Britive Authentication

generated: '2026-08-08'
method: searched
source: >-
  https://docs.britive.com/apidocs/api-prerequisites.md,
  https://docs.britive.com/docs/api-tokens-1.md,
  https://demo.britive-app.com/.well-known/openid-configuration (200),
  https://demo.britive-app.com/mcp (401, RFC 9728 challenge),
  openapi/britive-services-api-openapi.yml, openapi/britive-secrets-manager-api-openapi.yml,
  https://github.com/britive/python-sdk
summary:
  types:
  - http
  - oauth2
  - openIdConnect
  primary: bearer token
  note: >-
    Two distinct authentication surfaces. (1) The REST API accepts a bearer token and declares
    exactly one security scheme, `bearerAuth` (http/bearer), applied globally to all 443
    operations. (2) A per-tenant OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect authorization server backs SSO and
    protects the MCP endpoint; it is discoverable anonymously but is not what the REST API
    documents.

schemes:
- name: bearerAuth
  type: http
  scheme: bearer
  applies_to: all operations in both OpenAPI documents (global `security` block)
  sources:
  - openapi/britive-services-api-openapi.yml
  - openapi/britive-secrets-manager-api-openapi.yml
- name: tenant-oauth2
  type: oauth2
  flows: [authorization_code, refresh_token, client_credentials]
  pkce: S256
  dynamic_client_registration: true
  applies_to: SSO login and the MCP endpoint (https://{tenant}.britive-app.com/mcp)
  discovery: well-known/britive-oauth-authorization-server.json
  declared_in_openapi: false
- name: tenant-oidc
  type: openIdConnect
  openIdConnectUrl: https://{tenant}.britive-app.com/.well-known/openid-configuration
  discovery: well-known/britive-openid-configuration.json
  declared_in_openapi: false

credential_types:
- name: API token
  how_issued: Britive console -> Admin -> Security -> API Tokens -> CREATE TOKEN
  presented_as: 'Authorization: Bearer <token>'
  expiry: configurable expiration in days; can be updated and revoked via the API
    (updateApiTokenExpirationDays, revokeToken)
  scoping: >-
    None. Britive's own documentation states an API token "inherits the same privileges as the
    user who created" it, and warns to exercise caution over which users may create tokens.
    There is no way to mint a token narrower than its creator.
  docs: https://docs.britive.com/apidocs/api-prerequisites
- name: Interactive bearer token
  how_issued: PyBritive CLI `pybritive login` (SSO or username/password); short-lived
  presented_as: 'Authorization: Bearer <token>'
  note: Supported by the Python SDK from v2.5.0 onward, and the recommended path for the local MCP server.
- name: Workload federation token
  how_issued: >-
    OIDC federation from AWS, AWS STS JWT, Azure system- and user-assigned managed identity,
    GCP, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or Spacelift — no static secret stored in the pipeline
  presented_as: exchanged for a Britive bearer token by the SDK/CLI
  source: https://github.com/britive/python-sdk (src/britive/federation_providers/)
- name: SCIM token
  how_issued: per identity provider, via the SCIM token operations
  used_for: SCIM 2.0 user and group provisioning into Britive

mfa_and_step_up:
  mfa: supported (TOTP enrolment and admin reset operations are published)
  step_up_auth: supported (security.step_up_auth in the SDK; OTP accepted on profile and secret checkout)
  note: >-
    Sensitive operations (profile checkout, secret access) accept an `otp` parameter for
    step-up authentication, and MCP tools carry the same parameter through.

tenancy:
  model: per-customer tenant host
  host_template: https://{tenant}.britive-app.com
  implication: >-
    There is no shared base URL, no public sandbox tenant and no anonymous surface on the API.
    Every credential is scoped to a single tenant, and a caller must know its tenant name
    before it can authenticate at all.

gaps:
- >-
  The OAuth 2.0 authorization server is real, discoverable and used in production for MCP, but it
  is not declared as a securityScheme in either OpenAPI. A generated client sees only "bearer".
- >-
  No scope is bound to any operation. `security: [{bearerAuth: []}]` is global and never refined,
  so least privilege cannot be computed from the contract.
- >-
  API tokens cannot be scoped below the creating user's privileges — the strongest reason a PAM
  vendor's own token model deserves the granularity it sells to customers.
- >-
  The MCP endpoint returns a well-formed RFC 9728 WWW-Authenticate challenge but the
  `resource_metadata` document it advertises 404s. See well-known/britive-well-known.yml.
- >-
  No security.txt is served on any Britive host.