> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chief.bot/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Viewing shared chats as a guest

> When someone sends you a Chief secret link, you can open the conversation without an account or Project membership.

When someone sends you a Chief [secret link](/help/sharing-visibility/sharing-a-chat-via-secret-link), you can open the conversation without an account or Project membership. You arrive in a read-only **Shared Chat** view as a guest. This article explains what that view shows and where its limits are.

## What you see as a guest

Open the link and the full chat thread loads in the Shared Chat view. You can read every message and answer, scroll the whole conversation, and — if the link pointed to a specific answer or highlighted passage — the page scrolls to that spot automatically. A footer notes that the conversation was shared via Chief and offers a way to try Chief or open the Project.

## What you can't do as a guest

The shared view is read-only. As a guest you cannot send messages, edit anything, or use Project actions. If you try to [act on the text](/help/chatting-with-chief/the-text-selection-menu-act-on-any-passage) — for example to analyze it, cite sources, add it to a Library, or chat with it — Chief tells you that you must be a member of the Project to do that.

<Note>
  ℹ️ **Good to know:** To go beyond reading — to reply, run actions, or open the full Project — you need to [sign in to Chief](/help/getting-started/creating-your-account-signing-in) with an account that has access to that Project. Reading a shared link does not add you to the Project.
</Note>

## When a link stops working

If the chat owner [revokes the secret link](/help/sharing-visibility/revoking-access-to-a-shared-chat), or the chat was removed, the link no longer opens the conversation. You will see a "Chat Not Found" message explaining the shared chat may have been removed or the link is no longer valid.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="I opened a link earlier and now it says &#x22;Chat Not Found.&#x22; What happened?">
    The person who shared it most likely revoked the secret link, or the chat was deleted. Ask them to share a fresh link if you still need access.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The buttons on the text are disabled — am I doing something wrong?">
    No. Actions like analyze, cite sources, and add to Library are reserved for signed-in members of the Project. As a guest you have read-only access. Sign in with a Project account to unlock them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does opening a shared chat give me access to the rest of the Project?">
    No. A secret link grants read-only access to that one thread only. It does not make you a member of [the Project](/help/projects-sharing-teams/what-is-a-project) or reveal any other chats, files, or Library content in it.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>