# The QR code requests access; it is not a key

Canonical: https://opendataroom.com/guides/qr-request-not-a-key
Updated: 2026-10-17

Use a QR access request to invite a named person after owner approval. OpenDataRoom helps you complete this setup with your selected documents and access controls.

## How OpenDataRoom helps

Market: Members and invited recipients

Use a QR access request to invite a named person after owner approval.

Keep source documents organised in drops, like folders, and select named packs for each audience. OpenDataRoom manages access and request records; the recipient uses their own AI for analysis. Current AI tools return extracted text, not complete original files.

- [Named recipients and separate packs](/guides/separate-packs-per-audience): Choose who can connect. Prepare separate packs when people are allowed to see different documents.
- [Access deadlines and revocation](/guides/time-limited-ai-access): Choose a review window and stop future requests when it ends. Previously retrieved copies cannot be recalled.

### Workflow impact

A controlled invitation from a phone-based meeting. The owner or recipient completes the setup directly, rather than sending extra attachments or sharing credentials.

### Bring these documents

- QR purpose.md
- Approval status.md

Scan the sender’s QR, request access with your own email and wait for approval. Use the invitation sent to that email. The QR itself does not grant document access.

## Frequently asked questions

### What would this change in my workflow?

A controlled invitation from a phone-based meeting. The owner or recipient completes the setup directly, rather than sending extra attachments or sharing credentials. The practical task is to use a QR access request to invite a named person after owner approval.

### Which documents should I include?

For the example on this page, start with QR purpose.md, Approval status.md. Use the approved versions relevant to the task and include source dates, definitions and any known gaps. Review the prepared text and disclosure scope before sharing. The fictional examples illustrate the structure; OpenDataRoom does not supply or verify your underlying research.

### Does OpenDataRoom perform or verify this work for me?

Your own compatible AI works from the material you choose. For this task—use a qr access request to invite a named person after owner approval—you or the responsible reviewer must check the answer against the originals. OpenDataRoom provides document access and request records; it does not certify the evidence, perform an independent review or approve the result.

### How does the recipient connect, and who gets access?

Choose your own AI or invite the intended email recipient. For a private invitation, the recipient verifies the authorised email and completes the required approval flow, then adds the connection in a compatible AI app’s settings. Forwarding an invitation alone does not authorise a different email. Permission covers the selected pack; create separate packs when audiences may see different documents.

### Can I keep the files and end someone’s access?

Your wallet contains source drops, like folders. Each named pack shares selected files or passages from one drop. The source drop and its access packs have separate deadlines. You can keep the source until its displayed retention deadline while ending a recipient’s future access. Choose a sharing window, revoke it earlier when needed, and approve an extension deliberately. Expiry cannot recall material that an AI app or recipient has already retrieved.

### What happens when I update or remove a file?

After you review and accept a drop update, fresh authorised requests receive the current versions of files already selected for their packs. This does not force an AI to fetch the files again or refresh its existing chat context. New files do not join those packs automatically. Review changed selected passages explicitly. Removing a file or its permission stops future retrieval, and access-change notices are queued for affected recipients. Provider acceptance is not proof of inbox delivery. This cannot erase content already retrieved.

### What if my files or AI app are not supported?

Check the compatibility guide and try the public service-information sample first. An app must support the required MCP connection and authorisation; pasting a URL into ordinary chat does not install it. Use supported text-based files and inspect the preparation report. Originals are retained in encrypted storage, but the current AI tools return extracted text, not complete original files. Charts, images and layout are not faithfully delivered by those tools. Image-only scans and standalone images are refused; no OCR, audio transcription or spreadsheet recalculation is provided. Current pilot limits are listed on the pricing page.

### What information is recorded about use of the pack?

The ledger records requests received by the service, authorised connection references, requested source information and preparation outcomes. Recipients can also deliberately submit a request, comment or note after approving the exact text. The owner sees that message, the verified connection identity and time in Recipient inbox for up to 90 days, unless deleted sooner. Received does not mean read or answered; no agent or automatic research is started. It does not record the entire AI conversation. Search text is supplied by the AI and may differ from the human question. An AI can reuse retrieved material without making another request. Literal search can miss relevant material; neither a search nor a file request proves that the AI reviewed the entire pack. Owners can investigate no-match searches before deciding whether to clarify wording, repair extraction or add information. A no-match result alone is not proof that a document is missing.

### Who can read my files in the hosted connection?

Private-library file names and contents are encrypted in the browser with your wallet key. A hosted AI connection uses a separate access copy that you approve and that the service can decrypt for authorised retrieval. The receiving AI gets the content it retrieves and applies its own data policies. An optional desktop connector can decrypt locally, but it requires installation and is not a universal mobile connection. Review the security and compatibility pages before choosing a route.

## Your working output

A controlled invitation from a phone-based meeting

## Before you share

1. Bring the approved, dated versions of: QR purpose.md, Approval status.md.
2. Check the readable text, source dates and permitted audience.
3. Choose your own compatible AI or invite the intended recipient with an appropriate access deadline.
4. Check the result against the source before using it; retain open questions rather than filling gaps.

## Fictional example documents

These are invented teaching documents, not customer evidence.

### QR purpose.md

A printed QR points to an access-request page.

### Approval status.md

Approval and email verification have not happened.

## A source question

Does possession of the QR authorise access?

Illustrative answer: No. The QR starts a request; the owner still decides who may connect.





## Sources and further reading



## Related workflows

- https://opendataroom.com/guides/access-expired-what-happens
- https://opendataroom.com/guides/choose-access-window
- https://opendataroom.com/guides/missed-email-code



Admission is by invitation. Join the waiting list: https://opendataroom.com/signup
Check compatibility and the separate public service-information sample: https://opendataroom.com/compatibility

## Try the fictional example

https://opendataroom.com/example-demo.html?example=qr-request-not-a-key
