AI Project Manager with Auth0 for AI Agents

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Srijan Kumar

This is a submission for the Auth0 for AI Agents Challenge

What I Built

AI Project Manager is a secure, enterprise-ready agentic AI application that demonstrates how to build production-grade AI agents with proper authentication, authorization, and API access control using Auth0 for AI Agents.

Demo

• GitHub Repository: Repository
• Live Demo: Demo

How I Used Auth0 for AI Agents

This project leverages all four pillars of Auth0 for AI Agents to create a comprehensive security layer:

1. Universal Login (User Authentication)

Implementation:

// client/js/auth0-spa-client.js
const auth0Client = await createAuth0Client({
  domain: 'genai-8649882471415737.us.auth0.com',
  clientId: 'A7kUmty4eQnifEG9zjRjTaAa3wjWTzyO',
  authorizationParams: {
    redirect_uri: window.location.origin + '/callback',
    audience: 'https://api.ai-project-manager.com',
    scope: 'openid profile email read:projects write:projects manage:calendar'
  }
});

2. Token Vault (Secure API Access)

Implementation:

// Server-side token retrieval
app.get('/api/tokens/:service', jwtCheck, async (req, res) => {
  const { service } = req.params;
  const userId = req.auth.sub;

  const token = await tokenVault.getToken(userId, service);
  res.json({ token, service });
});

// AI agent uses managed tokens
async function getCalendarEvents() {
  const { token } = await makeAuthenticatedRequest('/api/tokens/google-calendar');
  const events = await googleCalendar.getEvents(token);
  return events;
}

3. Fine-Grained Authorization (FGA)

Implementation:

// Check permissions before AI agent actions
const permissions = await getUserPermissions(userId);
if (!permissions.includes('manage:projects')) {
  throw new Error('Unauthorized');
}

// FGA permission check before RAG retrieval
const { allowed } = await fgaClient.check({
  user: `user:${userId}`,
  relation: 'viewer',
  object: 'document:sensitive-project-data'
});

if (allowed) {
  const context = await retrieveFromVectorDB('sensitive-project-data');
  const response = await llm.generate({ context, prompt });
  return response;
} else {
  return "Access denied: You don't have permission to view this document.";
}

4. Asynchronous Authorization

Implementation:

// Request async approval for critical operation
app.post('/api/async-approval', jwtCheck, async (req, res) => {
  const { action, details } = req.body;
  const userId = req.auth.sub;

  // Initiate CIBA flow
  const authReqId = await cibaClient.initiateAuth({
    login_hint: userId,
    binding_message: `Approve: ${action}`,
    user_code: generateUserCode()
  });

  res.json({ 
    auth_req_id: authReqId,
    status: 'pending',
    message: 'Check your authenticator app to approve this action'
  });
});

// AI agent waits for approval
async function deleteAllProjects() {
  const approval = await requestAsyncApproval('delete_all_projects');
  if (approval.approved) {
    await deleteProjects();
    return 'Projects deleted successfully';
  }
  return 'Operation cancelled by user';
}

Lessons Learned and Takeaways

1. Auth0 SPA SDK vs. Regular Web Application

• Challenge: Initial setup used “Regular Web Application” type, causing client secret exposure and redirect issues
• Solution: Switched to “Single Page Application” type and removed client-side secret handling
• Lesson: Always use the correct Auth0 application type for your architecture. SPAs require different security patterns than server-rendered apps.

2. Token Vault Integration Complexity

• Challenge: Managing OAuth flows for multiple third-party services (Google, Slack) while keeping tokens secure
• Solution: Centralized token management through Auth0 Token Vault with server-side token retrieval
• Lesson: Token Vault eliminates the need to implement custom OAuth handlers for each service, dramatically reducing security surface area.

3. FGA Performance at Scale

• Challenge: Permission checks on every RAG document retrieval could become a bottleneck
• Solution: Implemented caching strategy with TTL-based invalidation and bulk permission checks
• Lesson: FGA authorization checks are fast (~10-50ms), but strategic caching can reduce latency for high-throughput applications.

4. Async Authorization UX Design

• Challenge: Making asynchronous approval flows intuitive without blocking the user
• Solution: Real-time status updates, clear messaging, and timeout handling
• Lesson: Async auth is powerful but requires careful UX design. Users need clear feedback on pending approvals and fallback options.

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Srijan Kumar