Description

Currently in Confluence Cloud, when a user who does not have space-level access attempts to access a page that has no page-level restrictions, the following behavior is observed:

• The user is initially shown the message:
  “You’ve stumbled on restricted content”
• After a brief delay (1–2 seconds), the screen redirects to the correct message:
  “You don’t have access to this space”

Although this transition happens quickly, the temporary appearance of a page restriction error is misleading and may confuse users.

Customer Concerns

• It leads users to believe that the page itself has restricted permissions when in fact the issue is space-level access.
• Some users may click the “Request access” button while the page restriction message is visible, which triggers unnecessary access requests to the page creator — even though that request cannot resolve the issue because the user still lacks space access.
• This behavior causes confusion for end-users and operational overhead for space administrators and content owners.

Suggested Features

Ensure that only the correct message is shown, based on access logic:

• If the user lacks space-level access, show only the message:
  **“You don’t have access to this space”
• Avoid displaying the “You’ve stumbled on restricted content” screen, even briefly, when the page itself has no restrictions.

Expected Outcome

• A more consistent and accurate UI experience
• Reduced confusion and incorrect access requests
• Improved confidence in system behavior for customers managing large internal documentation spaces

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a page with *no restrictions* inside a space (Space A).
2. As a user who does *not have access* to Space A, attempt to access the page via direct URL.
3. Observe:

• For a moment, the user sees “You’ve stumbled on restricted content”.
• Then the screen changes to “You don’t have access to this space”.
  4. User may click "Request access" during the initial view — a misleading action.

Business Impact

• Triggers false access requests that cannot be fulfilled
• Creates unnecessary confusion for users and extra work for admins
• Undermines trust in access behavior messaging