Custom header menu (sp_instance_menu) visible to admin but not to consumer users.

[SpoortiM]

Hi Team,

I have created a custom header menu for a Customer Service Portal  using the Instance with menu table. The header menu is currently visible to admin users but not to consumer users. Earlier, the same menu was visible to everyone, including consumers, and no intentional role restrictions were added.

The issue persists only for consumer users. I would like to understand what could cause a header menu to suddenly stop appearing for consumers and whether there are any caching, role, session, or portal-level factors that could affect visibility for non-admin users.

[vaishali231]

hey @SpoortiM 

This usually happens due to visibility checks being evaluated differently for consumer users vs admins, even when no intentional restriction was added. Admin users can still see the menu because they bypass many role, ACL, and criteria checks.

Here are the most common things to verify

1. Roles on the menu and menu items
Check the Instance with Menu record and all related Menu Items.
If the Roles field has any value (even one added accidentally), consumers won’t see it. Admins will.

2. User Criteria
If any User Criteria is applied to the menu or menu items, make sure it includes consumer users.
Many criteria rely on internal user attributes or roles, which consumers usually don’t have.

3. Portal header menu mapping
Open the Customer Service Portal record and confirm the Header menu field still points to the correct menu. This can sometimes get reset during updates or plugin changes.

4. Condition scripts on menu items
Review menu item conditions for checks like

gs.hasRole()

internal user fields

employee-based logic

These conditions often return true for admins but fail for consumers.

5. ACL changes
Verify there are no new or modified ACLs on:

sp_instance_menu

sp_rectangle_menu_item

Consumers must have read access, or the menu won’t render at all.

6. Cache issues
Service Portal menus are heavily cached.
Try:

cache.do

Flush all caches

Test with a consumer user in an incognito window

7. Consumer context differences
Consumer users run in a restricted context. Any logic assuming internal users (company, department, roles) can cause the menu to disappear only for them.

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If this response helps, please mark it as Accept as Solution and Helpful.
Doing so helps others in the community and encourages me to keep contributing.

Regards
Vaishali Singh

[SpoortiM]

Thank You @vaishali231 
I did not change any ACLs recently. Interestingly, when I added the same header menu to other portals, it displays correctly for consumers there.