Read-only mode
Read-only mode is a state in which a syndicate’s data can still be read on every screen, but new writes do not go through: no new bookings, no usage logs, no new expenses, no member or asset changes. A clear banner tells everyone the syndicate is read-only. Read access is never revoked, whatever the cause.
Exactly what is blocked depends on the cause, so the label alone does not tell you what you can still do. The two causes:
- Over the free plan. A syndicate that reverts to the free tier (a cancellation or a lapsed subscription) while still over the free-tier limits goes read-only straight away, with no grace. This cause deliberately still allows finalising a flight already flown and recording a payment already made, because a member cannot be removed until their balance and bookings are clear and trimming is the way out. Raising a cash call and approving an expense are refused.
- Closed. An admin closed the syndicate. Its ledger is frozen absolutely: no charge or payment can be added, changed or deleted by anyone, admins included. Closure is only accepted once balances are already clear, so nothing is left to settle.
A failed subscription payment does not produce a third kind of read-only. The syndicate keeps full access for its grace period, the window in which the payment is still being retried, and if it is never settled the syndicate moves to the free plan. Only then is it read-only, and only if it is larger than that plan allows, which is the first cause above.