coder/docs/tutorials/configuring-okta.md

# Configuring Custom Claims/Scopes with Okta for group/role

<div style="pad: 0px; margin: 0px;">
  <span style="vertical-align:middle;">Author: </span>
  <a href="https://github.com/Emyrk" style="text-decoration: none; color: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px;">
    <span style="vertical-align:middle;">Steven Masley</span>
  </a>
</div>
Updated: June, 2025

---

Okta is an identity provider that can be used for OpenID Connect (OIDC) Single
Sign On (SSO) on Coder.

To configure custom claims in Okta to support syncing roles and groups with
Coder, you must first have setup an Okta application with
[OIDC working with Coder](../admin/users/oidc-auth/index.md).
From here, we will add additional claims for Coder to use for syncing groups and
roles.

You may use a hybrid of the following approaches.

## (Easiest) Sync using Okta Groups

If the Coder roles & Coder groups can be inferred from
[Okta groups](https://help.okta.com/en-us/content/topics/users-groups-profiles/usgp-about-groups.htm),
Okta has a simple way to send over the groups as a `claim` in the `id_token`
payload.

In Okta, go to the application **Sign On** settings page.

**Applications** > **Select Application** > **General** > **Sign On**

In the **OpenID Connect ID Token** section, turn on **Groups Claim Type** and set
the **Claim name** to `groups`.
Optionally, configure a filter for which groups to be sent.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> If the user does not belong to any groups, the claim will not be sent.
> Make sure the user authenticating for testing is in at least one group.

![Okta OpenID Connect ID Token](../images/guides/okta/oidc_id_token.png)

Configure Coder to use these claims for group sync.
These claims are present in the `id_token`.
For more group sync configuration options, consult the [IDP sync documentation](../admin/users/idp-sync.md#group-sync).

```bash
# Add the 'groups' scope and include the 'offline_access' scope for refresh tokens
CODER_OIDC_SCOPES=openid,profile,email,offline_access,groups
# This name needs to match the "Claim name" in the configuration above.
CODER_OIDC_GROUP_FIELD=groups
```

> [!NOTE]
> The `offline_access` scope is required in Coder v2.23.0+ to prevent hourly session timeouts.

These groups can also be used to configure role syncing based on group
membership:

```bash
CODER_OIDC_SCOPES=openid,profile,email,offline_access,groups
# This name needs to match the "Claim name" in the configuration above.
CODER_OIDC_USER_ROLE_FIELD=groups
# Example configuration to map a group to some roles
CODER_OIDC_USER_ROLE_MAPPING='{"admin-group":["template-admin","user-admin"]}'
```

## (Easy) Mapping Okta profile attributes

If roles or groups cannot be completely inferred from Okta group memberships,
another option is to source them from a user's attributes.
The user attribute list can be found in **Directory** > **Profile Editor** > **User (default)**.

Coder can query an Okta profile for the application from the `/userinfo` OIDC endpoint.
To pass attributes to Coder, create the attribute in your application,
then add a mapping from the Okta profile to the application.

**Directory** > **Profile Editor** > {Your Application} > **Add Attribute**

Create the attribute for the roles, groups, or both. Make sure the attribute
is of type `string array`:

![Okta Add Attribute view](../images/guides/okta/add_attribute.png)

On the **Okta User to {Your Application}** tab, map a `roles` or `groups`
attribute you have configured to the application:

![Okta Add Claim view](../images/guides/okta/add_claim.png)

Configure using these new attributes in Coder:

```bash
# This must be set to false. Coder uses this endpoint to grab the attributes.
CODER_OIDC_IGNORE_USERINFO=false
# Include offline_access for refresh tokens
CODER_OIDC_SCOPES=openid,profile,email,offline_access
# Configure the group/role field using the attribute name in the application.
CODER_OIDC_USER_ROLE_FIELD=approles
# See our docs for mapping okta roles to coder roles.
CODER_OIDC_USER_ROLE_MAPPING='{"admin-group":["template-admin","user-admin"]}'

# If you added an attribute for groups, set that here.
# CODER_OIDC_GROUP_FIELD=...
```

> [!NOTE]
> The `offline_access` scope is required in Coder v2.23.0+ to prevent hourly session timeouts.

## (Advanced) Custom scopes to retrieve custom claims

Okta does not support setting custom scopes and claims in the default
authorization server used by your application.
If you require this functionality, you must create (or modify) an authorization server.

To see your custom authorization servers go to **Security** > **API**.
Note the `default` authorization server is not the authorization server your app is using.
You can configure this default authorization server, or create a new one specifically for your application.

Authorization servers also give more refined controls over things such as token/session lifetimes.

![Okta API view](../images/guides/okta/api_view.png)

To get custom claims working, map them to a custom scope.
Click the authorization server you wish to use (likely just using the default).

Go to **Scopes**, and **Add Scope**.
Feel free to create one for roles, groups, or both:

![Okta Add Scope view](../images/guides/okta/add_scope.png)

Create the claim to go with the said scope.
Go to **Claims**, then **Add Claim**.
Make sure to select **ID Token** for the token type.
The **Value** expression is up to you based on where you are sourcing the role information.
Configure it to only be a claim with the requested scope.
This is so if other applications exist, we do not send them information they do not care about:

![Okta Add Claim with Roles view](../images/guides/okta/add_claim_with_roles.png)

Now we have a custom scope and claim configured under an authorization server.
Configure Coder to use this:

```bash
# Grab this value from the Authorization Server > Settings > Issuer
# DO NOT USE the application issuer URL. Make sure to use the newly configured
# authorization server.
CODER_OIDC_ISSUER_URL=https://dev-12222860.okta.com/oauth2/default
# Add the new scope you just configured and offline_access for refresh tokens
CODER_OIDC_SCOPES=openid,profile,email,roles,offline_access
# Use the claim you just configured
CODER_OIDC_USER_ROLE_FIELD=roles
# See our docs for mapping okta roles to coder roles.
CODER_OIDC_USER_ROLE_MAPPING='{"admin-group":["template-admin","user-admin"]}'
```

> [!NOTE]
> The `offline_access` scope is required in Coder v2.23.0+ to prevent hourly session timeouts.

You can use the "Token Preview" page to verify it has been correctly configured
and verify the `roles` is in the payload.

![Okta Token Preview](../images/guides/okta/token_preview.png)

## Troubleshooting

### Users Are Logged Out Every Hour

**Symptoms**: Users experience session timeouts approximately every hour and must re-authenticate
**Cause**: Missing `offline_access` scope in `CODER_OIDC_SCOPES`
**Solution**:

1. Add `offline_access` to your `CODER_OIDC_SCOPES` configuration
1. Restart your Coder deployment
1. All existing users must logout and login once to receive refresh tokens

### Refresh Tokens Not Working After Configuration Change

**Symptoms**: Hourly timeouts, even after adding `offline_access`
**Cause**: Existing user sessions don't have refresh tokens stored
**Solution**: Users must logout and login again to get refresh tokens stored in the database

### Verify Refresh Token Configuration

To confirm that refresh tokens are working correctly:

1. Check that `offline_access` is included in your `CODER_OIDC_SCOPES`
1. Verify users can stay logged in beyond Okta's access token lifetime (typically one hour)
1. Monitor Coder logs for any OIDC refresh errors during token renewal