> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.anchorage.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Customizing admin policy
> Configure approval requirements for administrative and user management changes.
Admin policies control who can make administrative changes to your organization — like adding or removing users, changing user roles, and modifying vault settings. By customizing your admin policy, you ensure critical changes require appropriate oversight.
## What admin policy controls
Admin policies define approval requirements for:
* **User management** — Adding, removing, or changing user roles
* **Organization settings** — Changing organization name, contact info, etc.
* **Vault creation** — Creating new vaults (may require approval)
* **Security settings** — Enabling/disabling features, changing recovery options
* **Policy changes** — Modifying other policies themselves
* **Trusted destinations/counterparties** — Adding or removing pre-approved addresses
Not all operations require admin policy approval — see [Admin policies](/knowledge-base/porto/policies/admin-policies) for a complete list.
## Access admin policy settings
From the home screen, tap **Settings**.
Go to **Policies**, **Admin policy**, or **Administration**.
You'll see:
* Current approval requirements
* Who is designated as an approver
* Any quorum or multi-signature requirements
* When the policy was last modified
Select **Edit policy** or **Customize** to make changes.
## Customization options
### Single approver requirement
Require one designated approver for admin changes:
* **Simplest model** — One person (often the CEO or CFO) approves all admin changes
* **Speed** — Approvals are fast
* **Risk** — Less oversight if that person is unavailable or compromised
### Multi-approver (quorum) requirement
Require multiple approvers, such as 2 of 3 administrators:
* **More oversight** — Multiple people must approve critical changes
* **Security** — Harder for unauthorized changes to occur
* **Slower** — Takes longer to get approvals
* **Redundancy** — If one approver is unavailable, others can still approve
**Example:** "2 of \{CEO, CFO, Legal Officer}" or "All administrators must approve"
### Role-based requirements
Different requirements based on the change type:
* **Minor changes** — (e.g., updating contact info) may need 1 approver
* **User management** — (adding/removing users) may need 2 approvers
* **Critical changes** — (policy changes, security settings) may need all admins
## Create or edit admin policy rules
Go to **Settings** > **Policies** > **Admin policy**.
Select **Add rule** or **Create new policy**.
Specify:
* **What action** is this rule for? (user management, policy changes, vault creation, etc.)
* **Who can approve?** (specific users, roles, or groups)
* **How many approvers** are required? (1, 2, all, etc.)
* **Time window** for approval (how long until request expires)
For some operations, approval might depend on scope:
* Adding 1 user = 1 approver
* Adding 5+ users = 2 approvers
* Or based on role change level
Tap **Save** or **Create rule**.
Tap **Submit policy** or **Save changes**. Admin policy changes themselves may require approval.
If required by current admin policy, the change must be approved before taking effect.
## Admin policy templates
Your organization can choose from common templates:
### Centralized (single approver)
* **Approver:** CEO or designated administrator only
* **Use case:** Small teams, startup, strong trust in leader
* **Approval time:** Fast
* **Risk level:** Medium (depends on that person's availability and security)
### Distributed (2 of 3 required)
* **Approvers:** 3 administrators, any 2 can approve
* **Use case:** Mid-size organizations wanting checks and balances
* **Approval time:** Medium (faster than all-required, slower than single)
* **Risk level:** Low (requires consensus among multiple people)
### Consensus (all required)
* **Approvers:** All administrators must approve
* **Use case:** High-security orgs, joint custody, important decisions
* **Approval time:** Slow (depends on everyone's availability)
* **Risk level:** Very low (highest oversight)
## Role-based admin rules
You can set different rules by change type:
| Change | Rule | Approvers |
| :----------------------- | :--------------- | :---------- |
| **Update contact info** | 1 approver | Any admin |
| **Add new user** | 2 of 3 approvers | Admin group |
| **Remove user** | 2 of 3 approvers | Admin group |
| **Change user to Admin** | All approvers | All admins |
| **Modify admin policy** | All approvers | All admins |
| **Create new vault** | 2 of 3 approvers | Admin group |
Different changes can have different requirements based on sensitivity.
## Designating approvers
To change who can approve admin changes:
Go to **Settings** > **Policies** > **Admin policy**.
Select which users can approve (usually your admin team).
Choose how many approvers are required (1, 2, all, etc.).
Tap **Save**. Changes to admin policy itself may require approval.
All admins don't automatically get approval power — you must explicitly designate them as approvers in your policy.
## Approval timeouts
Admin policy changes require approval within a certain timeframe:
* **Typical timeout:** 24-72 hours
* **Shorter timeout:** Good for urgent situations (higher risk)
* **Longer timeout:** Good for less urgent matters (gives people time to review)
If an admin policy change isn't approved by the timeout, it expires and must be resubmitted.
## Common admin policy scenarios
**Scenario 1: Small team (3 people)**
* All are admins
* Policy: "All 3 must approve" admin changes
* Result: Highest security, slightly slower approvals
**Scenario 2: Medium organization (10 people, 3 admins)**
* Only 3 designated admins
* Policy: "2 of 3 admins must approve"
* Result: Faster than consensus, still multiple eyes
**Scenario 3: Large organization (100+ people, 5 admins)**
* 5 admins, some designated as "Super Admins"
* Policy: "For user add/remove: 1 super admin + 1 regular admin. For policy changes: all super admins"
* Result: Scalable, different levels of oversight
**Scenario 4: Distributed/DAO structure**
* 7 members in a decentralized organization
* Policy: "Any 4 of 7 members must approve admin changes"
* Result: Democratic, distributed approval
## Monitoring admin activities
Even though policy approvals control admin changes, you should still monitor:
1. **View audit log** — See all admin changes and who approved them
2. **Review user access** — Regularly verify who has access and their roles
3. **Check policy changes** — Ensure policies haven't been unexpectedly modified
4. **Monitor approvals** — See who's approving changes and when
This helps catch unauthorized or suspicious activities.
## Emergencies and exceptions
If your admin policy prevents necessary changes (e.g., all approvers are unavailable):
1. **Contact Porto support** — Explain the situation
2. **Provide verification** — Porto may verify your identity or ownership
3. **Emergency override** — In extreme cases, Porto may help with recovery
4. **Adjust policy afterward** — Consider policy changes to avoid future emergencies
Note: Emergency overrides leave an audit trail and should be rare.
## Best practices for admin policy
* **Require multiple approvers** — Especially for sensitive changes
* **Separate roles** — Different people should submit and approve changes
* **Document policy** — Record why your policy is structured this way
* **Review regularly** — Quarterly review of admin policy and approvals
* **Avoid single points of failure** — Always have backup approvers
* **Test the flow** — Make a low-risk change to ensure your policy works as expected
* **Communicate policy to admins** — All admins should know the approval requirements