> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://memberpulseptyltd.mintlify.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # UJ-A-005: Impersonate User for Support > Platform admin impersonates a user to troubleshoot issues ## Journey Overview | Attribute | Value | | -------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | **Journey ID** | UJ-A-005 | | **Actor** | Platform Admin | | **Goal** | View platform as a specific user to diagnose issues | | **Trigger** | Support request requires seeing user's perspective | | **Outcome** | Admin views platform as user, diagnoses issue | ## Preconditions * Admin has ROLE\_PLATFORM\_ADMIN permission * Target user exists in the system * Impersonation feature enabled ## Journey Flow ```mermaid theme={null} flowchart TD A[Access Admin Portal] --> B[Navigate to Users] B --> C[Search for user] C --> D[Select user] D --> E[Click Impersonate] E --> F[Confirm impersonation] F --> G[Session switched to user] G --> H[View as user] H --> I[Diagnose issue] I --> J[End impersonation] J --> K[Return to admin session] ``` ## Detailed Steps Navigate to user management: * Admin Portal → Users * Or search user directly from dashboard Search for target user: ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ User Management │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ [🔍 Search by name, email, ID... ] │ │ │ │ Filters: │ │ Tenant: [All Tenants ▼] Role: [All Roles ▼] │ │ Status: [All ▼] │ │ │ │ Results: │ │ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ John Smith │ │ │ │ john@company.com • Acme Association │ │ │ │ Role: Member • Status: Active │ │ │ │ [View] [Edit] [🎭 Impersonate] │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` Click "Impersonate" button: Confirmation dialog: ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ⚠️ Confirm Impersonation │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ You are about to impersonate: │ │ │ │ User: John Smith │ │ Email: john@company.com │ │ Tenant: Acme Association │ │ Role: Member │ │ │ │ This will: │ │ • Switch your view to the user's perspective │ │ • Allow you to see what they see │ │ • Log all actions taken during impersonation │ │ │ │ Reason for impersonation (required): │ │ [Support ticket #12345 - login issue ] │ │ │ │ [Cancel] [Start Impersonation] │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` Session switched: **Visual Indicators:** * Banner: "You are impersonating John Smith \[End]" * Different color scheme/border * Watermark (optional) **Capabilities:** * View all screens as user * Navigate as user would * See user's data and permissions **Restrictions:** * Cannot change password * Cannot delete account * Cannot access other user data * All actions logged ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ⚠️ IMPERSONATING: John Smith (john@company.com) [End] │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ [Normal Member Portal View] │ │ │ │ Dashboard │ │ Welcome, John │ │ │ │ Your Membership: Professional │ │ ... │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` Admin investigates: * View user's dashboard * Check membership status * Review event registrations * Test feature access * Reproduce reported issue Click "End" or "End Impersonation": * Session returns to admin * Impersonation logged with duration * Admin back in Admin Portal ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ✅ Impersonation Ended │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Session Summary: │ │ User: John Smith │ │ Duration: 5 minutes 32 seconds │ │ Pages Viewed: 12 │ │ Actions Taken: 0 (view only) │ │ │ │ [View Audit Log] [Back to Users] │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ## Audit Logging All impersonation activity is logged: | Event | Logged Data | | ---------- | ------------------------------------ | | Start | Admin ID, User ID, Reason, Timestamp | | Navigation | Pages visited | | Actions | Any changes made | | End | Duration, Summary | ## Security Considerations * Requires explicit permission * Reason must be provided * Session time-limited (30 min default) * Cannot be used on other admins * Audit trail maintained * User may be notified (configurable) ## Related Entities * [`User/Member`](/entities/core/user-member) * [`Audit Log`](/entities/system/audit-log) ## Related Journeys * [UJ-A-003](/admin/journeys/manage-users) * [UJ-A-007](/admin/journeys/troubleshoot-integration) ## Acceptance Criteria ### Frontend * [ ] Impersonate button on user records * [ ] Confirmation dialog with reason input * [ ] Impersonation banner visible at all times * [ ] End impersonation button * [ ] Session summary on end * [ ] Visual differentiation during impersonation ### Backend * [ ] `POST /api/admin/impersonate/{userId}` - Start * [ ] `POST /api/admin/impersonate/end` - End * [ ] Session token with impersonation context * [ ] Comprehensive audit logging * [ ] Action restrictions during impersonation ### Permissions * [ ] Only ROLE\_PLATFORM\_ADMIN can impersonate * [ ] Cannot impersonate other admins * [ ] Tenant boundaries respected ### Business Rules * [ ] Reason required for audit * [ ] Session timeout enforced * [ ] Certain actions blocked * [ ] Full audit trail ### Error Handling * [ ] User not found handling * [ ] Session timeout notification * [ ] Graceful end on browser close