MCP servers require authentication for protocol operations, tool execution, resource access, and prompt retrieval using the same two methods as the Management API.

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OAuth 2.1 Client Credentials

Standard OAuth flow for production MCP clients:

curl -X POST https://us-east-1clpqjbygz.auth.us-east-1.amazoncognito.com/oauth2/token \
  -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
  -u "client_id:client_secret" \
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials&scope=mgmt.read+mgmt.write"

Response:

{
  "access_token": "eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIs...",
  "token_type": "Bearer",
  "expires_in": 3600,
  "scope": "mgmt.read mgmt.write"
}

​
Personal Access Tokens (PATs)

Long-lived tokens for MCP server access, suitable for automation and development workflows.

Key Characteristics:

  • Long-lived (no expiration by default)
  • Generated via web UI for specific MCP server instances
  • Uses same JWT structure as OAuth tokens for compatibility
  • Suitable for CI/CD, automation, and development scenarios

Token Claims Structure:

PAT tokens follow standard JWT structure with these key claims:

{
  "iss": "https://cognito-idp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/us-east-1_CLpqjbYgz",
  "aud": "kambrium-mcp",
  "sub": "account_id",
  "client_id": "pat_<random_string>",
  "scopes": ["mgmt.read", "mgmt.write"],
  "token_use": "access",
  "token_type": "pat",
  "mcp_server_id": 1,
  "iat": 1704067200,
  "jti": "pat_<token_identifier>"
}

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Available Scopes

Based on the Management API, the following scopes are used for MCP server access:

  • mgmt.read - Read MCP server configurations, status, tools, resources, and prompts
  • mgmt.write - Create, update, and delete MCP server connections
  • mgmt.admin - Administrative operations and system management

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MCP Protocol Authentication

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Session Initialization

All MCP protocol operations require proper authentication headers:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Mcp-Session-Id: <session_id>" \
  https://mcp.kambrium.com/user_endpoint

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Authentication Flow

  1. Obtain Token: Use OAuth 2.1 Client Credentials or PAT
  2. Initialize Session: Send initialize request with capabilities
  3. Session Established: Receive session ID in Mcp-Session-Id header
  4. Send Notification: Send notifications/initialized
  5. Authenticated Requests: Include both Bearer token and session ID in subsequent requests

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Session Headers

Required headers for all MCP requests:

Authorization: Bearer <access_token>
Content-Type: application/json
Mcp-Session-Id: <session_id>

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Token Validation

MCP servers validate tokens on every request:

  • OAuth tokens: Verified against OAuth provider and checked for expiration
  • PAT tokens: Validated against stored hash and scope permissions
  • Session correlation: Session ID must match authenticated user context

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Server-Specific Access

Tokens with mcp_server_id: Access specific MCP server instance
Tokens without mcp_server_id: Access all authorized MCP servers

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Security Considerations

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Token Lifecycle

  • OAuth tokens: 1-hour expiration, automatic refresh required
  • PAT tokens: Long-lived, manual rotation recommended
  • Session tokens: Temporary, tied to connection lifetime

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Best Practices

  • Store tokens securely in application memory or credential vault
  • Implement token refresh logic for OAuth flows
  • Monitor authentication failures and rate limits
  • Use minimum required scopes for principle of least privilege