diff --git a/addons/api/mirage/factories/channel-recording.js b/addons/api/mirage/factories/channel-recording.js
index 75ad07dcc..639e15448 100644
--- a/addons/api/mirage/factories/channel-recording.js
+++ b/addons/api/mirage/factories/channel-recording.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 import factory from '../generated/factories/channel-recording';
 import generateId from '../helpers/id';
 import { faker } from '@faker-js/faker';
+import { MIME_TYPE_ASCIICAST } from 'api/models/channel-recording';
 
 export default factory.extend({
   id: () => generateId('chr_'),
@@ -14,4 +15,5 @@ export default factory.extend({
   },
   end_time: (i) => (i % 3 === 2 ? null : faker.date.recent()),
   duration: (i) => (i % 3 === 2 ? null : `${faker.datatype.number()}s`),
+  mime_types: (i) => (i % 3 === 2 ? null : [MIME_TYPE_ASCIICAST]),
 });
diff --git a/addons/api/mirage/generated/factories/channel-recording.js b/addons/api/mirage/generated/factories/channel-recording.js
index 27ea5539f..4c6446150 100644
--- a/addons/api/mirage/generated/factories/channel-recording.js
+++ b/addons/api/mirage/generated/factories/channel-recording.js
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 
 import { Factory } from 'miragejs';
 import { faker } from '@faker-js/faker';
-import { MIME_TYPE_ASCIICAST } from 'api/models/channel-recording';
 
 /**
  * GeneratedChannelRecordingModelFactory
@@ -16,5 +15,4 @@ export default Factory.extend({
   bytes_down: () =>
     faker.random.numeric(faker.datatype.number({ min: 1, max: 12 })),
   errors: () => faker.datatype.number({ max: 10 }),
-  mime_types: () => [MIME_TYPE_ASCIICAST],
 });
diff --git a/ui/admin/app/abilities/channel-recording.js b/ui/admin/app/abilities/channel-recording.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2ef34e93b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/admin/app/abilities/channel-recording.js
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) HashiCorp, Inc.
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+ */
+
+import ChannelRecordingAbility from 'api/abilities/channel-recording';
+import { inject as service } from '@ember/service';
+
+export default class OverrideChannelRecordingAbility extends ChannelRecordingAbility {
+  // =service
+  @service features;
+
+  /**
+   * returns true if session recording is completed and the channel
+   * has the correct mime type
+   */
+  get canPlay() {
+    const { session_recording } = this.model.connection_recording;
+    return session_recording.isAvailable && this.model.isAsciicast;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * returns true if session recording is completed and the channel
+   * is not the correct mime type
+   */
+  get canViewOnly() {
+    const { session_recording } = this.model.connection_recording;
+    return session_recording.isAvailable && !this.model.isAsciicast;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/ui/admin/app/templates/scopes/scope/session-recordings/session-recording/channels-by-connection/index.hbs b/ui/admin/app/templates/scopes/scope/session-recordings/session-recording/channels-by-connection/index.hbs
index c6196ddc4..f8ef17c66 100644
--- a/ui/admin/app/templates/scopes/scope/session-recordings/session-recording/channels-by-connection/index.hbs
+++ b/ui/admin/app/templates/scopes/scope/session-recordings/session-recording/channels-by-connection/index.hbs
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@
                         </Copyable>
                       </B.Td>
                       <B.Td align='right'>
-                        {{#if @model.sessionRecording.isAvailable}}
+                        {{#if (can 'play channel-recording' B.data)}}
                           <Hds::Button
                             @icon='play'
                             @color='secondary'
@@ -136,6 +136,15 @@
                             @route='scopes.scope.session-recordings.session-recording.channels-by-connection.channel'
                             @model={{B.data.id}}
                           />
+                        {{else if (can 'viewOnly channel-recording' B.data)}}
+                          <Hds::Button
+                            @icon='arrow-right'
+                            @iconPosition='trailing'
+                            @color='secondary'
+                            @text={{t 'actions.view'}}
+                            @route='scopes.scope.session-recordings.session-recording.channels-by-connection.channel'
+                            @model={{B.data.id}}
+                          />
                         {{/if}}
                       </B.Td>
                     </B.Tr>
diff --git a/ui/admin/tests/unit/abilities/channel-recording-test.js b/ui/admin/tests/unit/abilities/channel-recording-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8e0b49f5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/admin/tests/unit/abilities/channel-recording-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) HashiCorp, Inc.
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+ */
+
+import { module, test } from 'qunit';
+import { setupTest } from 'ember-qunit';
+import { STATE_SESSION_RECORDING_AVAILABLE } from 'api/models/session-recording';
+import { MIME_TYPE_ASCIICAST } from 'api/models/channel-recording';
+
+module('Unit | Abilities | channel-recording', function (hooks) {
+  setupTest(hooks);
+
+  let canService;
+  let store;
+  let sessionRecording;
+  let connectionRecording;
+  let asciicastChannel;
+  let noneAsciicastChannel;
+
+  hooks.beforeEach(function () {
+    canService = this.owner.lookup('service:can');
+    store = this.owner.lookup('service:store');
+
+    sessionRecording = store.createRecord('session-recording', {
+      state: STATE_SESSION_RECORDING_AVAILABLE,
+    });
+    connectionRecording = store.createRecord('connection-recording', {
+      session_recording: sessionRecording,
+    });
+    asciicastChannel = store.createRecord('channel-recording', {
+      mime_types: [MIME_TYPE_ASCIICAST],
+      connection_recording: connectionRecording,
+    });
+    noneAsciicastChannel = store.createRecord('channel-recording', {
+      mime_types: null,
+      connection_recording: connectionRecording,
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('returns true if session recording complete and channel mime type is asciicast', function (assert) {
+    assert.expect(2);
+
+    assert.true(canService.can('play channel-recording', asciicastChannel));
+    assert.false(
+      canService.can('play channel-recording', noneAsciicastChannel)
+    );
+  });
+
+  test('returns false if session recording complete and channel mime type is not asciicast', function (assert) {
+    assert.expect(2);
+
+    assert.true(
+      canService.can('viewOnly channel-recording', noneAsciicastChannel)
+    );
+    assert.false(
+      canService.can('viewOnly channel-recording', asciicastChannel)
+    );
+  });
+});