OAuth Client Credentials

The OAuth Client Credentials extension (io.modelcontextprotocol/oauth-client-credentials) adds support for the OAuth 2.0 client credentials flow to MCP. This enables automated systems to connect to MCP servers without interactive user authorization.

Specification

Full technical specification for the OAuth Client Credentials extension.

What it is

The standard MCP authorization flow requires a user to interactively approve access — a browser opens, the user logs in, and grants permission. That works well for humans, but breaks down when there’s no user present. The OAuth Client Credentials extension solves this by letting a client authenticate using application-level credentials (a client ID and secret, or a signed JWT assertion) rather than delegated user credentials. The client proves its identity directly to the authorization server, which issues an access token without requiring a browser redirect or user interaction.

When to use it

Use OAuth Client Credentials when:

Background services need to call MCP tools on a schedule or in response to events, without a user present
CI/CD pipelines invoke MCP servers as part of automated build, test, or deployment workflows
Server-to-server integrations connect two backend systems where there’s no end user involved
Daemon processes or long-running workers need persistent access to MCP resources

If your integration has a human user who should explicitly authorize access, use the standard MCP authorization flow instead.

How it works

The extension supports two credential formats:

JWT Bearer Assertions (recommended)

Defined in RFC 7523, JWT Bearer Assertions let the client sign a token with its private key and present it as proof of identity. The authorization server validates the signature using the client’s registered public key. The JWT assertion typically includes:

iss: Client ID (the issuer)
sub: Client ID (subject being authenticated)
aud: Authorization server token endpoint URL
exp: Expiration time
iat: Issued-at time

Client Secrets

For simpler deployments, the extension also supports the standard client credentials flow using a client_id and client_secret. The client sends its credentials directly to the authorization server’s token endpoint and receives an access token in return.

Client secrets are long-lived credentials that grant access without user interaction. If a secret is leaked, an attacker can silently authenticate as your application until the secret is rotated. To reduce risk:

Store secrets in a secrets manager, never in source code or environment files checked into version control.
Rotate secrets on a regular schedule and immediately after any suspected compromise.
Scope credentials to the minimum permissions required.
Prefer JWT assertions when possible — they are short-lived and do not require transmitting the signing key.

Implementation guide

For MCP clients

To use the OAuth Client Credentials extension, your client must:

Declare support

Include the extension in the initialize request capabilities:

{
  "capabilities": {
    "extensions": {
      "io.modelcontextprotocol/oauth-client-credentials": {}
    }
  }
}

Obtain an access token

Request a token from the authorization server using the client credentials grant before connecting to the MCP server.

Include the token

Pass the token in the Authorization header of HTTP requests to the MCP server:

Authorization: Bearer <access_token>

Handle token refresh

Client credentials tokens typically have shorter lifetimes than user-delegated tokens. Implement token refresh logic to obtain a new token before expiry.

For MCP servers

To accept client credentials tokens, your server must:

Validate the token

On each request, verify the JWT signature and claims against your authorization server’s public keys (usually via a JWKS endpoint).

Check scopes

Ensure the token includes the required scopes for the requested operation.

Advertise support

Optionally (but recommended for discoverability), include the extension in the initialize response:

{
  "capabilities": {
    "extensions": {
      "io.modelcontextprotocol/oauth-client-credentials": {}
    }
  }
}

SDK examples

The official MCP SDKs provide built-in support for client credentials authentication. Both handle token acquisition and refresh automatically.

Install the SDK

TypeScript
Python

npm install @modelcontextprotocol/client

pip install mcp

Create a provider and connect

Choose the credential format that matches your setup:

Using a client secret

TypeScript
Python

import {
  Client,
  ClientCredentialsProvider,
  StreamableHTTPClientTransport,
} from "@modelcontextprotocol/client";

const provider = new ClientCredentialsProvider({
  clientId: "my-service",
  clientSecret: "s3cr3t",
});

const client = new Client(
  { name: "my-service", version: "1.0.0" },
  { capabilities: {} },
);

const transport = new StreamableHTTPClientTransport(
  new URL("https://mcp.example.com/mcp"),
  { authProvider: provider },
);

await client.connect(transport);

// Use the client
const tools = await client.listTools();
console.log(
  "Available tools:",
  tools.tools.map((t) => t.name),
);

await transport.close();

from mcp.client.auth.extensions.client_credentials import (
    ClientCredentialsOAuthProvider,
)
from mcp.client.streamable_http import streamablehttp_client
from mcp import ClientSession

provider = ClientCredentialsOAuthProvider(
    server_url="https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
    client_id="my-service",
    client_secret="s3cr3t",
    scopes="read write",
)

async with streamablehttp_client(
    "https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
    auth_provider=provider,
) as (read_stream, write_stream, _):
    async with ClientSession(read_stream, write_stream) as session:
        await session.initialize()

        # Use the client
        tools = await session.list_tools()
        print("Available tools:", [t.name for t in tools.tools])

Using a JWT private key

TypeScript
Python

import {
  Client,
  PrivateKeyJwtProvider,
  StreamableHTTPClientTransport,
} from "@modelcontextprotocol/client";

const provider = new PrivateKeyJwtProvider({
  clientId: "my-service",
  privateKey: process.env.CLIENT_PRIVATE_KEY_PEM,
  algorithm: "RS256",
});

const client = new Client(
  { name: "my-service", version: "1.0.0" },
  { capabilities: {} },
);

const transport = new StreamableHTTPClientTransport(
  new URL("https://mcp.example.com/mcp"),
  { authProvider: provider },
);

await client.connect(transport);

// Use the client
const tools = await client.listTools();
console.log(
  "Available tools:",
  tools.tools.map((t) => t.name),
);

await transport.close();

from mcp.client.auth.extensions.client_credentials import (
    PrivateKeyJWTOAuthProvider,
    SignedJWTParameters,
)
from mcp.client.streamable_http import streamablehttp_client
from mcp import ClientSession

# Create a signed JWT assertion provider from key parameters
jwt_params = SignedJWTParameters(
    issuer="my-service",
    subject="my-service",
    signing_key=open("private_key.pem").read(),
    signing_algorithm="RS256",
    lifetime_seconds=300,
)

provider = PrivateKeyJWTOAuthProvider(
    server_url="https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
    client_id="my-service",
    assertion_provider=jwt_params.create_assertion_provider(),
    scopes="read write",
)

async with streamablehttp_client(
    "https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
    auth_provider=provider,
) as (read_stream, write_stream, _):
    async with ClientSession(read_stream, write_stream) as session:
        await session.initialize()

        # Use the client
        tools = await session.list_tools()
        print("Available tools:", [t.name for t in tools.tools])

Client support

Support for this extension varies by client. Extensions are opt-in and never active by default.

Check the client matrix for current implementation status across MCP clients.

ext-auth repository

Source code and reference implementations

Full specification

Technical specification with normative requirements

RFC 6749 — Client Credentials Grant

The underlying OAuth 2.0 specification

RFC 7523 — JWT Bearer Assertions

JWT assertion format specification

MCP Apps

Authorization Extensions

Specification

What it is

When to use it

How it works

JWT Bearer Assertions (recommended)

Client Secrets

Implementation guide

For MCP clients

For MCP servers

SDK examples

Using a client secret

Using a JWT private key

Client support

ext-auth repository

Full specification

RFC 6749 — Client Credentials Grant

RFC 7523 — JWT Bearer Assertions

MCP Apps

Authorization Extensions

Specification

​What it is

​When to use it

​How it works

​JWT Bearer Assertions (recommended)

​Client Secrets

​Implementation guide

​For MCP clients

​For MCP servers

​SDK examples

​Using a client secret

​Using a JWT private key

​Client support

​Related resources

ext-auth repository

Full specification

RFC 6749 — Client Credentials Grant

RFC 7523 — JWT Bearer Assertions

What it is

When to use it

How it works

JWT Bearer Assertions (recommended)

Client Secrets

Implementation guide

For MCP clients

For MCP servers

SDK examples

Using a client secret

Using a JWT private key

Client support

Related resources