Progressive Authorization

Progressive authorization allows users to authorize apps incrementally, rather than all at once. This improves UX by only requesting access when tools actually need it.

How It Works

Configuration

Enable progressive auth with local mode:

@FrontMcp({
  info: { name: 'MyServer', version: '1.0.0' },
  auth: {
    mode: 'local',
    consent: { enabled: true }, // Enable consent UI
  },
  apps: [SlackApp, GitHubApp, CrmApp],
})
export class Server {}

Authorization Hierarchy

Progressive auth operates at three levels:

Token Vault

The token vault stores per-app credentials and expands as users authorize more apps:

Initial State

Session Token: user-123Vault:

CRM: Authorized

After Slack Auth

Session Token: user-123 (same)Vault:

CRM: Authorized
Slack: Authorized

After GitHub Auth

Session Token: user-123 (same)Vault:

CRM: Authorized
Slack: Authorized
GitHub: Authorized

The session token remains the same. Only the token vault expands with new app credentials.

Authorization Response

When a tool requires unauthorized access, FrontMCP returns:

{
  "error": "authorization_required",
  "code": "AUTH_REQUIRED",
  "app": "slack",
  "tool": "slack:send_message",
  "required_scopes": ["chat:write"],
  "auth_url": "https://my-server/oauth/authorize?app=slack&scope=chat:write",
  "message": "Slack authorization required",
  "hint": "Click the authorization link to grant access to Slack"
}

Handling in Clients

try {
  const result = await mcpClient.callTool('slack:send_message', { message: 'Hello' });
} catch (error) {
  if (error.code === 'AUTH_REQUIRED') {
    // Show auth link to user
    console.log(`Please authorize: ${error.auth_url}`);
  }
}

The built-in consent UI lets users choose which apps to authorize:

+----------------------------------------------------------+
|                    Authorize Access                        |
|                                                            |
|  MyApp requests access to the following services:          |
|                                                            |
|  +------------------------------------------------------+  |
|  |  CRM (Auth0)                           [Authorized]  |  |
|  |  Tools: get_contacts, update_contact                 |  |
|  +------------------------------------------------------+  |
|                                                            |
|  +------------------------------------------------------+  |
|  |  Slack                                    [Skipped]  |  |
|  |  Tools: send_message, list_channels                  |  |
|  |                                                      |  |
|  |  [ Authorize Later ]                                 |  |
|  +------------------------------------------------------+  |
|                                                            |
|  +------------------------------------------------------+  |
|  |  GitHub                                   [Pending]  |  |
|  |  Tools: create_issue, list_repos                     |  |
|  |                                                      |  |
|  |  [ Authorize ]  [ Skip ]                             |  |
|  +------------------------------------------------------+  |
|                                                            |
|            [ Continue with authorized apps ]               |
+----------------------------------------------------------+

Multi-Provider Setup

App Configuration

@App({
  name: 'Slack',
  auth: {
    mode: 'transparent',
    provider: 'https://slack.com/oauth',
    requiredScopes: ['chat:write', 'channels:read'],
  },
})
export class SlackApp {
  @Tool({ name: 'send_message' })
  async sendMessage(ctx: ToolContext, input: { message: string }) {
    // Uses Slack token from vault
  }
}

@App({
  name: 'GitHub',
  auth: {
    mode: 'transparent',
    provider: 'https://github.com/login/oauth',
    requiredScopes: ['repo', 'user'],
  },
})
export class GitHubApp {
  @Tool({ name: 'create_issue' })
  async createIssue(ctx: ToolContext, input: { title: string }) {
    // Uses GitHub token from vault
  }
}

Server Configuration

@FrontMcp({
  info: { name: 'AgentSuite', version: '1.0.0' },
  auth: {
    mode: 'local',
    consent: { enabled: true },
    tokenStorage: {
      redis: {
        host: process.env.REDIS_HOST!,
        port: parseInt(process.env.REDIS_PORT || '6379'),
      },
    },
  },
  apps: [SlackApp, GitHubApp],
})
export class Server {}

Standalone vs Nested Apps

Apps can be configured as standalone (direct access) or nested (under parent):

Configuration	Direct Access	Federated Auth
`standalone: true`	`/slack/oauth/authorize`	Also in parent consent
`standalone: false` (default)	N/A	Only via parent

@App({
  name: 'Slack',
  standalone: true, // Direct access at /slack
  auth: { /* ... */ },
})
export class SlackApp {}

Skip and Authorize Later

Users can skip apps during initial consent and authorize later:

Skipping

// User skips Slack during initial auth
// Session created with: authorized_apps: ['crm'], skipped_apps: ['slack']

Later Authorization

GET /oauth/authorize?app=slack&prompt=consent

This triggers a targeted authorization flow for just the skipped app.

Session Token Structure

{
  "sub": "user-123",
  "iss": "https://my-server",
  "iat": 1234567890,
  "exp": 1234571490,
  "session_id": "sess_abc123",
  "authorized_apps": ["crm", "billing"],
  "pending_apps": ["slack", "github"],
  "scopes": ["crm:read", "crm:write", "billing:read"]
}

Child tokens are stored in the Token Vault (server-side), not embedded in the JWT.

OpenAPI Adapter Integration

When using OpenAPI adapters, tools are automatically grouped by auth provider:

import { OpenapiAdapter } from '@frontmcp/adapters';

@FrontMcp({
  info: { name: 'APIGateway', version: '1.0.0' },
  auth: {
    mode: 'local',
    consent: { enabled: true },
  },
  adapters: [
    OpenapiAdapter.init({
      name: 'github',
      spec: 'https://api.github.com/openapi.json',
      auth: {
        mode: 'transparent',
        provider: 'https://github.com',
        clientId: 'github-client-id',
      },
    }),
    OpenapiAdapter.init({
      name: 'stripe',
      spec: 'https://api.stripe.com/openapi.json',
      auth: {
        mode: 'transparent',
        provider: 'https://connect.stripe.com',
        clientId: 'stripe-client-id',
      },
    }),
  ],
})
export class Server {}

Tools from each adapter are grouped by their auth configuration and appear in the consent UI accordingly.

When consent is enabled, FrontMCP tracks granular tool-level authorization using these types:

ConsentToolItem

Represents a tool in the consent UI:

Field	Type	Description
`id`	`string`	Tool identifier
`name`	`string`	Display name
`description`	`string`	Tool description
`appId`	`string`	Parent app ID
`requiredScopes`	`string[]`	OAuth scopes needed
`category`	`string`	Grouping category

ConsentSelection

Captures the user’s tool selection:

Field	Type	Description
`selectedTools`	`string[]`	Tool IDs the user authorized
`allSelected`	`boolean`	Whether all tools were selected
`consentedAt`	`number`	Timestamp of consent
`consentVersion`	`string`	Schema version for migration

ConsentState

Full consent flow state passed to the consent UI:

Field	Type	Description
`availableTools`	`ConsentToolItem[]`	All tools requiring consent
`preSelected`	`string[]`	Tools pre-selected by default
`groupBy`	`string`	Grouping field (e.g., `appId`, `category`)

FederatedLoginState

For multi-provider consent where users select which IdPs to authenticate with:

Field	Type	Description
`providers`	`FederatedProviderItem[]`	Available identity providers
`required`	`string[]`	Providers that cannot be skipped
`optional`	`string[]`	Providers the user can skip

Best Practices

Request minimal scopes - Only ask for what each tool needs

Provide clear descriptions - Users should understand why each app is needed

Handle auth errors gracefully - Show friendly messages with auth links

Use stateful sessions - Required for token vault to work

Test the skip flow - Ensure skipped apps can be authorized later

Troubleshooting

Token vault not updating

Ensure stateful token storage is configured (Redis for multi-instance)
Check Redis connectivity if using Redis storage
Verify the session ID matches across requests

Auth link not working

Check the auth_url includes correct app and scope parameters
Verify the app is registered with the server
Ensure redirect URIs are configured correctly

Skipped apps won't authorize

Use prompt=consent to force the consent screen
Check that the app wasn’t excluded via excludeFromParent

Next Steps

Remote OAuth

Configure external identity providers

Tokens & Sessions

Token lifecycle and session management

Production Checklist

Security requirements for deployment

Authorization Modes

Choose the right auth mode

Get Started

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Extensibility

Testing

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Guides

Progressive Authorization

How It Works

Configuration

Authorization Hierarchy

Token Vault

Initial State

After Slack Auth

After GitHub Auth

Authorization Response

Handling in Clients

Multi-Provider Setup

App Configuration

Server Configuration

Standalone vs Nested Apps

Skip and Authorize Later

Skipping

Later Authorization

Session Token Structure

OpenAPI Adapter Integration

ConsentToolItem

ConsentSelection

ConsentState

FederatedLoginState

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Remote OAuth

Tokens & Sessions

Production Checklist

Authorization Modes

​How It Works

​Configuration

​Authorization Hierarchy

​Token Vault

Initial State

After Slack Auth

After GitHub Auth

​Authorization Response

​Handling in Clients

​Consent UI

​Multi-Provider Setup

​App Configuration

​Server Configuration

​Standalone vs Nested Apps

​Skip and Authorize Later

​Skipping

​Later Authorization

​Session Token Structure

​OpenAPI Adapter Integration

​Tool Consent Types

​ConsentToolItem

​ConsentSelection

​ConsentState

​FederatedLoginState

​Best Practices

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Remote OAuth

Tokens & Sessions

Production Checklist

Authorization Modes

How It Works

Configuration

Authorization Hierarchy

Token Vault

Authorization Response

Handling in Clients

Consent UI

Multi-Provider Setup

App Configuration

Server Configuration

Standalone vs Nested Apps

Skip and Authorize Later

Skipping

Later Authorization

Session Token Structure

OpenAPI Adapter Integration

Tool Consent Types

ConsentToolItem

ConsentSelection

ConsentState

FederatedLoginState

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Next Steps