> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.agentpass.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> Understand authentication and protect your MCP servers

Authentication in AgentPass provides comprehensive security for your MCP servers. It supports multiple authentication methods, OAuth provider management, and fine-grained access control to ensure your APIs remain secure while being accessible to AI agents.

## Challenges with MCP Authentication

* **Complex Configuration**: Managing multiple authentication methods and providers
* **Security Risks**: Exposing credentials to unauthorized access
* **Scalability Issues**: Handling large numbers of users and tokens
* **Compliance Challenges**: Meeting regulatory requirements
* **Monitoring Difficulties**: Tracking authentication patterns and usage
* **Development time**: Authentication is not a priority for most developers

## How AgentPass Solves these Challenges

* **Built-in Authentication**: OAuth 2.1, JWT, and custom authorization headers
* **Catalog of Integrations**: Pre-configured OAuth providers for popular services
* **Server-Side Token Management**: Credentials never exposed to client-side code
* **Usage Dashboards**: Token usage and user activity tracking
* **Zero-Code Setup**: Visual configuration without coding

## Architecture

AgentPass offers a layered authentication system that provides security at multiple levels:

> **MCP Server Authentication**
>
> Authentication applied to connect to an MCP server

> **MCP Tool Authentication**
>
> Authentication for specific tools (APIs) when needed

## Supported Authentication Methods

### For MCP Servers

AgentPass supports the following authentication methods for MCP servers:

* **OAuth**: OAuth is a standard authorization framework that allows users to grant access to their resources to third-party applications or services.
* **JWT**: JSON Web Token is a standard for securely transmitting information between parties as a JSON object.
* **Custom Headers**: Custom headers are used to authenticate requests to MCP servers.

### For MCP Tools

AgentPass supports the following authentication methods for MCP tools:

* **OAuth**: OAuth is a standard authorization framework that allows users to grant access to their resources to third-party applications or services.
* **Custom Headers**: Custom headers are used to authenticate requests to MCP tools.


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