---
"@context": https://schema.org
"@type": TechArticle
"@id": https://www.twilio.com/docs/flex/admin-guide/setup/conversations/conversations-roles#article
headline: Flex Conversations Roles
description: Learn how Flex Conversations uses Conversations API roles to manage participant permissions at the Service and Conversation level, and the default roles Flex creates.
url: https://www.twilio.com/docs/flex/admin-guide/setup/conversations/conversations-roles
inLanguage: en
dateModified: 2026-07-17T03:41:20.000Z
author:
  "@type": Organization
  name: Twilio Developer Education Team
publisher:
  "@type": Organization
  name: Twilio
---

# Flex Conversations Roles

Flex Conversations use [Conversations API roles](/docs/conversations-classic/api/role-resource) to manage participant permissions when adding participants to a Conversation or when using the [Conversations SDK](/docs/conversations-classic/sdk-overview) to connect.

The Role Resource represents what a [User](/docs/conversations-classic/api/user-resource) (e.g. agent, admin, supervisor) can do within the Conversation Service and individual Conversations. Roles are scoped to either a [Service](/docs/conversations-classic/overview#what-is-a-service) or a [Conversation](/docs/conversations-classic/overview#what-is-a-conversation).

## Flex Conversation Service

Users are assigned a Role at the Service level. This determines what they can do within the Conversation Service instance, such as creating and destroying Conversations within the Service.

Participants are assigned a Role at the Conversation level. This determines what they are able to do within a particular Conversation, such as inviting Participants to be members of the Conversation, posting Messages, and removing other Participants from the Conversation.

## Which Roles does Flex create out-of-the-box?

Flex creates the Conversation Service and adds the following Service and Conversation Roles during the initial Flex account setup.

### Service Roles

#### admin

Default permissions:

* joinConversation
* deleteConversation
* addParticipant
* removeParticipant
* editConversationAttributes
* editOwnUserInfo
* editAnyUserInfo

#### supervisor

Default permissions:

* joinConversation
* addParticipant
* removeParticipant
* editOwnUserInfo

### Conversation Roles

#### guest (default)

Default permissions:

* sendMessage
* sendMediaMessage
* leaveConversation

#### agent

Default permissions:

* editConversationAttributes
* sendMessage
* sendMediaMessage
* leaveConversation
* editOwnMessage
* editOwnMessageAttributes
* deleteOwnMessage

#### admin

Default permissions:

* editConversationAttributes
* sendMessage
* sendMediaMessage
* leaveConversation
* editOwnMessage
* editOwnMessageAttributes
* deleteOwnMessage
* editAnyMessage
* editAnyMessageAttributes
* deleteAnyMessage

#### supervisor

Default permissions:

* editConversationAttributes
* sendMessage
* sendMediaMessage
* leaveConversation
* editOwnMessage
* editOwnMessageAttributes
* deleteOwnMessage
* editAnyMessage
* editAnyMessageAttributes
* deleteAnyMessage

## How does Flex use these Roles?

The first time a [worker](/docs/flex/admin-guide/core-concepts/routing#workers) logs in, Flex creates a corresponding Conversation User.

* For workers authenticating through the Twilio Console, the corresponding Flex Conversation Service User will be created with the admin role.
* For workers authenticating via a third-party IdP (identity provider), Flex creates a corresponding Conversation Service User according to their [SSO role](/docs/flex/admin-guide/setup/sso-configuration#identity-attributes-and-flex-roles): agent, supervisor, or admin.

Once a worker logs in successfully, the Flex UI initializes the Conversations SDK with a token that includes the grants:

* The token includes Flex Roles grants based on the user role (**agent/supervisor/admin**) that is set in the IdP.
* The Conversation User **Service Role** is updated (in the Conversations Users database) based on the Flex Role grants (an agent can be promoted to a supervisor, or vice versa).

## Known limitations

* Regardless of what role you have as a Flex user, Flex Conversations uses the default configured role — **guest** — when adding the user to a Conversation or Chat Task.
* [Conversations limits](/docs/conversations-classic/conversations-limits) also apply to Flex Conversations limits.