diff --git a/app/jobs/user_assignments/generate_user_assignments_job.rb b/app/jobs/user_assignments/generate_user_assignments_job.rb
index d3632cadc..884a940c2 100644
--- a/app/jobs/user_assignments/generate_user_assignments_job.rb
+++ b/app/jobs/user_assignments/generate_user_assignments_job.rb
@@ -46,9 +46,9 @@ module UserAssignments
     end
 
     def assign_users_to_protocol(protocol)
-      return unless protocol.in_repository_public?
+      return unless protocol.visible?
 
-      protocol.add_team_users_as_viewers!(@assigned_by)
+      protocol.create_public_user_assignments!(@assigned_by)
     end
 
     def assign_users_to_report(report)
diff --git a/app/models/protocol.rb b/app/models/protocol.rb
index a2d76bea5..69857803e 100644
--- a/app/models/protocol.rb
+++ b/app/models/protocol.rb
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ class Protocol < ApplicationRecord
   after_save :update_linked_children
   skip_callback :create, :after, :create_users_assignments, if: -> { in_module? }
 
+  enum visibility: { hidden: 0, visible: 1 }
   enum protocol_type: {
     unlinked: 0,
     linked: 1,
@@ -104,6 +105,9 @@ class Protocol < ApplicationRecord
              inverse_of: :protocols,
              optional: true
   belongs_to :team, inverse_of: :protocols
+  belongs_to :default_public_user_role,
+             class_name: 'UserRole',
+             optional: true
   belongs_to :previous_version,
              class_name: 'Protocol',
              inverse_of: :next_version,
@@ -653,11 +657,13 @@ class Protocol < ApplicationRecord
     steps.map(&:can_destroy?).all?
   end
 
-  def add_team_users_as_viewers!(assigned_by)
-    viewer_role = UserRole.find_predefined_viewer_role
-    team.user_assignments.where.not(user: assigned_by).find_each do |user_assignment|
-      new_user_assignment = UserAssignment.find_or_initialize_by(user: user_assignment.user, assignable: self)
-      new_user_assignment.user_role = viewer_role
+  def create_public_user_assignments!(assigned_by)
+    public_role = default_public_user_role || UserRole.find_predefined_viewer_role
+    team.user_assignments.where.not(user: assigned_by).find_each do |team_user_assignment|
+      new_user_assignment = user_assignments.find_or_initialize_by(user: team_user_assignment.user)
+      next if new_user_assignment.manually_assigned?
+
+      new_user_assignment.user_role = public_role
       new_user_assignment.assigned_by = assigned_by
       new_user_assignment.assigned = :automatically
       new_user_assignment.save!
@@ -667,11 +673,10 @@ class Protocol < ApplicationRecord
   private
 
   def update_user_assignments
-    case protocol_type
-    when 'in_repository_public'
-      assigned_by = protocol_type_was == 'in_repository_archived' && restored_by || added_by
-      add_team_users_as_viewers!(assigned_by)
-    when 'in_repository_private', 'in_repository_archived'
+    case visibility
+    when 'visible'
+      create_public_user_assignments!(added_by)
+    when 'hidden'
       automatic_user_assignments.where.not(user: added_by).destroy_all
     end
   end
diff --git a/db/migrate/20221125133611_add_protocol_versioning.rb b/db/migrate/20221125133611_add_protocol_versioning.rb
index c40119bcd..0d4a1a03a 100644
--- a/db/migrate/20221125133611_add_protocol_versioning.rb
+++ b/db/migrate/20221125133611_add_protocol_versioning.rb
@@ -3,20 +3,23 @@
 class AddProtocolVersioning < ActiveRecord::Migration[6.1]
   def up
     change_table :protocols, bulk: true do |t|
+      t.integer :visibility, index: true, default: 0
       t.boolean :archived, default: false, null: false, index: true
       t.integer :version_number, default: 1
       t.string :version_comment
+      t.references :default_public_user_role, foreign_key: { to_table: :user_roles }
       t.references :previous_version, index: true, foreign_key: { to_table: :protocols }
       t.references :last_modified_by, index: true, foreign_key: { to_table: :users }
       t.references :published_by, index: true, foreign_key: { to_table: :users }
     end
+
     execute(
       'UPDATE "protocols" SET "published_on" = "created_at", "published_by_id" = "added_by_id" ' \
       'WHERE "protocols"."protocol_type" IN (2, 4) ' \
       'AND "protocols"."published_on" IS NULL;'
     )
     execute(
-      'UPDATE "protocols" SET "published_by_id" = "added_by_id" ' \
+      'UPDATE "protocols" SET "published_by_id" = "added_by_id", "visibility" = 1 ' \
       'WHERE "protocols"."protocol_type" = 3;'
     )
     execute(
@@ -36,9 +39,11 @@ class AddProtocolVersioning < ActiveRecord::Migration[6.1]
       t.remove_references :published_by
       t.remove_references :last_modified_by
       t.remove_references :previous_version
+      t.remove_references :default_public_user_role
       t.remove :version_comment
       t.remove :version_number
       t.remove :archived
+      t.remove :visibility
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/db/structure.sql b/db/structure.sql
index 75a507cb7..ab97630d7 100644
--- a/db/structure.sql
+++ b/db/structure.sql
@@ -1372,9 +1372,11 @@ CREATE TABLE public.protocols (
     updated_at timestamp without time zone NOT NULL,
     published_on timestamp without time zone,
     nr_of_linked_children integer DEFAULT 0,
+    visibility integer DEFAULT 0,
     archived boolean DEFAULT false NOT NULL,
     version_number integer DEFAULT 1,
     version_comment character varying,
+    default_public_user_role_id bigint,
     previous_version_id bigint,
     last_modified_by_id bigint,
     published_by_id bigint
@@ -5585,6 +5587,13 @@ CREATE INDEX index_protocols_on_archived_by_id ON public.protocols USING btree (
 CREATE INDEX index_protocols_on_authors ON public.protocols USING gin (public.trim_html_tags(authors) public.gin_trgm_ops);
 
 
+--
+-- Name: index_protocols_on_default_public_user_role_id; Type: INDEX; Schema: public; Owner: -
+--
+
+CREATE INDEX index_protocols_on_default_public_user_role_id ON public.protocols USING btree (default_public_user_role_id);
+
+
 --
 -- Name: index_protocols_on_description; Type: INDEX; Schema: public; Owner: -
 --
@@ -5655,6 +5664,13 @@ CREATE INDEX index_protocols_on_restored_by_id ON public.protocols USING btree (
 CREATE INDEX index_protocols_on_team_id ON public.protocols USING btree (team_id);
 
 
+--
+-- Name: index_protocols_on_visibility; Type: INDEX; Schema: public; Owner: -
+--
+
+CREATE INDEX index_protocols_on_visibility ON public.protocols USING btree (visibility);
+
+
 --
 -- Name: index_report_elements_on_asset_id; Type: INDEX; Schema: public; Owner: -
 --
@@ -7298,6 +7314,14 @@ ALTER TABLE ONLY public.repository_stock_unit_items
     ADD CONSTRAINT fk_rails_4c20ff4c1f FOREIGN KEY (last_modified_by_id) REFERENCES public.users(id);
 
 
+--
+-- Name: protocols fk_rails_4c4d4f815a; Type: FK CONSTRAINT; Schema: public; Owner: -
+--
+
+ALTER TABLE ONLY public.protocols
+    ADD CONSTRAINT fk_rails_4c4d4f815a FOREIGN KEY (default_public_user_role_id) REFERENCES public.user_roles(id);
+
+
 --
 -- Name: repository_status_values fk_rails_4cf67f9f1e; Type: FK CONSTRAINT; Schema: public; Owner: -
 --