{ "title": "Local and Remote MCP Authentication and Authorization Patterns", "schemaVersion": "1.0", "researchFreeze": "2026-08-26", "protocolRevision": "MCP 2026-07-28", "sourcePackage": "research/10", "integrityNote": "All 108 listed ordinary archive payloads verify. The package contains two incompatible numeric source namespaces; public records preserve an explicit archive namespace and never resolve IDs across families.", "evidencePolicy": "Only manually curated build_context source groups appear in sourceIds. Raw row tokens are preserved under archive and are not treated as publication citations.", "checkedAt": "2026-08-26", "count": 10, "records": [ { "Pattern": "OS/process trust", "Typical deployment": "Local stdio", "Identity represented": "Logged-in OS user and parent host process", "Advantages": "No network auth flow; natural for machine resources", "Principal risks": "Server receives local user authority; weak publisher trust can be catastrophic", "Source IDs": "S002 S004 S011", "id": "R10-AUTH001", "sourceIds": [ "S133", "S471", "S475", "S191", "S006", "S005", "S192", "S004", "S193", "S488" ], "evidenceStatus": "curated-dataset-level-evidence; not an archive row-level citation mapping", "archive": { "namespace": "research/10/authentication_authorization_patterns.json", "row": 1, "sourceIds": [ "S002", "S004", "S011" ], "raw": { "Pattern": "OS/process trust", "Typical deployment": "Local stdio", "Identity represented": "Logged-in OS user and parent host process", "Advantages": "No network auth flow; natural for machine resources", "Principal risks": "Server receives local user authority; weak publisher trust can be catastrophic", "Source IDs": "S002 S004 S011" } } }, { "Pattern": "Static API token in environment", "Typical deployment": "Local or remote", "Identity represented": "Server/application credential", "Advantages": "Simple integration with upstream API", "Principal risks": "Long-lived secret, difficult rotation, possible inheritance/leakage", "Source IDs": "S004 S013 S039 S042 S067", "id": "R10-AUTH002", "sourceIds": [ "S133", "S471", "S475", "S191", "S006", "S005", "S192", "S004", "S193", "S488" ], "evidenceStatus": "curated-dataset-level-evidence; not an archive row-level citation mapping", "archive": { "namespace": "research/10/authentication_authorization_patterns.json", "row": 2, "sourceIds": [ "S004", "S013", "S039", "S042", "S067" ], "raw": { "Pattern": "Static API token in environment", "Typical deployment": "Local or remote", "Identity represented": "Server/application credential", "Advantages": "Simple integration with upstream API", "Principal risks": "Long-lived secret, difficult rotation, possible inheritance/leakage", "Source IDs": "S004 S013 S039 S042 S067" } } }, { "Pattern": "OS keychain / credential broker", "Typical deployment": "Local", "Identity represented": "User identity and local secure store", "Advantages": "Reduces plaintext configuration and unrelated env exposure", "Principal risks": "Host-specific and difficult to distribute portably", "Source IDs": "S013", "id": "R10-AUTH003", "sourceIds": [ "S133", "S471", "S475", "S191", "S006", "S005", "S192", "S004", "S193", "S488" ], "evidenceStatus": "curated-dataset-level-evidence; not an archive row-level citation mapping", "archive": { "namespace": "research/10/authentication_authorization_patterns.json", "row": 3, "sourceIds": [ "S013" ], "raw": { "Pattern": "OS keychain / credential broker", "Typical deployment": "Local", "Identity represented": "User identity and local secure store", "Advantages": "Reduces plaintext configuration and unrelated env exposure", "Principal risks": "Host-specific and difficult to distribute portably", "Source IDs": "S013" } } }, { "Pattern": "OAuth authorization code + PKCE", "Typical deployment": "Remote HTTP", "Identity represented": "Delegated end user", "Advantages": "User consent, revocation and least-privilege scopes", "Principal risks": "Redirect, issuer, account-linking and token-storage complexity", "Source IDs": "S004 S005 S036 S042", "id": "R10-AUTH004", "sourceIds": [ "S133", "S471", "S475", "S191", "S006", "S005", "S192", "S004", "S193", "S488" ], "evidenceStatus": "curated-dataset-level-evidence; not an archive row-level citation mapping", "archive": { "namespace": "research/10/authentication_authorization_patterns.json", "row": 4, "sourceIds": [ "S004", "S005", "S036", "S042" ], "raw": { "Pattern": "OAuth authorization code + PKCE", "Typical deployment": "Remote HTTP", "Identity represented": "Delegated end user", "Advantages": "User consent, revocation and least-privilege scopes", "Principal risks": "Redirect, issuer, account-linking and token-storage complexity", "Source IDs": "S004 S005 S036 S042" } } }, { "Pattern": "OAuth client credentials", "Typical deployment": "Remote service-to-service", "Identity represented": "Workload/service identity", "Advantages": "Good for machine-owned shared capabilities", "Principal risks": "Can erase end-user identity and over-centralize authority", "Source IDs": "S004 S053", "id": "R10-AUTH005", "sourceIds": [ "S133", "S471", "S475", "S191", "S006", "S005", "S192", "S004", "S193", "S488" ], "evidenceStatus": "curated-dataset-level-evidence; not an archive row-level citation mapping", "archive": { "namespace": "research/10/authentication_authorization_patterns.json", "row": 5, "sourceIds": [ "S004", "S053" ], "raw": { "Pattern": "OAuth client credentials", "Typical deployment": "Remote service-to-service", "Identity represented": "Workload/service identity", "Advantages": "Good for machine-owned shared capabilities", "Principal risks": "Can erase end-user identity and over-centralize authority", "Source IDs": "S004 S053" } } }, { "Pattern": "Managed identity / workload identity", "Typical deployment": "Remote cloud", "Identity represented": "Cloud workload identity", "Advantages": "No embedded long-lived cloud secret; central IAM", "Principal risks": "Cloud-specific coupling and complex downstream delegation", "Source IDs": "S056 S057 S061", "id": "R10-AUTH006", "sourceIds": [ "S133", "S471", "S475", "S191", "S006", "S005", "S192", "S004", "S193", "S488" ], "evidenceStatus": "curated-dataset-level-evidence; not an archive row-level citation mapping", "archive": { "namespace": "research/10/authentication_authorization_patterns.json", "row": 6, "sourceIds": [ "S056", "S057", "S061" ], "raw": { "Pattern": "Managed identity / workload identity", "Typical deployment": "Remote cloud", "Identity represented": "Cloud workload identity", "Advantages": "No embedded long-lived cloud secret; central IAM", "Principal risks": "Cloud-specific coupling and complex downstream delegation", "Source IDs": "S056 S057 S061" } } }, { "Pattern": "API key", "Typical deployment": "Remote or local HTTP", "Identity represented": "Installation or client identifier", "Advantages": "Easy for controlled internal service", "Principal risks": "Weak user identity, difficult granular consent, leakage risk", "Source IDs": "S056", "id": "R10-AUTH007", "sourceIds": [ "S133", "S471", "S475", "S191", "S006", "S005", "S192", "S004", "S193", "S488" ], "evidenceStatus": "curated-dataset-level-evidence; not an archive row-level citation mapping", "archive": { "namespace": "research/10/authentication_authorization_patterns.json", "row": 7, "sourceIds": [ "S056" ], "raw": { "Pattern": "API key", "Typical deployment": "Remote or local HTTP", "Identity represented": "Installation or client identifier", "Advantages": "Easy for controlled internal service", "Principal risks": "Weak user identity, difficult granular consent, leakage risk", "Source IDs": "S056" } } }, { "Pattern": "Gateway token exchange / OBO", "Typical deployment": "Remote enterprise", "Identity represented": "End user + calling workload + target", "Advantages": "Preserves delegated identity across gateway boundary", "Principal risks": "Confused-deputy and token-audience mistakes if poorly implemented", "Source IDs": "S053 S055", "id": "R10-AUTH008", "sourceIds": [ "S133", "S471", "S475", "S191", "S006", "S005", "S192", "S004", "S193", "S488" ], "evidenceStatus": "curated-dataset-level-evidence; not an archive row-level citation mapping", "archive": { "namespace": "research/10/authentication_authorization_patterns.json", "row": 8, "sourceIds": [ "S053", "S055" ], "raw": { "Pattern": "Gateway token exchange / OBO", "Typical deployment": "Remote enterprise", "Identity represented": "End user + calling workload + target", "Advantages": "Preserves delegated identity across gateway boundary", "Principal risks": "Confused-deputy and token-audience mistakes if poorly implemented", "Source IDs": "S053 S055" } } }, { "Pattern": "Mutual TLS", "Typical deployment": "Remote/private network", "Identity represented": "Certificate-bound workload", "Advantages": "Strong service authentication", "Principal risks": "Operational certificate lifecycle and weak end-user semantics", "Source IDs": "S062", "id": "R10-AUTH009", "sourceIds": [ "S133", "S471", "S475", "S191", "S006", "S005", "S192", "S004", "S193", "S488" ], "evidenceStatus": "curated-dataset-level-evidence; not an archive row-level citation mapping", "archive": { "namespace": "research/10/authentication_authorization_patterns.json", "row": 9, "sourceIds": [ "S062" ], "raw": { "Pattern": "Mutual TLS", "Typical deployment": "Remote/private network", "Identity represented": "Certificate-bound workload", "Advantages": "Strong service authentication", "Principal risks": "Operational certificate lifecycle and weak end-user semantics", "Source IDs": "S062" } } }, { "Pattern": "Secure tunnel to private endpoint", "Typical deployment": "Remote host to local/private service", "Identity represented": "Tunnel identity plus MCP auth", "Advantages": "Avoids public inbound exposure", "Principal risks": "Tunnel endpoint becomes critical trust boundary; local service still needs hardening", "Source IDs": "S035 S050", "id": "R10-AUTH010", "sourceIds": [ "S133", "S471", "S475", "S191", "S006", "S005", "S192", "S004", "S193", "S488" ], "evidenceStatus": "curated-dataset-level-evidence; not an archive row-level citation mapping", "archive": { "namespace": "research/10/authentication_authorization_patterns.json", "row": 10, "sourceIds": [ "S035", "S050" ], "raw": { "Pattern": "Secure tunnel to private endpoint", "Typical deployment": "Remote host to local/private service", "Identity represented": "Tunnel identity plus MCP auth", "Advantages": "Avoids public inbound exposure", "Principal risks": "Tunnel endpoint becomes critical trust boundary; local service still needs hardening", "Source IDs": "S035 S050" } } } ] }