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Content Restrictions

Content Restrictions allow admins to control what content each user can access. Unlike Hidden Items (which users control themselves), Content Restrictions are admin-only and cannot be bypassed by users.

Overview

Feature Who Controls Who Sees
Content Restrictions Admins only Affects specific users
Hidden Items Each user Only that user

Key behaviors:

  • Admins bypass all Content Restrictions (they always see everything)
  • Restrictions cascade throughout the UI—restricted items don't appear anywhere
  • Users cannot see or modify their own restrictions

Restriction Types

You can restrict content by four entity types:

Type Best For Notes
Collections (Groups) Primary filtering Most reliable—static, manually curated
Tags Content categories May change if using Stash plugins that auto-tag
Studios Production company limits Useful for brand-specific access
Galleries Image gallery access Restricts gallery and its images

Recommended Approach

Use Collections (Groups) as your primary restriction mechanism. Create groups in Stash to organize content by access level, then restrict users to appropriate groups in Peek.

Restriction Modes

Each entity type can have one of three modes:

None (Default)

No restrictions for this entity type. User sees all content.

Exclude Mode

Hide specific items. Everything else is visible.

Example: Exclude the tag "Documentary"

  • User won't see scenes tagged "Documentary"
  • User won't see performers who only appear in "Documentary" scenes
  • "Documentary" won't appear in tag filters or lists

Include Mode

Show ONLY specific items. Everything else is hidden.

Example: Include only the collection "Family Friendly"

  • User only sees scenes in "Family Friendly" group
  • All other content is completely hidden
  • This is the most restrictive mode

Include Mode is Restrictive

Include mode hides ALL content not in the specified list. Use carefully—combine multiple entity types thoughtfully.

Setting Up Restrictions

Requirements: Admin role

Step 1: Plan Your Approach

Before setting restrictions, decide:

  1. What content should this user see? (or not see)
  2. Which entity type is most appropriate? (Groups are recommended)
  3. Should you use Include or Exclude?

Step 2: Organize in Stash

Create appropriate groups/tags in Stash:

  • For Include mode: Create groups containing allowed content
  • For Exclude mode: Ensure restricted content has identifying tags/groups

Step 3: Configure in Peek

  1. Go to Settings → User Management
  2. Find the target user
  3. Click Content Restrictions
  4. For each entity type you want to restrict:
  5. Select the mode (Exclude or Include)
  6. Search and select specific items
  7. Enable Restrict Empty if desired (see below)
  8. Click Save

Restrict Empty Option

When enabled, hides content that has no metadata for that entity type:

Entity Type Restrict Empty Hides
Tags Scenes with no tags
Groups Scenes not in any group
Studios Scenes with no studio
Galleries Scenes not linked to galleries

This prevents unorganized content from appearing.

How Cascading Works

Restrictions cascade to related content:

Tag Restrictions

Restricting a tag hides:

  • Scenes with that tag (direct or inherited)
  • Performers primarily associated with restricted content
  • Studios primarily associated with restricted content
  • The tag itself in all filter dropdowns and lists

Studio Restrictions

Restricting a studio hides:

  • All scenes from that studio
  • The studio in filter dropdowns
  • Studio info on performer pages

Group Restrictions

Restricting a group hides:

  • Scenes in that group
  • The group in browse views
  • Group info on scene detail pages

Restricting a gallery hides:

  • The gallery itself
  • Images in that gallery
  • Gallery links on scene pages

Common Patterns

Age-Based Access

Create groups in Stash for different age ratings:

- "All Ages" group
- "Teen" group
- "Adult" group

Then use Include mode: Kids see only "All Ages", teens see "All Ages" + "Teen", etc.

Category-Based Access

Use tags to categorize content, then Exclude unwanted categories:

  • Tag content in Stash by category
  • Exclude specific tags per user

Studio-Based Access

Restrict by production company:

  • Include only specific studios for limited access
  • Exclude studios for blocking specific sources

Combining Restrictions

You can set restrictions on multiple entity types. They combine as follows:

  1. Include rules intersect (must match ALL includes)
  2. Exclude rules union (must not match ANY excludes)

Example:

  • Include: Groups = "Approved Content"
  • Exclude: Tags = "Violence"

Result: User sees content from "Approved Content" that isn't tagged "Violence"

Verifying Restrictions

After setting restrictions:

  1. Create a test account with the same restrictions
  2. Log in as that user (or use incognito)
  3. Browse the library to verify expected content appears
  4. Check filters to ensure restricted items don't appear in dropdowns
  5. View detail pages to confirm cascading works

Troubleshooting

User sees restricted content

  • Verify the restriction is saved (refresh User Management)
  • Check if user is an admin (admins bypass restrictions)
  • Ensure sync has completed after making changes in Stash

Too much content is hidden

  • Review Include mode restrictions—they're very restrictive
  • Check for overlapping Exclude rules
  • Verify Restrict Empty settings

Restrictions don't cascade

  • Wait for sync to complete after Stash changes
  • Trigger manual sync if needed
  • Check that related entities have proper associations in Stash
  • Hidden Items — User-controlled hiding of individual items
  • User Management — Full user administration guide
  • FAQ — Common questions including sync behavior