Cardless Authentication

generated: '2026-08-01'
method: searched
source: 'docs.cardless.com partner authentication reference (partner-gated) + https://docs.cardless.com/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server'
docs: https://docs.cardless.com/
x-docs-access: partner-gated
summary:
  types: [http, oauth2]
  http_schemes: [basic, bearer]
  oauth2_flows: [authorizationCode, clientCredentials, refreshToken]
  api_key_in: []
  delegated_consent: false
schemes:
- name: partnerBasicAuth
  type: http
  scheme: basic
  applies_to: cardless:partner-api
  description: 'Partner token exchange is protected with HTTP Basic authentication.
    The username is a fixed partner client identifier; the password is issued to the
    partner during onboarding. Credentials are not self-service — there is no public
    sign-up for API credentials.'
  sources: ['docs.cardless.com partner authentication reference']
- name: partnerBearerToken
  type: http
  scheme: bearer
  bearerFormat: JWT
  applies_to: cardless:partner-api
  description: 'All servicing requests carry a bearer access token obtained from the
    partner token endpoint. The token grant is partner-scoped: the partner presents a
    JWT signed with its own partner key together with the partner user identifier, and
    receives a short-lived access token plus a refresh token. The token response also
    returns the Cardless user identifier and the list of account identifiers the partner
    user may act on, so authorization is account-scoped rather than scope-string-scoped.'
  grant_types: [partner, refresh_token]
  token_lifetime_seconds: 3599
  sources: ['docs.cardless.com partner authentication reference']
- name: docsMcpOAuth
  type: oauth2
  applies_to: cardless:docs-mcp
  description: 'OAuth 2.0 for the documentation MCP server, advertised via RFC 8414
    authorization-server metadata and RFC 9728 protected-resource metadata. Supports
    dynamic client registration (RFC 7591) and PKCE S256. One scope: mcp:search.
    tools/list and tools/call are currently answered anonymously as well.'
  issuer: https://docs.cardless.com/mcp/oauth
  flows:
  - flow: authorizationCode
    authorizationUrl: https://docs.cardless.com/mcp/oauth/authorize
    tokenUrl: https://docs.cardless.com/mcp/oauth/token
    scopes: [mcp:search]
  - flow: clientCredentials
    tokenUrl: https://docs.cardless.com/mcp/oauth/token
    scopes: [mcp:search]
  sources: [well-known/cardless-oauth-authorization-server.json]
notes:
- 'No public API keys, no self-service credential issuance, no public sandbox credentials.
  Cardless is a partner-onboarded platform: API access is granted through a commercial
  onboarding process.'
- 'No OpenAPI document is published on any public Cardless host; the specification
  fragments that back the documentation are behind the partner login.'
x-evidence:
  fetched: '2026-08-01'
  hosts_probed: [api.cardless.com, docs.cardless.com, www.cardless.com]