AI Briefingauth.md — An Open Protocol for Agents to Register on Behalf of Users
Key point
auth.md, an open protocol that helps AI agents sign up for services on behalf of users, has been released.
Details
auth.md is an open protocol that enables AI agents to register on behalf of users for services without user intervention, or with minimal confirmation.
The protocol provides agents with information such as how to register, supported authentication flows, and scopes through a markdown file located at the /.auth.md path of a service's domain.
Main authentication flows:
- Agent Verified Flow: The agent's identity provider (IdP) vouches for the user's identity, and authentication is completed without human intervention.
- User Claimed Flow: The agent presents a code to the user, and the user logs in directly to confirm the code.
This protocol is built on the existing OAuth standard, and maintains security by issuing agents scoped access tokens tied to the user. It was proposed by WorkOS, but is designed as an open protocol that is not tied to any specific service.
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