How to set up an agency client portal

This guide walks an agency from empty account to a usable client portal with roles, branding, and invoicing. Trellis is in private beta — UI labels may evolve, but the tenancy model (organizations → spaces → roles) is the durable pattern.

Before you start

• Know which clients get their own space on day one
• Decide who is internal vs external
• Review Pricing if you need subdomain or custom domain branding
• Skim Security so you can answer client questions honestly

Steps

1. Create your organization and choose a plan. Start on Starter for portal + invoicing, or Growth if you need the full suite and subdomain branding. See Pricing for entitlements.
2. Create a space per client. Spaces isolate client work. Name spaces clearly (client or engagement name) so internal and external users recognize context.
3. Invite internal teammates with the right roles. Use User Management to grant internal seats. Keep privileged admin roles limited; delivery roles for day-to-day work.
4. Invite clients to the portal. Add external users with client-appropriate access to projects, tasks, and documents — not full internal admin.
5. Configure branding. On Growth, set an org subdomain and hide Trellis branding if desired. On Enterprise, verify a custom domain.
6. Publish projects, tasks, and documents. Move status out of email: create the engagement project, seed tasks, and attach the files clients need.
7. Connect invoicing. Create invoices in Trellis and send Stripe Checkout when work is billable so delivery and payment share one system.

How long each step takes

For a first client, expect roughly an hour end to end: minutes to create the org and space, a few more to invite the team, and most of the time on deciding what belongs in the space versus what stays internal. Subsequent clients are faster because the pattern is already decided. Branding is a one-time setup per organization; custom domain verification depends on DNS propagation.

Deciding what goes in the space

The most common source of rework is publishing internal artifacts to a client space. A simple rule: if you would not read the document aloud on a client call, it stays internal. Scope, deliverables, timelines, and approved assets belong in the space. Margin notes, staffing plans, and pipeline commentary do not.

Common mistakes

• Putting every client in one space — defeats isolation and client UX
• Inviting clients as internal admins — over-shares ops tools
• Leaving branding for last — clients notice the first login
• Billing in a separate spreadsheet — you recreate the handoff problem

Related

• Client onboarding workflow
• Agency operating system
• Compare agency stacks