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Authentication

Overview​

Glean's authentication system supports the OAuth 2.0 standard for securing action requests. This guide covers the available authentication types and how to verify requests from Glean.

Authentication Types​

Authentication section in actions configuration

OAuth Admin

Requires one-time authorization by the action developer or app admin during setup. After authorization, Glean sends the token for all requests from authorized users.

OAuth User

Requires initial OAuth connection setup by the developer/admin. Users must authorize the action on first use, after which their token is used for subsequent requests.

None

No tokens are provided in the request. Choose this if you don't require specific tokens from Glean to handle requests.

warning

When using "None" authentication type, it's highly recommended to implement request verification to ensure requests are coming from Glean. Without additional protections (e.g., VPN, Firewall), your endpoint would be publicly accessible.

OAuth Configuration​

When setting up OAuth (admin or user), you'll need to configure the following parameters using the OAuth authorization_code grant type:

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
Client IDstring✓The client ID for your OAuth application
Client Secretstring✓The client secret for your OAuth application
Client URLstring✓The URL used to redirect users for authentication
Authorization URLstring✓The URL Glean uses to complete OAuth by issuing a POST request with the authorization code
ScopesstringOptional parameter for relevant application scopes. Consider adding offline_access scope if supported to ensure refresh tokens are sent (reference)
warning

Your OAuth App must be configured to allow redirects (Callback URL) to:

https://{your-glean-instance}-be.glean.com/tools/oauth/verify_code/{toolName}

You can find your instance name using our instance lookup guide.

Without this, the OAuth integration may fail or show invalid redirect URI errors.

Request Verification​

info

While optional, implementing request verification is highly recommended to enhance the security of your action server endpoints.

Glean provides a JWT-based signature in the Glean-Actions-Signature header, signed using RSA-SHA256. The signature can be verified using your Glean instance's public key.

JWT Claims​

The JWT header includes these standard claims:

  1. iat - Issued at time
  2. exp - Expiration time
  3. iss - Issuer (always set to 'glean')

Implementation Examples​

import jwt
import json
import requests

# Fill your glean instance here.
YOUR_GLEAN_INSTANCE=''
# Find this value using our instance lookup guide: /get-started/authentication#finding-your-glean-instance

# Use this function as is in your code (once you have filled out YOUR_GLEAN_INSTANCE).
# Pass the header value for Glean-Actions-Signature as the 'token' in this function.

def verify_jwt(token):
    try:
        # First, we fetch the public key JSON response.
        response = requests.get(f"https://{YOUR_GLEAN_INSTANCE}-be.glean.com/api/tools/v1/verification_key")
        response.raise_for_status() # Raises an exception for 4XX/5XX responses
        public_key_str = response.json()['publicKey']

        # Second, we convert this into the PEM format.
        pem_key = f"-----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY-----\n{public_key_str}\n-----END PUBLIC KEY-----"

        # Finally, we attempt to decode the token using the public key.
        decoded = jwt.decode(token, pem_key, algorithms=['RS256'], issuer='glean')
        return True

    except jwt.PyJWTError as e:
        # Handle error (e.g., token expired, token tampered, etc.)
        print(f"JWT verification failed: {e}")
        return False