diff --git a/components/dashboard/src/projects/NewProject.tsx b/components/dashboard/src/projects/NewProject.tsx
index c4e711f76c5455..61eb33c720ce09 100644
--- a/components/dashboard/src/projects/NewProject.tsx
+++ b/components/dashboard/src/projects/NewProject.tsx
@@ -45,6 +45,14 @@ export default function NewProject() {
                 setProvider("github.com");
             }
         }
+        if (user) {
+            if (!user?.rolesOrPermissions?.includes('teams-and-projects')) {
+                (async () => {
+                    setUser(await getGitpodService().server.getLoggedInUser());
+                })();
+
+            }
+        }
     }, [user]);
 
     useEffect(() => {
@@ -84,6 +92,13 @@ export default function NewProject() {
         (async () => {
             updateOrgsState();
             const repos = await updateReposInAccounts();
+
+            { // automatically enable T&P
+                if (!user?.rolesOrPermissions?.includes('teams-and-projects')) {
+                    setUser(await getGitpodService().server.getLoggedInUser());
+                }
+            }
+
             const first = repos[0];
             if (first) {
                 setSelectedAccount(first.account);
diff --git a/components/dashboard/src/teams/JoinTeam.tsx b/components/dashboard/src/teams/JoinTeam.tsx
index 7dc0dbd0484b6e..15870986a7971c 100644
--- a/components/dashboard/src/teams/JoinTeam.tsx
+++ b/components/dashboard/src/teams/JoinTeam.tsx
@@ -7,10 +7,12 @@
 import { useContext, useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { useHistory } from "react-router-dom";
 import { getGitpodService } from "../service/service";
+import { UserContext } from "../user-context";
 import { TeamsContext } from "./teams-context";
 
 export default function() {
     const { setTeams } = useContext(TeamsContext);
+    const { user, setUser } = useContext(UserContext);
     const history = useHistory();
 
     const [ joinError, setJoinError ] = useState<Error>();
@@ -25,6 +27,13 @@ export default function() {
                 const team = await getGitpodService().server.joinTeam(inviteId);
                 const teams = await getGitpodService().server.getTeams();
                 setTeams(teams);
+
+                { // automatically enable T&P
+                    if (!user?.rolesOrPermissions?.includes('teams-and-projects')) {
+                        setUser(await getGitpodService().server.getLoggedInUser());
+                    }
+                }
+
                 history.push(`/${team.slug}/members`);
             } catch (error) {
                 console.error(error);
diff --git a/components/server/ee/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts b/components/server/ee/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts
index 4666e6cbb60de0..677132fef0bfc3 100644
--- a/components/server/ee/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts
+++ b/components/server/ee/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts
@@ -1499,6 +1499,8 @@ export class GitpodServerEEImpl extends GitpodServerImpl<GitpodClient, GitpodSer
         const cloneUrlsInUse = new Set(projects.map(p => p.cloneUrl));
         repositories.forEach(r => { r.inUse = cloneUrlsInUse.has(r.cloneUrl) });
 
+        await this.ensureTeamsEnabled();
+
         return repositories;
     }
 
diff --git a/components/server/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts b/components/server/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts
index 1268ad5404b9f4..83a0538d941b36 100644
--- a/components/server/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts
+++ b/components/server/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts
@@ -1427,9 +1427,22 @@ export class GitpodServerImpl<Client extends GitpodClient, Server extends Gitpod
         }
         await this.teamDB.addMemberToTeam(user.id, invite.teamId);
         const team = await this.teamDB.findTeamById(invite.teamId);
+
+        await this.ensureTeamsEnabled();
+
         return team!;
     }
 
+    protected async ensureTeamsEnabled() {
+        if (this.user && !this.user?.rolesOrPermissions?.includes('teams-and-projects')) {
+            this.user.rolesOrPermissions = [...(this.user.rolesOrPermissions || []), 'teams-and-projects'];
+            await this.userDB.updateUserPartial({
+                id: this.user.id,
+                rolesOrPermissions: this.user.rolesOrPermissions
+            })
+        }
+    }
+
     public async setTeamMemberRole(teamId: string, userId: string, role: TeamMemberRole): Promise<void> {
         this.checkAndBlockUser("setTeamMemberRole");
         await this.guardTeamOperation(teamId, "update");