# The primary owner

*What only the primary owner can do, their approving PC, and handing the role to another owner before time away.*

Online version: https://promptmason.ai/docs/primary-owner

Every team library has exactly one **primary owner**. You're also the primary owner of your own personal library.

## What only the primary owner can do

- Approve and decline PCs (see [Approve a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/approve-device))
- Remove people and PCs (see [Remove a person or a PC](https://promptmason.ai/docs/remove-someone))
- Change people's roles
- Rename the library and change what AI apps can do in it ([Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#rename-a-library))
- Invite people (the **Invite people** section in **Manage**)
- Put the library in a new folder if its folder is gone
- Delete the library for everyone
- Hand the primary owner role to another owner

Every other owner can export the library, import bundles into it, back it up and restore deleted items. Editors and readers can't change any of this. Anyone can keep editing whether the primary owner is around or not.

## Your approving PC

If you use PromptMason on more than one PC, only one of your PCs is the **approving PC** in each library you lead. It's the PC that approves changes to who is in the library. Only that PC approves, removes and changes roles and settings. In **Manage**, it's marked **Approving PC**.

On your other PCs, the same buttons tell you where to go, for example: "Do this from 38C5 - Alex's laptop, the PC that approves changes to who is in Acme Corp." If you click **Review** on a request from another PC, the window says "Approve this from 38C5 - Alex's laptop, the PC that approves changes to who is in Acme Corp." and has only a **Close** button.

![The Members list showing two of the owner's PCs, one marked as the approving PC.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/primary-owner-manage-approving-pc-marker.webp)

PCs are shown as their approval code's first four characters and the PC's name. To name a PC, go to **Settings → Libraries & sharing**, and type a name under **This PC’s name**.

### Make another of your PCs the approving PC

Only the current approving PC can hand the role on. So if you'll be away from it, for example traveling with your laptop while your desktop stays at the office, do this before you leave:

1. On your current approving PC, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**.
2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library.
3. Under **Members** (or **Your PCs** in your personal library), find the PC you'll have with you and click **Make [PC] the approving PC**.
4. Click **OK** to confirm.

Do it for each library you're the primary owner of.

### If your approving PC is lost or broken

Your recovery kit makes another of your PCs the approving one. This is one of the few times PromptMason asks for your kit.

1. On another of your PCs that's already in the library, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**.
2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library.
3. Under **Members** (or **Your PCs**), click **Make this PC the approving PC with your recovery kit**.
4. Under **Your recovery kit file**, choose your kit file, and under **Its code**, type its code.
5. Click **Make this the approving PC**.

If the old PC turns up later, it can't change who is in the library any more. If it was lost or stolen, now remove it: see [Lost or stolen PC or kit](https://promptmason.ai/docs/lost-device#one-pc-was-lost-or-stolen).

## Hand the role to another owner

Before planned time away, hand the role to another owner. It happens straight away.

1. On your approving PC, click **Settings** in the sidebar, then **Libraries & sharing**.
2. Under **Libraries**, click **Manage** next to the library.
3. Under **Members**, if the person isn't an owner yet, click the role next to their name and choose **Owner**. **Make primary owner** only shows next to owners. (If you're the only owner, **Manage** says: "To hand the primary owner role to someone, make them an owner first.")
4. Click **Make primary owner** next to their name.

    ![A member's row with the role set to Owner and a Make primary owner button.](https://promptmason.ai/images/docs/primary-owner-make-primary-owner-button.webp)

5. Click **OK** to confirm.

From then on they approve PCs and manage members and settings. Their first PC in the library becomes the approving PC. They can hand that role to another of their PCs as above. When you're back, they hand the role back to you the same way.

## If the primary owner is unexpectedly away

Only the primary owner can approve PCs, remove people or change roles and settings, and nobody else can take the role. If they're away without handing it over, those things wait until they're back. Editing carries on as normal. This is a known gap.

So hand the role over before planned time away, and keep your recovery kit somewhere you can reach.

If the primary owner is gone for good, an owner can start the library again. Export it with **Export [library]** under **Import and export** in **Manage**, create a new team library, import the export into it with **Import a bundle into [library]**, and invite everyone again. For the steps, see [Team libraries](https://promptmason.ai/docs/team-libraries#export-or-import-a-library).

## Leaving the role

The primary owner can't remove themselves from the library or stop being an owner: their own row in **Members** has no **Remove** button and no role menu. Hand the role to another owner first ([above](#hand-the-role-to-another-owner)). The new primary owner can then change your role or remove you.

## Want a hand?

Paste this prompt into Claude, ChatGPT or another AI assistant, together with this guide, to be walked through it step by step:

> I'm the primary owner of a team library in PromptMason and I'm going on vacation next week. Walk me through what I should hand over before I go, and how to take it back when I return.