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Event Claim QR (Self-Claim at Events)

Let attendees self-claim a badge at a live event by scanning a QR code — no manual data entry from you, and no accounts required to start. Each badge has one reusable QR; you open short time-bound windows during which anyone who scans can claim.

No plan requirement

Event claim QR is not tier-gated — it's available on every plan (Free, Professional, Enterprise). Normal issuance rules (monthly quota, duplicate handling) still apply.

When to use it

  • Workshops, meetups, conference talks — put the QR on your closing slide and open a 5–10 minute window.
  • Booths and training sessions — reuse the same QR across the day, opening a fresh window for each cohort.
  • Anywhere you'd otherwise collect a spreadsheet of emails and issue later.

Prerequisites

  • Your organization is approved with signing keys generated. Until both are true, the Create QR code and Enable QR buttons are disabled with a link to your organization settings.
  • You have at least the Issuer role (Owner / Admin / Issuer).
  • You have headroom in your monthly recipient quota.

How it works

The feature has two parts:

  1. A stable QR — one per badge. It encodes a public claim URL (/claim/{token}). The image never changes, so you can print it, put it on a slide, or share it once and reuse it forever.
  2. Claim windows — the QR only works while a window is open. You choose how long (whole minutes, 1–60, default 60). When the window ends, the QR goes dormant until you open the next one.

This "stable QR + short windows" design means a photo of your slide can't be claimed against after your session ends.

Step-by-step (issuer)

  1. Open the badge detail page (/organizations/{orgId}/badges/{badgeId}).
  2. In Quick Actions, click Event claim QR.
  3. First time only: click Create QR code. This generates the stable QR for the badge.
  4. Pick a duration and click Enable QR. The QR turns "live" and a countdown starts.
  5. Show the QR (or share the Copy link URL). Attendees scan and claim while the window is open.
  6. When you're done, either let the window expire on its own or click Disable now to end it early.

To run another session later, just open the panel again and click Enable QR — the same QR/URL is reused.

What the attendee sees

Scanning the QR opens a mobile-first public claim page showing your organization logo, the badge, and a short form:

  1. Enter name and email.
  2. Submit → a success screen confirms the badge is on its way.
  3. They receive the standard issuance email with a View & Verify link, exactly like any other credential.

No account is required to claim. Claiming twice with the same email during a window is idempotent — it won't create a duplicate.

If someone scans while no window is open (or after it's disabled/expired), they see a friendly "claiming isn't open right now" message instead of the form.

Issuance rules still apply

A self-claim goes through the same issuance pipeline as a manual issue, so:

  • The monthly recipient quota is respected.
  • Duplicate / renewal handling is identical (expired → renews, active non-expiring → skipped, revoked → replaced). See Issuing Credentials.
  • The credential is a fully-signed, verifiable Open Badges 3.0 credential.

Managing an active window

While a window is live the panel shows:

  • A countdown to expiry.
  • A running issued count for the current window.
  • Disable now — ends the window immediately (the QR goes dormant).

Kill switch & rotation

For the badge's QR as a whole:

Action What it does When to use
Void QR Disables the entire QR. The current link stops working immediately (any open window is ended too). Recoverable. You want to turn the QR off entirely between events.
Reactivate Clears the void and keeps the same token/URL. You voided it and now want the same printed QR to work again.
Rotate QR Issues a new token — the old link dies permanently. The link leaked, or you want to invalidate previously shared QRs.

Void vs. Disable now

Disable now ends the current window (the QR still exists and can be re-enabled). Void disables the whole QR until you reactivate or rotate it.

Audit & history

The panel keeps an audit trail:

  • Recent windows — each activation with its duration, when it opened, when it ended (or "early" if you disabled it), and how many credentials were issued.
  • An all-time issued total across every window.
  • Per-window drill-down — expand any window to see exactly who claimed in it (name, email, credential status, and a verify link).

Every claim attempt is also logged server-side (non-blocking) for security and support.

Security notes

  • The QR token is high-entropy and badge-scoped — it only ever allows self-claiming this one badge, and only while a window is open. It is not an API key and grants no access to your organization or its API.
  • Because a QR is meant to be seen by a room, treat it as public. If a link is over-shared, Rotate it to invalidate the old one.
  • There are no per-IP throttles or claim caps in the current version; use short windows and the kill switch to stay in control.

Common questions

  • Can I run two windows at once? No — one active window per badge at a time. Open the next when the first ends.
  • Can attendees claim after my talk? Only if a window is open. Disable it (or let it expire) and the QR goes dormant.
  • Does it count scans? No — only successful issues are recorded, not scans or views.

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