Summary
Add a configurable custom help URL to the Pritunl administrator interface. When configured, the URL would be included in user profile emails sent by Pritunl.
Proposed Interface
Add the following setting under the existing email or SMTP settings:
Need Help URL
[________________________________________]
Example:
https://vpn.example.com/help
The field should accept a fully qualified URL using HTTPS.
Proposed Email Behavior
When the field contains a URL, Pritunl should add a short help section to emails containing user profile links.
Example:
Need help installing the VPN client or importing your profile?
[View VPN Setup Instructions]
The button or hyperlink would direct the user to the configured URL.
When the field is empty, the help section should not appear, and Pritunl should retain its current email behavior.
Requirements
- Configurable globally through the Pritunl administrator UI.
- Accept a fully qualified HTTPS URL.
- Validate the URL before saving.
- Include the link in both HTML and plain-text versions of user profile emails.
- Open the help page in a new browser tab when supported.
- Do not expose internal administrative URLs or credentials.
- Do not change the generation, permissions, or expiration of the existing temporary profile links.
- Preserve the setting during upgrades.
- Optionally allow the link text to be customized in a future release.
Use Case
Organizations frequently maintain their own VPN onboarding documentation containing:
- Pritunl client installation instructions.
- Profile import instructions.
- Mobile device instructions.
- Multi-factor authentication guidance.
- Screenshots.
- Troubleshooting procedures.
- Help desk contact information.
Pritunl currently sends the security-sensitive, temporary profile links the user needs, but organizations must send a separate email containing installation instructions. Adding one configurable help link would allow the existing Pritunl email to provide the complete onboarding path without requiring administrators to modify Pritunl’s source code or maintain a separate manual email process.
Security Considerations
The custom URL should be treated only as an informational link. It should not receive the temporary profile URL as a query parameter, referrer value, or other transmitted data.
Pritunl should continue generating and delivering temporary profile links exactly as it does today.