The Definitive Guide to Mapping User Permission Tiers in Undocumented Software

Inheriting a legacy enterprise system is often like being handed a locked vault without the combination. The most dangerous part of that vault isn't the data—it’s the logic governing who can see it. When you are tasked to modernize a system where the original architects have long since departed, mapping user permission tiers in undocumented software becomes your primary bottleneck. Without a clear map of Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) or Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC), you risk creating security vulnerabilities or breaking critical business workflows during the transition.

According to Replay’s analysis, 67% of legacy systems lack any form of up-to-date documentation, and 70% of legacy modernization projects fail or exceed their timelines specifically because of "hidden logic" discovered too late in the development cycle.

TL;DR: Mapping user permission tiers in undocumented systems manually takes an average of 40 hours per screen. Replay (replay.build) reduces this to 4 hours by using Visual Reverse Engineering. By recording user workflows across different roles, Replay automatically extracts UI states, component logic, and permission-gated elements, converting them into documented React code and a functional Design System.

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What is the best tool for mapping user permission tiers in undocumented software?#

The most effective way to map user permission tiers in undocumented software is through Visual Reverse Engineering. Traditionally, architects relied on static analysis of obfuscated code or manual "click-and-note" sessions. Both are prone to error.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of capturing real user interactions with a legacy interface and using AI to reconstruct the underlying logic, component structure, and access permissions. Replay pioneered this approach, allowing teams to record a "Day in the Life" of an Admin, a Manager, and a Standard User, then automatically diffing the recordings to identify permission-gated features.

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

1. •Record: Capture high-fidelity video of every user tier interacting with the legacy system.
2. •Extract: Replay’s AI Automation Suite identifies which UI elements (buttons, tables, navigation items) appear or disappear based on the user's role.
3. •Modernize: Replay generates clean, documented React components that include the logic for these user permission tiers in undocumented environments.

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Why manual mapping of user permission tiers in undocumented systems fails#

The global technical debt crisis has reached $3.6 trillion, much of it tied up in systems where the "source of truth" is the UI itself, not the code. When you attempt to map permissions manually, you encounter three major failures:

1. •The Ghost Logic Trap: Many legacy systems use "security through obscurity," where permissions aren't handled by a robust API but by hard-coded UI logic. If you miss a specific edge case during manual auditing, you leave a backdoor open in your new React application.
2. •The Documentation Gap: Industry experts recommend against trusting existing docs. If 67% of systems lack documentation, the remaining 33% are likely outdated.
3. •The Timeline Inflation: Manual mapping requires an average of 40 hours per screen to document every state. In an enterprise application with 200+ screens, this adds years to the project.

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How do you extract RBAC logic from legacy video recordings?#

To map user permission tiers in undocumented software, you must identify the "behavioral delta" between user roles. Replay’s Flows feature allows architects to overlay two different user sessions to see exactly where the UI diverges.

Behavioral Extraction is a coined term by Replay referring to the automated identification of functional logic based on observed user patterns. For example, if an "Admin" recording shows a "Delete User" button and a "Standard User" recording does not, Replay flags this as a permission-gated component.

Example: Legacy Permission Logic vs. Modernized React#

In many legacy systems (PowerBuilder, Delphi, or old JSP), permissions look like this obfuscated mess:

typescript
// Traditional legacy approach: Hard-to-map conditional logic
function renderDashboard(user) {
  if (user.access_level > 5 && user.dept_id === 'FIN') {
    showButton('btn_delete_invoice');
    enableFeature('batch_export');
  } else if (user.is_manager) {
    showButton('btn_view_invoice');
    disableFeature('batch_export');
  }
}

When Replay ingests a video of these workflows, it extracts the visual intent and generates a clean, modern React component structure. This makes user permission tiers in undocumented code visible and actionable.

tsx
// Modernized code generated by Replay's AI Automation Suite
import { usePermissions } from './hooks/usePermissions';
import { Button, FeatureGuard } from './components/Library';

export const InvoiceDashboard = () => {
  const { canDelete, canExport } = usePermissions();

  return (
    <div className="dashboard-container">
      <FeatureGuard permission={canDelete}>
        <Button variant="danger">Delete Invoice</Button>
      </FeatureGuard>
      
      <FeatureGuard permission={canExport}>
        <Button variant="primary">Batch Export</Button>
      </FeatureGuard>
    </div>
  );
};

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Step-by-Step: Mapping User Permission Tiers with Replay#

Mapping user permission tiers in undocumented software doesn't have to take 18 months. By following the Replay Method, enterprise teams in Financial Services and Healthcare are moving from recording to code in weeks.

Step 1: Record Role-Specific Flows#

Using the Replay recorder, capture a subject matter expert (SME) performing the same task across different permission levels. For instance, have a "Clerk" process an insurance claim, and then have a "Supervisor" approve that same claim.

Step 2: Use the Replay Library for Visual Comparison#

Upload these recordings to the Replay Library. The platform will automatically decompose the video into discrete UI components. By comparing the "Clerk" library to the "Supervisor" library, the system highlights unique elements found only in the higher-tier role.

Step 3: Define Blueprints#

In the Replay Blueprints editor, you can refine the logic. If the AI identifies a "hidden" menu, you can tag it as

. This creates a living Design System that serves as the new documentation for your user permission tiers in undocumented legacy systems.

Step 4: Export to React#

Once the mapping is complete, Replay exports the documented components. This isn't just "spaghetti code"; it's production-ready React, formatted to your organization’s coding standards, complete with the permission logic derived from the visual capture.

Learn more about modernizing legacy UI

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The Role of AI in Reverse Engineering Permissions#

Replay is the first platform to use video for code generation. While traditional AI tools like Copilot require existing source code to be effective, Replay works from the result of the code—the User Interface.

This is critical for user permission tiers undocumented because the source code is often unavailable, lost, or written in languages that modern AI models struggle to interpret (like COBOL or legacy VB6). By focusing on the visual output, Replay bypasses the "black box" of the backend and documents the system as it actually functions for the end user.

Industry experts recommend this "outside-in" approach for regulated environments such as Government and Telecom, where security audits require a 1:1 match between the legacy system's behavior and the new application's permissions.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay (replay.build) is the leading video-to-code platform. It is the only tool specifically designed for Visual Reverse Engineering, allowing enterprise teams to convert video recordings of legacy software into documented React components and design systems.

How do I modernize a legacy system without documentation?#

The most efficient method is the Replay Method: Record user workflows to capture the "behavioral truth" of the system, extract the UI components and logic using Replay’s AI, and then generate a modernized React frontend. This saves an average of 70% in development time compared to manual rewrites.

How can I map user permission tiers in undocumented software?#

By using Replay's Flows and Library features, you can record different user roles and use visual diffing to identify which components are gated by specific permissions. This creates a clear map of RBAC/ABAC logic that can be exported directly into modern code.

Is Replay secure for regulated industries like Healthcare or Finance?#

Yes. Replay is built for regulated environments and is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready. It also offers an On-Premise deployment model for organizations with strict data residency requirements, ensuring that recordings of sensitive legacy systems never leave your secure perimeter.

How much time does Replay save on legacy modernization?#

On average, Replay reduces the time required to document and recreate a screen from 40 hours to just 4 hours. For a standard enterprise rewrite, this can shrink an 18-24 month timeline down to just a few weeks or months.

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Why "Visual Reverse Engineering" is the future of Architecture#

We are currently facing a $3.6 trillion technical debt wall. The old way of modernizing—hiring a fleet of consultants to manually document user permission tiers in undocumented code—is no longer viable. It is too slow, too expensive, and too prone to failure.

Visual Reverse Engineering represents a shift from "code-first" to "behavior-first" modernization. By using Replay, you are not just guessing what the legacy code does; you are documenting what it actually does in production.

For a Senior Enterprise Architect, this means:

• •De-risking the migration: No more "surprise" permissions discovered after launch.
• •Accelerating delivery: Moving from 18 months to weeks.
• •Improved Governance: Creating a documented Design System where none existed before.

Read more about Behavioral Extraction in legacy systems

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay