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Srijan Kumar
Srijan Kumar

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AI Project Manager with Auth0 for AI Agents

#devchallenge #auth0challenge #ai #authentication

Auth0 for AI Agents Challenge Submission

This is a submission for the Auth0 for AI Agents Challenge

What I Built

AI Project Manager is a secure, enterprise-ready agentic AI application that demonstrates how to build production-grade AI agents with proper authentication, authorization, and API access control using Auth0 for AI Agents.

Demo

How I Used Auth0 for AI Agents

This project leverages all four pillars of Auth0 for AI Agents to create a comprehensive security layer:

1. 🔐 Universal Login (User Authentication)

Implementation:

// client/js/auth0-spa-client.js const auth0Client = await createAuth0Client({ domain: 'genai-8649882471415737.us.auth0.com', clientId: 'A7kUmty4eQnifEG9zjRjTaAa3wjWTzyO', authorizationParams: { redirect_uri: window.location.origin + '/callback', audience: 'https://api.ai-project-manager.com', scope: 'openid profile email read:projects write:projects manage:calendar' } });
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2. 🔑 Token Vault (Secure API Access)

Implementation:

// Server-side token retrieval app.get('/api/tokens/:service', jwtCheck, async (req, res) => { const { service } = req.params; const userId = req.auth.sub; const token = await tokenVault.getToken(userId, service); res.json({ token, service }); }); // AI agent uses managed tokens async function getCalendarEvents() { const { token } = await makeAuthenticatedRequest('/api/tokens/google-calendar'); const events = await googleCalendar.getEvents(token); return events; }
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3. 🛡️ Fine-Grained Authorization (FGA)

Implementation:

// Check permissions before AI agent actions const permissions = await getUserPermissions(userId); if (!permissions.includes('manage:projects')) { throw new Error('Unauthorized'); } // FGA permission check before RAG retrieval const { allowed } = await fgaClient.check({ user: `user:${userId}`, relation: 'viewer', object: 'document:sensitive-project-data' }); if (allowed) { const context = await retrieveFromVectorDB('sensitive-project-data'); const response = await llm.generate({ context, prompt }); return response; } else { return "Access denied: You don't have permission to view this document."; }
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4. ⏳ Asynchronous Authorization

Implementation:

// Request async approval for critical operation app.post('/api/async-approval', jwtCheck, async (req, res) => { const { action, details } = req.body; const userId = req.auth.sub; // Initiate CIBA flow const authReqId = await cibaClient.initiateAuth({ login_hint: userId, binding_message: `Approve: ${action}`, user_code: generateUserCode() }); res.json({ auth_req_id: authReqId, status: 'pending', message: 'Check your authenticator app to approve this action' }); }); // AI agent waits for approval async function deleteAllProjects() { const approval = await requestAsyncApproval('delete_all_projects'); if (approval.approved) { await deleteProjects(); return 'Projects deleted successfully'; } return 'Operation cancelled by user'; }
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Lessons Learned and Takeaways

1. Auth0 SPA SDK vs. Regular Web Application

  • Challenge: Initial setup used "Regular Web Application" type, causing client secret exposure and redirect issues
  • Solution: Switched to "Single Page Application" type and removed client-side secret handling
  • Lesson: Always use the correct Auth0 application type for your architecture. SPAs require different security patterns than server-rendered apps.

2. Token Vault Integration Complexity

  • Challenge: Managing OAuth flows for multiple third-party services (Google, Slack) while keeping tokens secure
  • Solution: Centralized token management through Auth0 Token Vault with server-side token retrieval
  • Lesson: Token Vault eliminates the need to implement custom OAuth handlers for each service, dramatically reducing security surface area.

3. FGA Performance at Scale

  • Challenge: Permission checks on every RAG document retrieval could become a bottleneck
  • Solution: Implemented caching strategy with TTL-based invalidation and bulk permission checks
  • Lesson: FGA authorization checks are fast (~10-50ms), but strategic caching can reduce latency for high-throughput applications.

4. Async Authorization UX Design

  • Challenge: Making asynchronous approval flows intuitive without blocking the user
  • Solution: Real-time status updates, clear messaging, and timeout handling
  • Lesson: Async auth is powerful but requires careful UX design. Users need clear feedback on pending approvals and fallback options.

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