting
3. ✅ **Sets as current team** - This team becomes their active workspace
4. ✅ **Marks invitation as accepted** - Can't be used again
5. ✅ **Sends them to the dashboard** - Ready to start working
6. ✅ **Logs the activity** - For audit purposes

**No manual steps required!**

## Validation and Security

The system automatically validates several things:

### Email Matching

* The person accepting **must use the email address** the invitation was sent to
* If emails don't match, they see: "This invitation is for a different email address"
* Prevents invitation theft or sharing

### Expiration Check

* Invitations expire after 7 days
* Expired invitations show: "This invitation has expired"
* Contact the team owner to request a new invitation

### Single Use

* Each invitation can only be accepted once
* Already-accepted invitations show: "This invitation has already been used"

### Already a Member

* If someone is already a team member, the system handles it gracefully
* No duplicate memberships created

## Common Scenarios

### "I didn't receive the invitation email"

1. **Check spam folder** - Invitation emails sometimes go to spam
2. **Check the email address** - Make sure invitation was sent to the right address
3. **Ask for resend** - Team owner can resend the invitation
4. **Check email configuration** - On the sender's side

### "The invitation expired"

1. **Contact team owner** - Ask them to send a new invitation
2. **They can resend** - From the pending invitations list
3. **New link sent** - Fresh 7-day expiration

### "I have multiple email addresses"

You must accept the invitation using the **exact email address** it was sent to. If you want to use a different email:

1. Either accept with the invited email
2. Or ask the team owner to send a new invitation to your preferred email

### "I'm already logged in to a different account"

1. **Log out** of your current account
2. **Log in** with the account matching the invitation email
3. **Click the invitation link again**

## After Acceptance

Once someone accepts and joins your team:

1. **They appear in your team members list** - Immediately visible
2. **Invitation status changes** - Shows as "Accepted"
3. **They can access team resources** - Based on their assigned role
4. **They see the team switcher** - Can switch between teams if they're in multiple

## Technical Details

The invitation acceptance is handled by:

* **URL**: `/invitations/accept/{token}`
* **Controller**: `app/Http/Controllers/InvitationController.php`
* **Route**: Defined in `routes/web.php`

The system uses **database transactions** to ensure all operations (adding member, assigning role, marking accepted) happen together or not at all - preventing partial states.

## Customization

### Changing the Redirect

After acceptance, users are redirected to the team dashboard. To change where they go:

**Location:** `app/Http/Controllers/InvitationController.php`

Modify the `redirect()` call in the `acceptInvitation` method.

### Adding Welcome Messages

To show a custom welcome message after acceptance:

**Location:** Same controller

Modify the `with('success', ...)` message or add a notification.

### Requiring Additional Steps

If you want users to complete additional steps after accepting (e.g., profile setup, terms acceptance):

**Location:** Same controller

Add a check and redirect to your onboarding flow before taking them to the dashboard.

## Next Steps

* [Managing Members](/multi-tenancy/teams/managing-members) - What happens after they join
* [Team Settings](/multi-tenancy/teams/team-settings) - Configure your team