agent

@aauth/agent

The agent-side AAuth protocol library. Signs HTTP requests, obtains person tokens, handles AAuth challenge-response flows, exchanges resource tokens for auth tokens at the person server, and polls 202 deferred responses.

Renamed from @aauth/mcp-agent: the package contains no MCP and never did. Its only runtime dependencies are @aauth/protocol and @hellocoop/httpsig.

Part of aauth-dev/packages-js. Protocol spec: dickhardt/AAuth.

Install

npm install @aauth/agent

Usage

createAAuthFetch(options): FetchLike

Creates a protocol-aware fetch that handles the full AAuth flow: signs requests, obtains a person token when a resource challenges with requirement=person-token, parses 401 AAuth-Requirement challenges, exchanges resource tokens with the person server, caches auth tokens, handles AAuth-Access session tokens, and retries.

import { createAAuthFetch } from '@aauth/agent'

const fetch = createAAuthFetch({
  getKeyMaterial: async () => ({
    signingKey: privateKeyJwk,
    signatureKey: { type: 'jwt', jwt: agentToken }
  }),
  // Person server — the `ps` claim of the agent token.
  authServerUrl: 'https://ps.example',
  // Optional: declare protocol capabilities
  capabilities: ['interaction', 'clarification'],
  // Optional: the mission the agent is operating under, as the base64url
  // SHA-256 of the approved mission blob. Forwarded when a person token is
  // requested; it then flows person token → resource token → auth token.
  missionS256: 'dBjftJeZ4CVP-mB92K27uhbUJU1p1r_wW1gFWFOEjXk',
  // Optional callbacks
  onInteraction: (url, code) => {
    console.log(`Visit ${url}?code=${code}`)
  },
  onClarification: async (question) => {
    return prompt(question)
  },
  // Optional hints for the person server
  justification: 'Read project files',
  loginHint: 'user@example.com',
  tenant: 'acme.com',
  domainHint: 'acme.com',
})

const response = await fetch('https://resource.example/api')

There is no AAuth-Mission header in protocol -11 — it and its IANA registration were removed. A mission reaches a resource only inside a PS-issued token, as the mission_s256 claim.

requestPersonToken(options): Promise<PersonTokenResult>

Requests a person token from the PS's person_token_endpoint. A person token identifies the person the agent acts for to one resource. A resource MUST have verified one before it issues a resource token, and the agent MUST present one on every authorization endpoint request.

import { requestPersonToken } from '@aauth/agent'

const { personToken, expiresIn } = await requestPersonToken({
  signedFetch: psSignedFetch,          // createSignedFetch(..., { signBody: true })
  personServerUrl: 'https://ps.example',
  resource: 'https://resource.example',
  missionS256: '...',                  // optional
  subagentToken: '...',                // optional — parent requesting for a sub-agent
  onInteraction: (url, code) => { /* the PS may ask the person first */ },
})

The request is a signed POST presenting the agent token via Signature-Key: sig=jwt;jwt="…", with body {resource, mission_s256?, subagent_token?}. A 202 with requirement=interaction is polled at its Location like any other deferred response. upstream_token (call chaining) is not implemented.

Present the token in place of the agent token:

Signature-Key: sig=jwt;jwt="<person token>"

createPersonTokenCache(options): PersonTokenCache

Caches person tokens per (resource, mission_s256) — a person token is scoped to one resource and, when it carries mission_s256, to one mission.

import { createPersonTokenCache } from '@aauth/agent'

const personTokens = createPersonTokenCache({
  signedFetch: psSignedFetch,
  personServerUrl: 'https://ps.example',
})

const token = await personTokens.get('https://resource.example', missionS256)

// One rotation of the agent's signing key invalidates every cached token at
// once — they all bind that key through `cnf`. Flush and re-request lazily.
personTokens.clear()

set(resource, missionS256, token, expiresIn) seeds a token obtained elsewhere, such as the person_tokens map a PS returns with a mission approval.

createSignedFetch(getKeyMaterial, options?): FetchLike

Creates a fetch that signs requests with HTTP Message Signatures but does not handle AAuth challenges. Use this when you only need request signing.

import { createSignedFetch } from '@aauth/agent'

const signedFetch = createSignedFetch(async () => ({
  signingKey: privateKeyJwk,
  signatureKey: { type: 'hwk' }
}), {
  capabilities: ['interaction'],
})

// For PS and AS endpoints: a request carrying a body additionally signs
// `content-digest` and `content-type`.
const psSignedFetch = createSignedFetch(getKeyMaterial, { signBody: true })

Set signBody only for PS and AS endpoints. Resources declare what they need through additional_signature_components in their metadata, so a blanket body mandate toward a resource would be wrong.

exchangeToken(options): Promise<TokenExchangeResult>

Exchanges a resource token for an auth token at the person server. Handles metadata discovery (/.well-known/aauth-person.json), 202 deferred responses, and interaction polling.

import { exchangeToken } from '@aauth/agent'

const { authToken, expiresIn } = await exchangeToken({
  signedFetch: psSignedFetch,
  authServerUrl: 'https://ps.example',
  resourceToken: '...',
  justification: 'Read project files',
})

The auth token request has no mission parameter — the mission reaches the PS inside the resource token, which copied it from the person token.

fetchAuthServerMetadata(options) / resolveAuthServerMetadata(options)

Fetches and validates /.well-known/aauth-person.json. Both auth_token_endpoint (renamed from token_endpoint in -11) and person_token_endpoint (new in -11) are REQUIRED; a person server publishing neither cannot complete a flow, and the document is rejected. resolveAuthServerMetadata returns a caller-supplied cached copy when there is one.

pollDeferred(options): Promise<DeferredResult>

Polls a 202 Location URL until a terminal response. Handles Retry-After, Prefer: wait, clarification chat, and interaction codes.

import { pollDeferred } from '@aauth/agent'

const { response, error } = await pollDeferred({
  signedFetch,
  locationUrl: 'https://ps.example/pending/abc123',
  interactionCode: 'ABCD1234',
  onInteraction: (url, code) => { /* show to user */ },
  maxPollDuration: 900, // seconds, default 900
})

Protocol primitives

Header parsing (parseRequirementHeader, buildCapabilitiesHeader, …), access_mode planning, token typ and dwk constants, and JWT decoding live in @aauth/protocol. This package consumes them and defines none of them.

Key Material Callback

All signing functions take a GetKeyMaterial callback. This decouples key management from the protocol — you provide keys however you want:

type GetKeyMaterial = () => Promise<{
  signingKey: JsonWebKey          // Ed25519 private key for HTTP signatures
  signatureKey:
    | { type: 'jwt', jwt: string }  // agent, person, or auth token
    | { type: 'hwk' }               // bare public key (pseudonym)
}>

For local development, use @aauth/local-keys to provide this callback from the OS keychain.

License

MIT