WorkOS AuthKit
AuthKit as MCP authorization server plus Agent Registration for programmatic identity
WorkOS AuthKit can act as a spec-compatible OAuth authorization server for an MCP resource server: Client ID Metadata Document (CIMD), resource indicators (RFC 8707), protected-resource metadata, and audience-bound access tokens. Your MCP server verifies tokens issued for itself and points clients at AuthKit via standardized metadata. Agent Registration is a separate surface for programmatic clients: anonymous or service_auth registration, an optional claim ceremony that binds an agent to a user, then assertion exchange for a short-lived access token or API key with act/delegation claims. Agent Registration must be enabled per environment (contact the WorkOS account team if it is not available). Cross App Access is marked early access on the MCP docs — do not treat it as GA. Complementary to /playbooks/agent-credential-architectures/ and /playbooks/agent-identity-kya/. Primaries: https://workos.com/docs/authkit/mcp and https://workos.com/docs/authkit/agent-auth.
Use Cases
- Delegate MCP authorization to AuthKit so the resource server only verifies tokens and decides what the bearer may do
- Enable CIMD (off by default) and register MCP server URLs as Resource Indicators in the WorkOS Dashboard
- Register a programmatic agent as anonymous or service_auth, then run the claim ceremony to bind it to a user
- Exchange an identity assertion for a short-lived access token or API key with act/delegation claims
- Note Cross App Access as early access — contact WorkOS to enable; do not ship it as generally available
Key Features
MCP authorization server
AuthKit provides the OAuth endpoints MCP clients use (authorize, token, registration, JWKS, introspection). The MCP server verifies access tokens and serves /.well-known/oauth-protected-resource metadata. CIMD is off by default and should be enabled under Connect → Configuration.
Resource indicators and audience binding
Add each MCP endpoint URL as a Resource Indicator. Access tokens carry an aud claim matching the requested resource. A default Resource Indicator can cover clients that omit the resource parameter. Wildcard indicators (hostname or final path segment) are documented for preview hosts and MCP gateways.
Agent Registration (per-environment enablement)
Must be enabled for the environment; contact the WorkOS account team if it is not yet available. Identity types: anonymous (optional claim), service_auth (required claim), refresh. Agents discover endpoints via protected-resource metadata and an agent_auth block on the authorization-server document.
Claim ceremony and credential exchange
The claim ceremony binds a registration to a user (device-code style: verification URI, user_code, then complete). The agent then exchanges the identity assertion at the token endpoint for an access token or API key. Access tokens may include an act claim (RFC 8693 delegation) after a successful claim. Credential type and lifetime are configured per environment in the Dashboard.
Cross App Access (early access)
MCP Auth with AuthKit supports ID-JAG token exchange. Cross App Access is early access — reach out to WorkOS to enable it. Docs state it is not currently supported with Standalone MCP Auth. Do not invent GA status or pricing for this row.