> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://verbatim-ai.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://verbatim-ai.gitbook.io/docs/integration/authentication.md).

# Authentication

Every request to a `/v1/` endpoint must be authenticated. The Verbatim AI API accepts **two** credential types, and you pick one per request by sending the matching header.

| Method               | Header                        | Who signs it                            | Lifetime                 | Best for                             |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------ |
| **RSA JWT** (Bearer) | `Authorization: Bearer <jwt>` | Your backend, with your private RSA key | You choose (default 1 h) | Server-to-server calls               |
| **Access token**     | `X-Access-Token: <token>`     | Verbatim (minted from a JWT call)       | Short (default 1 h)      | Browser / widget / untrusted clients |

> **One header per request.** If both are present, the `Authorization` bearer token wins. A request with neither is rejected with **403 Forbidden**.

Choose based on *where the code runs*:

* **On your servers** → use an [RSA JWT](/docs/integration/rsa-keys.md). Your private key never leaves your infrastructure.
* **In a browser or any client you don't fully trust** → never ship the private key. Mint a short-lived, scoped [access token](/docs/integration/access-keys.md) on your backend and hand that to the client.

***

## 1. RSA JWT (Bearer token)

You generate an RSA key pair, register the **public** key with Verbatim (via the backoffice), and sign JWTs with the **private** key. The server verifies the signature with your published public key and trusts the claims inside.

**Header sent on every request:**

```
Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJSUzUxMiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVC...
```

**The JWT itself:**

* Algorithm: **RS512** (RSA signature with SHA-512).
* Header must include `kid` — the UUID of your registered public key (the *key id*).
* Payload claims:

| Claim | Required | Meaning                                             |
| ----- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| `iss` | yes      | Issuer. Must be `verbatim-ai.com`.                  |
| `oid` | yes      | Your organization ID (UUID). Identifies the tenant. |
| `iat` | yes      | Issued-at (Unix seconds).                           |
| `exp` | yes      | Expiry (Unix seconds). Keep short.                  |
| `uid` | no       | End-user ID, echoed back by `GET /v1/auth/whoami`.  |

A JWT with **no `scope` claim** is *unrestricted* — it can call every domain and every HTTP method allowed for your organization. See [Scopes](#scopes-domainaction) below.

Full instructions — generating keys, publishing the public key, and minting tokens — are in the [RSA keys user guide](/docs/integration/rsa-keys.md).

***

## 2. Access token

An access token is a short-lived, opaque string minted by `POST /v1/auth/access-token`. That call must itself be authenticated with an RSA JWT, so the flow is always: **backend holds the JWT → backend mints an access token → untrusted client uses the access token.**

**Header sent on every request:**

```
X-Access-Token: 8Jf3kQ...
```

Unlike a JWT, an access token **must** be created with an explicit, non-empty `scope`, so it is always least-privilege. Everything about creating, scoping, using and revoking access tokens is in the [Access keys guide](/docs/integration/access-keys.md).

***

## Scopes (`DOMAIN:ACTION`)

Scopes restrict what a token can do. A scope is a string `DOMAIN:ACTION`:

* **DOMAIN** — one of `config`, `auth`, `session`, `doc`, `chunk`, `corpus`, `post`, `usage`, `agent`. It matches the first path segment after `/v1/` (e.g. `/v1/doc/...` → `doc`).
* **ACTION** — derived from the HTTP method:

  | HTTP method     | Action   |
  | --------------- | -------- |
  | `GET`           | `read`   |
  | `POST`          | `create` |
  | `PUT` / `PATCH` | `update` |
  | `DELETE`        | `delete` |

For a request to be authorized, the token's scope list must contain the exact `DOMAIN:ACTION` entry for that request. For example, `POST /v1/doc/init` requires `doc:create`; `GET /v1/corpus/` requires `corpus:read`.

**The two credential types treat scope differently:**

|                            | RSA JWT                                     | Access token                        |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| Scope claim absent / empty | **Unrestricted** (all domains, all actions) | **Rejected** — a scope is mandatory |
| Scope claim present        | Restricted to the listed entries            | Restricted to the listed entries    |

So an unscoped RSA JWT is the "admin" credential; a scoped access token is the "least privilege" credential you hand to clients.

**Examples**

| Goal                            | Scope list                                                    |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Read-only widget that can query | `["corpus:read", "session:read", "post:read", "post:create"]` |
| Uploader service                | `["doc:create", "doc:read"]`                                  |
| Read corpora and list documents | `["corpus:read", "doc:read"]`                                 |

***

## What "onboarded" means

The server only trusts a token whose `oid` (organization) resolves to a real organization. A syntactically valid JWT signed by an unknown key, with a wrong issuer, or without `oid`, is rejected. Use `GET /v1/auth/whoami` to confirm a token resolves to the identity you expect.

***

## Failure behavior

* Missing/invalid/expired credentials → **403 Forbidden**.
* Valid credentials but the scope doesn't cover the request → **403 Forbidden**.
* The error body follows the standard `Error` schema (see [API conventions](/docs/integration/api-domains.md#errors)).

Note the API returns **403** (not 401) for authentication failures — there is no challenge/`WWW-Authenticate` flow; you either present a valid credential or you are forbidden.

**Next:** [RSA keys user guide →](/docs/integration/rsa-keys.md) · [Access keys →](/docs/integration/access-keys.md) · [Security best practices →](/docs/integration/security.md)


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