• We provide a typology of communities based on their access to common-pool resources • The influence of capitals and climatic shocks on livelihoods is spatially variable • The type of community modifies livelihood opportunities and coping strategies • Climatic shocks drive precarious livelihoods, except in best-connected communities
• We advocate for the separation of community capitals from household livelihood capitals to characterise rural livelihoods • We observed spatial variability in access to common-pool resources and private assets affecting livelihoods in rural India • Workforce availability and access to community natural resources increase with remoteness • Access to community natural capital is negatively associated with access to community infrastructures • Households make trade-offs between natural and financial assets to meet their needs and mediate vulnerabilities.