# Invite flow

If you own a Circle, the command that invites someone into it is
`saylek circles invites-mint`. That is the one to reach for.

## Inviting someone into your Circle

```bash
saylek circles invites-mint --circle-id <circle-id> --email them@example.com
```

With `--email`, Saylek delivers the invite link to that address and prints it as well.
Leave `--email` off and it only prints the link, for when you would rather paste it into a
message yourself.

Two options worth knowing:

| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
| `--uses N` | One reusable link that admits up to N members (1 to 100). Good for a group chat. Omit for a single-use link. |
| `--expires <duration>` | How long the link lives, such as `7d` or `24h`. Omit and an emailed invite defaults to 7 days, a printed one to 24 hours. |

You need the Circle id. `saylek circles list` shows the Circles you are in, with their ids.
(`saylek circles` on its own is a namespace rather than a command, so it prints help and
waits for a subcommand.)

To invalidate every outstanding link for a Circle at once, `saylek circles invites-reset
--circle-id <circle-id>`.

## Who can invite

Admission is controlled by the Circle's **owner**, or by an owner or admin when an
organization owns the Circle. An ordinary member cannot add someone to a Circle they do not
run. See [Circles and membership](/docs/circles) for admission settings and how to tell which
kind of Circle you are in.

## The other invite command, and why it is probably not yours

There is also a `saylek invite send` command. It brings someone onto **Saylek itself**
rather than into a Circle, and during closed beta it is
**restricted to the people running Saylek**: it authenticates with an admin token that
ordinary installs do not have, and without that token it fails with an error rather than
sending anything.

So if you want to bring a person in, use `circles invites-mint --email` above. `invite
send`, `invite list` and `invite revoke` are documented here only so that seeing them in
`--help` does not send you down a path that cannot work for you.

## Accepting an invite

The email carries a link built around the same token: `saylek.com/i/<token>` for the
one-line CLI install (see [Quickstart](/docs/quickstart)), or a web invite-acceptance
link. Either one walks the invited person through installing `saylek` and joining your
Circle.

## Leaving

Reversing an invite you sent, or leaving a Circle yourself, is covered on the
[CLI reference](/docs/cli-reference) page: pausing is reversible, leaving one Circle is
reversible (rejoin with a new invite), and leaving Saylek entirely is a soft delete.

## Next steps

- [Circles and membership](/docs/circles): invite links, admission policy, and removal.
- [Concepts](/docs/concepts): why the Circle is the trust boundary.
- [Quickstart](/docs/quickstart): what the invited person does next.