Securing HelixWorks: Enterprise Agent Authorization

Build enterprise authentication and authorization from first principles across sixteen cumulative days. Separate sessions, OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SCIM, Better Auth, application policy, workload identity, delegation, approvals, revocation, audit evidence, and release gates while hardening the same HelixWorks product.

1. 01Identity, Authentication, and Authorization BoundariesStart with one Northstar employee opening one supplier record, then place every identity and permission decision at its real owner.Published 14 Aug 20267 sections
2. 02Sessions and Credential LifecycleCarry the Day 01 boundary map into one session lifecycle, then prove that expiry and revocation change access while an unrelated session remains healthy.Published 14 Aug 20267 sections
3. 03OAuth 2.0 Delegated AuthorizationUse the current session receipt to delegate one narrow API capability without turning OAuth into a login protocol.Published 14 Aug 20267 sections
4. 04OpenID Connect Federated IdentityAdd identity to the bounded session path with OIDC while keeping the ID token away from API authorization.Published 14 Aug 20267 sections
5. 05SCIM Provisioning and Workforce LifecycleKeep sign-in and workforce lifecycle independent: reconcile directory users and memberships even when nobody logs in.Published 14 Aug 20267 sections
6. 06Implement the Identity Boundary with Better AuthPublished 12 Aug 202626 sections
7. 07Create, Own, Version, and Bind an AgentMake agent logic portable across teams while keeping ownership durable, releases immutable, credentials local, and every share independently revocable.Published 04 Aug 20268 sections
8. 08Application Knowledge and Two-Plane AuthorizationSource: How Enterprise Authentication and Authorization Work in an Agent Platform, sections 24–30; extends “Two Planes of Authorization” with provider, hosted-runtime, and generated-application ownership.Published 04 Aug 20268 sections
9. 09Connector Credentials and Workload IdentityProvision durable connector authority without placing reusable secrets in an agent runtime, then prove that team-owned automation stays bounded, attributable, and independently revocable.Published 04 Aug 20268 sections
10. 10Run Authorization and Capability TokensAuthorize one immutable deployment before execution, keep broad credentials out of the runtime, and issue short-lived proof for exactly one downstream action.Published 04 Aug 20268 sections
11. 11Model Context Protocol (MCP) Tool and Argument AuthorizationTreat every model tool call as an untrusted proposal, filter MCP discovery before it reaches the prompt, and authorize the exact arguments again at execution time.Published 04 Aug 20268 sections
12. 12Delegated and Managed Model Context Protocol (MCP) AccessChoose and prove the right MCP authority mode: durable team-owned service access for automation first, optional user delegation for on-behalf-of work, and enterprise policy for discovery.Published 04 Aug 20268 sections
13. 13Human Approval and Agent DelegationPause exact high-risk tool intents for accountable human review, then let one agent invoke another without expanding the original user’s or team’s authority.Published 04 Aug 20268 sections
14. 14Network Trust, Infrastructure, and DeliverySource: How Enterprise Authentication and Authorization Work in an Agent Platform, sections 28–33; extends “Two Planes of Authorization” into workload identity, infrastructure ownership, and release controls.Published 04 Aug 20268 sections
15. 15Revocation, Audit, and ObservabilitySource: How Enterprise Authentication and Authorization Work in an Agent Platform, sections 30 and 35; preserves the generated-application revocation model migrated from the former Sharing, Roles, and Revocation lesson.Published 04 Aug 20268 sections
16. 16Threat Model, Tests, and RolloutSource: How Enterprise Authentication and Authorization Work in an Agent Platform, sections 34 and 36–39; turns the final architecture and implementation order into release evidence.Published 04 Aug 20269 sections