Clients

Fields#

A client record is the contact point for a person or organisation you do work for. The fields you'll set are:

client

string·required

The client's name (person or organisation). Required.

fiscal_number

string(9)·optional

Portuguese NIF, max 9 characters. Optional but strongly recommended for invoicing.

email

string·optional

Used for portal invites and event notifications.

phone

string·optional

Free-text phone number.

address

string·optional

Postal address.

location

string·optional

City or area.

zip_code

string·optional

Postal code.

firebase_uid

string·optional

Set automatically when the client is linked to a portal account.

Portal access#

Optionally, a client can be linked to a Firebase user. When the link is set, the client can sign in to the **client portal** — a separate, read-only view of the projects you've shared with them.

When you create the link from inside Vellum, the system can send the client a temporary password by email so they can set up their account. After that, they reset their own password from the portal.

What clients see in the portal: their projects, the current stage of each, and any files marked as visible. What they don't see: the rest of your firm's projects, your team, your calendar, your billing.

Deletion behaviour#

You cannot delete a client that still has projects attached. The system blocks the operation with a foreign-key error. Either reassign or soft-delete those projects first, then delete the client.

Like projects, client deletion is a soft-delete (`deleted_at` is set). The record disappears from listings but is recoverable through support.