name: frappe-errors-permissions description: > Use when debugging or handling permission errors in Frappe/ERPNext. Prevents broken document access from throwing in permission hooks. Covers PermissionError (403), has_permission hook failures, User Permission restricting too much or too little, perm_level blocking field access, System Manager bypass not working, Guest access denied, sharing permissions not applying, permission_query_conditions breaking get_list, owner-based permissions confusion, Apply User Permission checkbox behavior, and the permission debug workflow using frappe.permissions.get_doc_permissions. Keywords: PermissionError, has_permission, permission_query_conditions,, permission denied, cannot access, user blocked, sharing not working, role not enough. User Permission, perm_level, sharing, guest access, owner permission. license: MIT compatibility: "Claude Code, Claude.ai Projects, Claude API. Frappe v14-v16." metadata: author: OpenAEC-Foundation version: "2.0"

Permission Error Handling

For permission system overview see frappe-core-permissions. For hook syntax see frappe-syntax-hooks.

Quick Diagnostic: Error Message -> Cause -> Fix

Decision Tree: Where Is the Error?

Permission error occurred
├── Document-level (single doc access)?
│   ├── has_permission hook returning False?
│   │   └── Debug: frappe.permissions.get_doc_permissions(doc, user)
│   ├── User Permission restricting Link field?
│   │   └── Check: frappe.get_all("User Permission", filters={"user": user})
│   ├── perm_level blocking field?
│   │   └── Check: role has permission row for that perm_level
│   └── Sharing not applying?
│       └── Check: user has base role + sharing record exists
├── List-level (0 records in list view)?
│   ├── permission_query_conditions returning bad SQL?
│   │   └── Debug: run condition manually in MariaDB console
│   ├── User Permission auto-filtering?
│   │   └── Check "Apply User Permissions" checkbox on role row
│   └── get_all vs get_list confusion?
│       └── ALWAYS use get_list for user-facing queries
├── API endpoint (403 response)?
│   ├── Missing @frappe.whitelist()?
│   │   └── Add decorator to Python method
│   ├── Missing allow_guest=True?
│   │   └── Add allow_guest parameter for public endpoints
│   └── frappe.only_for() blocking?
│       └── Check user has required role
└── System Manager bypass failing?
    └── Custom hook does not check for System Manager role

Permission Hook Errors

has_permission Hook: NEVER Throw

# hooks.py
has_permission = {
    "Sales Order": "myapp.permissions.sales_order_has_permission",
}

# WRONG — Breaks ALL document access
def sales_order_has_permission(doc, user, permission_type):
    if doc.status == "Locked":
        frappe.throw("Locked")  # NEVER do this

# CORRECT — Return False to deny, None to defer
def sales_order_has_permission(doc, user, permission_type):
    """
    ALWAYS wrap in try/except. NEVER throw. NEVER return True.
    Returns: False (deny) or None (defer to standard system).
    """
    try:
        user = user or frappe.session.user
        if user == "Administrator":
            return None

        # ALWAYS check System Manager early
        if "System Manager" in frappe.get_roles(user):
            return None

        # Deny write on locked docs (but allow read)
        if permission_type in ("write", "delete", "cancel"):
            if doc.get("status") == "Locked":
                return False

        return None  # Defer to standard permission system

    except Exception:
        frappe.log_error(frappe.get_traceback(),
            f"has_permission error: {getattr(doc, 'name', 'unknown')}")
        return None  # Safe fallback — defer

Critical rules for has_permission hooks:

• ALWAYS return None to defer, False to deny. NEVER return True — hooks can only restrict, not grant.
• ALWAYS wrap the entire function in try/except. An unhandled exception breaks ALL access to that DocType.
• ALWAYS check for Administrator and System Manager at the top.
• NEVER call frappe.throw() inside this hook.

permission_query_conditions: NEVER Throw

# hooks.py
permission_query_conditions = {
    "Sales Order": "myapp.permissions.sales_order_query",
}

# WRONG — Breaks list view for all users
def sales_order_query(user):
    if not user:
        frappe.throw("User required")  # NEVER do this
    return f"owner = '{user}'"  # SQL injection!

# CORRECT — Return SQL string or empty string
def sales_order_query(user):
    """
    ALWAYS return a string. Empty string = no restriction.
    ALWAYS use frappe.db.escape(). ALWAYS wrap in try/except.
    """
    try:
        user = user or frappe.session.user
        if user == "Administrator":
            return ""
        if "System Manager" in frappe.get_roles(user):
            return ""

        return f"`tabSales Order`.owner = {frappe.db.escape(user)}"

    except Exception:
        frappe.log_error(frappe.get_traceback(), "Query conditions error")
        # SAFE FALLBACK: most restrictive
        return f"`tabSales Order`.owner = {frappe.db.escape(frappe.session.user)}"

Critical rules for permission_query_conditions:

• NEVER throw errors — return "1=0" to deny all or a restrictive SQL string.
• ALWAYS use frappe.db.escape() for every user-supplied value.
• This hook ONLY affects frappe.get_list() / frappe.db.get_list(). It does NOT affect frappe.get_all() / frappe.db.get_all().

User Permission Errors

Too Restrictive: Records Disappear

Error: User can't see any Sales Orders despite having Sales User role.
Cause: A User Permission for "Company" exists, and "Apply User Permissions"
       is checked on the Sales Order role row. Sales Order has a Company
       Link field, so ALL Sales Orders are filtered by that Company value.

Debug steps:

# Step 1: Check what User Permissions exist
frappe.get_all("User Permission",
    filters={"user": "john@example.com"},
    fields=["allow", "for_value", "applicable_for"])

# Step 2: Check if Apply User Permissions is checked
frappe.get_all("DocPerm",
    filters={"parent": "Sales Order", "role": "Sales User"},
    fields=["role", "permlevel", "apply_user_permissions"])  # [v14]

# Step 3: Check effective permissions on a specific doc
from frappe.permissions import get_doc_permissions
perms = get_doc_permissions(frappe.get_doc("Sales Order", "SO-001"), "john@example.com")

Fix patterns:

• Remove overly broad User Permissions that filter unintended DocTypes.
• Use the applicable_for field [v14+] to limit which DocType a User Permission applies to.
• Uncheck "Apply User Permissions" on the role permission row if blanket filtering is unwanted.

Too Permissive: User Sees Everything

Error: User Permission set for Territory = "North" but user sees all territories.
Cause: "Apply User Permissions" is NOT checked on the role permission row,
       or the DocType has no Link field for Territory.

Fix: Ensure the role permission row has "Apply User Permissions" checked AND the DocType has a Link field to the restricted DocType.

perm_level Errors

Error: Field "cost_center" is invisible despite user having read permission.
Cause: Field has permlevel=1 but role only has permission for permlevel=0.

# Check which perm_levels a role has access to
frappe.get_all("DocPerm",
    filters={"parent": "Sales Invoice", "role": "Accounts User"},
    fields=["permlevel", "read", "write"])

Fix: Add a new row in the DocType's Permission table for the role at the required permlevel.

Sharing Permission Errors

Error: Document shared with user but user still gets PermissionError.
Cause: User has NO base role permission on the DocType. Sharing only
       supplements — it never replaces role-based permissions.

# Share a document (user MUST already have a role with at least read)
frappe.share.add("Sales Order", "SO-001", "john@example.com",
    read=1, write=1, share=1)

# Check if sharing grants access
frappe.share.get_sharing_permissions("Sales Order", "SO-001", "john@example.com")

Rules:

• ALWAYS ensure the user has at least one role with read permission on the DocType before sharing.
• Sharing adds document-level grants on top of role permissions.
• [v15+] frappe.share.add accepts notify=1 to send email notification.

Guest Access Errors

Error: "Not permitted" for unauthenticated users.
Cause: DocType has no Guest read permission, or API missing allow_guest.

Fix for web pages / portal:

# Add Guest read permission in DocType Permission table
# Role: Guest, Level: 0, Read: checked

Fix for API endpoints:

@frappe.whitelist(allow_guest=True)
def public_endpoint():
    # ALWAYS validate input — guest endpoints are exposed to the internet
    pass

NEVER grant Guest write/create/delete permissions unless the DocType is specifically designed for public submission (e.g., Web Form backend).

Debug Workflow: frappe.permissions

import frappe
from frappe.permissions import get_doc_permissions

# Get all effective permissions for a user on a document
doc = frappe.get_doc("Sales Order", "SO-001")
perms = get_doc_permissions(doc, user="john@example.com")
# Returns dict: {"read": 1, "write": 0, "create": 0, ...}

# Check specific permission with full context
frappe.has_permission("Sales Order", ptype="write",
    doc="SO-001", user="john@example.com", throw=False)

# List all roles for a user
frappe.get_roles("john@example.com")

# Check User Permissions
frappe.get_all("User Permission",
    filters={"user": "john@example.com"},
    fields=["allow", "for_value", "applicable_for", "is_default"])

Critical Rules

ALWAYS

1. Wrap permission hooks in try/except — unhandled errors break all access
2. Return None (not True) in has_permission — hooks can only deny
3. Use frappe.db.escape() in query conditions — prevent SQL injection
4. Check System Manager / Administrator first in custom hooks
5. Use frappe.has_permission(throw=True) for endpoint permission checks
6. Use get_list (not get_all) for user-facing queries — get_all bypasses permissions
7. Log permission denials for security audit with frappe.log_error()

NEVER

1. Throw in has_permission or permission_query_conditions — breaks access entirely
2. Return True in has_permission — has no effect, hooks can only restrict
3. Use string formatting for SQL — use frappe.db.escape() to prevent injection
4. Grant Guest write/delete permissions — security risk
5. Use ignore_permissions without documenting why — creates audit gaps
6. Assume sharing replaces role permissions — sharing only supplements

Reference Files

See Also

• frappe-core-permissions — Permission system architecture
• frappe-errors-api — API error handling (401/403/404)
• frappe-errors-hooks — Hook error handling patterns
• frappe-syntax-hooks — Hook registration syntax