# Application-owned access control

The [security review](/docs/security) describes token, tenant and execution trust
boundaries, tested defenses and remaining native-isolation qualification.

Applications own their authentication and choose their auth stack. Consuming the
SDK requires no AgenticDriver account, extra login service or auth migration. Application
identity, authorization to an execution host, and a provider account's native
sign-in are separate concerns; provider credentials stay on the execution host.

## Connect an existing authorization system

A programmatic host accepts the `HostAuthentication` interface exported from
`@agenticdriver/sdk/server`. Its `authenticate(token, signal)` checks the current
credential and returns an `AuthenticatedPrincipal`, or `undefined` to deny it.
The principal contains an opaque authorization `id`, a canonical `subject`, and
explicit provider, tool and other resource grants. Map those fields from the
application's trusted current policy, never from request metadata. Protect the
existing identity service's credentials and honor the supplied cancellation signal.

Supply this adapter as `serve(driver, { authentication, ...options })`, or through
the programmatic configured host. Use either `authentication` or static `tokens`,
never both. Static tokens have explicit host-owned grants but no built-in expiry
or rotation. Detached jobs additionally require `resolveJobPrincipal(id, signal)`
to recheck a durable, revocable grant after restart; never use a bearer as its ID.
See the [public contract](https://github.com/agenticdriver/agenticdriver/blob/27f2bb1aa5170a35ca5592d6db1eec2b73971bc9/src/authorization.ts)
and [host configuration](/docs/host).

The [host connection flow](/docs/connections) and [desktop companion](/docs/desktop)
also support scoped host invitations and connection management without imposing
an application identity provider. Choose that flow or an application-owned
credential flow according to the integration. Browser cookies alone never
authorize SDK requests.