How to Let AI Agents Sign Up for Your App Safely — Isabelle Williams, WorkOS
Summary
This presentation details the architectural requirements for building applications that safely and securely support AI agents as primary users. The speaker outlines three critical areas: establishing an open protocol for agent access (`auth.md`), enabling seamless user onboarding via identity assertions (ID-JAG), and enforcing granular control over agent capabilities using scoped tokens. The core message is that adopting open standards is essential for managing the compliance and financial risks associated with autonomous agents.
Key takeaways
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Open Protocol for Agent Access (auth.md)
Applications should implement an open protocol, `auth.md`, which serves as a discovery mechanism for agents to understand how to register for accounts, get access, and call user APIs. This protocol defines the mechanisms for agent interaction, separate from human user flows.
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Seamless Agent Onboarding via ID-JAG
7:30
To eliminate manual sign-up friction, agents should use Identity Assertion Joined Authorization Grant (ID-JAG). This IETF spec allows an agent provider (the issuer) to vouch for the user's identity (name, verified email) and send this assertion to the application's authorization server, enabling account creation or linking without user interaction.
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Limiting and Revoking Agent Actions
For enterprise applications handling sensitive functions (like financial transactions), agents must operate using dedicated, scoped agent tokens, not the user's primary token. This allows the application to enforce a 'ceiling of access' (the agent blueprint), ensuring that the agent's permissions are the intersection of the user's permissions and the defined scope, enabling auditing and revocation.
Technical details
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auth.md Protocol
120s
This open markdown file acts as the front door for agents, describing the mechanisms for account registration and API access. It supports two modes: anonymous testing and linking agent actions back to a real user account via a claim token.
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ID-JAG (Identity Assertion Joined Authorization Grant)
450s
A standardized IETF protocol used for authentication. It is an assertion of a user's identity, signed by an agent provider (the issuer), and sent to the application's authorization server. The server verifies the signature and determines if an account should be created or linked, granting an access token to the agent on behalf of the user.
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Scoped Agent Tokens
To maintain security and auditability, agents must receive tokens that are scoped. The effective permissions granted to the agent are the intersection of the user's permissions and the predefined 'agent blueprint' (the ceiling of access). This allows the application to revoke the agent's access without impacting the user's primary session.
Mentioned resources
- auth.md
- ID-JAG
Channel & topics
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