# Access

Time-based access is **binary** at the session level — at any moment a user either has access or they don't. tiun signals this to your app through two events: **`paywallShow`** and **`paywallHide`**.

***

## Paywall events

| Event             | Meaning                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **`paywallShow`** | The user should **not** see paid content. Either there's no active session, the session ended, payment failed, or your integration has explicitly paused access. Render the paywall or locked state. |
| **`paywallHide`** | The user **has** access. The billing session is Active. Reveal premium UI.                                                                                                                           |

These map directly to session state — see [Sessions](/reference/time-based/sessions.md) for the Locked / Active / Ended lifecycle. `paywallHide` corresponds to entering Active; `paywallShow` corresponds to leaving it.

***

## What the `paywallHide` payload includes

When access is granted, the `paywallHide` event payload includes a **`sessionId`**. Use it when you need to verify the session on your backend before serving premium content — see [Verify sessions server-side](/guides/time-based-billing/verify-sessions-server-side.md).

```javascript
tiun.on('paywallHide', (data) => {
  console.log('Session is active:', data.sessionId);
  showPremiumContent();
});

tiun.on('paywallShow', () => {
  hidePremiumContent();
  showPaywall();
});
```

***

## Where to go next

* For UI gating patterns and metering with `setContent()`, see [Protecting content](/reference/time-based/protecting-content.md).
* For the full event payload spec, see [SDK events](/sdk/reference/events.md).


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.tiun.io/reference/time-based/access.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.