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Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
Neon Auth provides a managed authentication service built on Better Auth, with user data and sessions stored directly in the project's Lakebase Postgres schema. It integrates seamlessly with Neon's branching model, ensuring that authentication state is isolated per branch. The service supports standard authentication flows like email/password, social OAuth, and magic links, while also offering capabilities to act as an OAuth 2.1/OIDC server for third-party clients or MCP servers. It is designed to be the default choice for new applications on Neon, while allowing for self-managed alternatives if specific advanced requirements are needed.
What it does
- Manages user identity and sessions within a dedicated neon_auth Postgres schema.
- Provides authentication methods via the @neon/auth SDK wrapper.
- Supports social OAuth providers including Google, GitHub, Microsoft, Vercel, and Apple.
- Enables email-based authentication including OTP, magic links, and password resets.
- Allows the project to act as an OAuth 2.1/OIDC server for external applications.
- Integrates with Neon database branching to maintain isolated auth states.
When to use it
- When starting a new application on Neon and requiring a managed authentication solution.
- When migrating from Supabase Auth to a managed Postgres-native auth service.
- When you need to act as an OAuth provider for your own MCP servers or third-party clients.
- When you require authentication state to branch automatically alongside your database.
Advantages
- Native integration with Neon database branching and schema management.
- Reduces infrastructure overhead by using managed auth services instead of external IdPs.
- Provides a consistent SDK experience across Neon-hosted applications.
- Supports secure OAuth 2.1/OIDC server functionality for custom integrations.
Usage examples
- “Add authentication to my new Neon app.”
- The agent will configure Managed Better Auth by setting auth: true in the project's neon.ts file and guide the implementation of login methods.
- “Migrate my app from Supabase Auth to Neon.”
- The agent will recommend Managed Better Auth, provide the migration guide, and assist in inventorying existing auth methods.
- “Set up my Neon project as an OAuth server for my MCP client.”
- The agent will configure the oauth-server plugin, define the login/consent pages, and register the necessary OAuth clients.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/neondatabase/neon-auth/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip neon-auth.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Neon
FIRST: Use the parent neon skill for a Neon overview, getting started with Neon, Neon development best practices, and more.
If the neon skill is not installed, fetch it from https://neon.com/docs/ai/skills/neon/SKILL.md or install it with:
neon skills -s neon -yNeon Auth
Neon Auth is Managed Better Auth: users, sessions, and auth config live in the neon_auth schema on the branch's Lakebase Postgres, and auth state branches with the database. The client API is the Better Auth method set (signIn.email, signIn.social, getSession) through @neon/auth. That wrapper is not a drop-in for bare better-auth/client: it pins the plugin list and adds Neon-specific OAuth verifier, iframe popup, and JWT handling. Stay on the wrapper while Auth is managed.
This skill chooses identity, then implements Managed Better Auth. It does not replace a working auth server in order to use Postgres, Functions, Object Storage, or the AI Gateway.
When to Use
Inspect existing identity and the required login features before provisioning. A supplied DATABASE_URL is not a reason to change identity. Adding a Neon Function is not a reason to change identity.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| No existing auth | Default to Managed Better Auth. Managed setup, then references/managed-auth.md. |
| Needs a feature Managed does not offer | Self-managed Better Auth on the existing app host (Vercel or similar) or a Neon Function. Keep Lakebase Postgres. Confirm the installed Better Auth version documents that exact flow before recommending the move. If support stays unresolved, keep the current identity. references/self-managed.md. |
| Already has Better Auth | Keep it. It works with the other Neon primitives. Migrate to Managed only if the user asks. |
| User asked to migrate from Supabase Auth | Managed Better Auth. Supabase Auth. Moving only Postgres or adding a Function keeps Supabase Auth. |
| Clerk, Auth.js, Supabase Auth, or another working IdP | Keep it unless the user asks to migrate. |
Google, GitHub, Microsoft, Vercel, and Apple social OAuth are offered on Managed Auth. They are not a reason to leave Managed Auth. Microsoft and Apple need your own credentials: Apple and Microsoft OAuth. Making Neon Auth the OAuth server for your own MCP server or third-party OAuth clients is supported: references/oauth-server.md. Other OAuth providers, generic OAuth, MFA, passkeys, API keys, SSO, custom plugins, hooks, and custom JWT claims are the plugin matrix check.
Before enabling Managed Auth, confirm the project is on AWS and does not use IP Allow or Private Networking. Leave those protections in place.
Configure supported Managed plugins through Neon (Console, API, or neon neon-auth), not by passing plugins into @neon/auth. Enabling auth: true is not implementing login.
What It Does
Managed identity in Postgres — users and sessions in
neon_auth, queryable with SQL, compatible with RLS.Auth emails without an app mailer — verification, email OTP, magic links, and password reset. Getting started uses shared SMTP (
[email protected]). You do not add Resend or SendGrid to implement login. Production needs custom SMTP: https://neon.com/docs/auth/production-checklist.mdBranches with the database — each branch has its own Auth URL and isolated auth state.
Better Auth client methods via the Neon SDK —
@neon/auth(auth only) or@neon/neon-js/auth(combined SDK). Optional UI: Better Auth UI (@better-auth-ui/reactwith its shadcn/ui components).Fixed plugin set — the Managed client does not accept a
pluginsoption. See plugin support.
Availability
Managed Better Auth is generally available. AWS regions only. It cannot be enabled on a project with IP Allow or Private Networking.
Organization is separately Partial / Beta. Hosting self-managed Better Auth in a Neon Function follows Functions availability and claim rules; use the neon-functions skill for that host. An unclaimed project that can enable Auth still cannot use Functions until claim.
Managed setup
Merge Auth into the existing neon.ts. Do not replace other fields:
import { defineConfig } from "@neon/config/v1";
export default defineConfig({
auth: true,
});neon deploy
neon neon-auth statusIf Function env in that config reads process.env, use neon deploy --env <file> as the parent skill describes. The manual service command is neon neon-auth enable; do not run both enable and deploy as redundant required steps when neon.ts already declares auth: true.
Then implement login: references/managed-auth.md. To make Neon Auth the OAuth server for an MCP server or OAuth clients, continue to references/oauth-server.md.
Claimable projects: follow the parent Claimable path, then auth: true and neon deploy when login is requested and no existing provider should be preserved.
Supabase Auth
When the user asked to migrate login from Supabase Auth, recommend Managed Better Auth and follow https://neon.com/docs/auth/migrate/from-supabase.md. Moving only Postgres or adding a Function is not that request: keep Supabase Auth.
SupabaseAuthAdapter() keeps method shapes such as signInWithPassword and signInWithOAuth. Those calls are not interchangeable with default Better Auth examples (signIn.email). Keep an existing adapter caller on that API.
Inventory the auth methods and database calls actually used:
Password hashes cannot transfer. Users create new accounts or sign in with OAuth.
Do not promise unchanged user IDs, sessions, or account linking. Plan application foreign keys with the owner.
updateUser()cannot change email or password on Managed Auth. Email verification needs application UI (codes work on shared SMTP; links need custom SMTP).The migration guide lists Supabase phone/SMS/WhatsApp, SAML, and Web3 as unsupported on Managed Auth. Confirm the installed Better Auth version if the user still needs that exact flow; if support stays unresolved, keep Supabase Auth and stop the auth cutover. That page's "no phone auth" claim is about Supabase phone sign-in, not the constrained Managed Phone Number plugin (existing users link a number).
@supabase/supabase-jsused only for Auth does not justify enabling the Data API. Keep Data API only for existing PostgREST / Supabase database-client queries.
Verification
Managed path: sign-up, sign-in, sign-out, session restoration after reload, and protected access, including error and loading states. Exercise email verification (code on shared SMTP) when it is on. Report any flow that remains unverified.
A required plugin on the self-managed path is verified in that app's Better Auth setup, not as a Managed flow.
Plugin support
Checked 2026-10-30 against https://neon.com/docs/auth/guides/plugins.md, https://neon.com/docs/auth/guides/plugins/oauth-provider.md, https://neon.com/docs/auth/roadmap.md, and the @neon/auth client plugin list. Re-fetch those pages if this skill may be stale. An unlisted upstream plugin needs a live check; do not treat absence from this table as a dated roadmap item.
"Not exposed" means the Managed SDK/UI contract. It is not a claim that every raw server request was tested.
| Feature | Managed Auth | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Email/password | Supported | signUp.email, signIn.email |
| Social OAuth (Google, GitHub, Microsoft, Vercel, Apple) | Supported | signIn.social. Shared Google credentials are for development; production and GitHub/Vercel need your own OAuth apps. Microsoft and Apple always need your own (details). https://neon.com/docs/auth/guides/setup-oauth.md |
| Admin | Supported | Admin session required. Plugin customization is on the roadmap. |
| Email OTP | Supported | Managed delivery. emailOtp.sendVerificationOtp, signIn.emailOtp. |
| Magic Link | Supported | Enable on the branch (off by default). signIn.magicLink. |
| Organization | Partial, Beta | Members, invitations, owner/admin/member. No Teams, server hooks, custom roles/permissions, or dynamic access control. Emailed invitations: managed-auth.md. |
| JWT | Supported | EdDSA (Ed25519), 15-minute expiry, no custom claims. Default client: .token() then data.token. SupabaseAuthAdapter(): getSession() then data.session.access_token (no .token()). |
| Open API | Supported | Server routes /reference and /open-api/generate-schema. |
| Phone Number | Supported with constraints | Browser client: existing users link a number, then sign in; no phone-first signup; own SMS webhook; custom UI. Next.js auth.handler() forwards the catch-all path, including phone OTP. A missing auth.phoneNumber server method is a missing typed helper, not a proxy rejection. https://neon.com/docs/auth/guides/plugins/phone-number.md |
| MFA / Two-Factor | Roadmap | Unavailable on Managed Auth. If required: self-managed.md, after confirming the installed Better Auth version. |
| Passkey, API Key, Generic OAuth, One Tap, Multi Session | Not exposed by Managed SDK/UI | If required: self-managed.md. Generic OAuth is not Google/GitHub/Microsoft/Vercel/Apple social sign-in. |
| OAuth Provider (OAuth server, MCP auth) | Supported (beta) | Neon Auth is the OAuth 2.1 / OIDC server for your MCP server or third-party OAuth clients. You host the login and consent pages; no client credentials grant. See references/oauth-server.md. |
| SSO / SAML | Not listed or exposed | If required: self-managed.md, after confirming the installed Better Auth version. |
The default Managed client method is getAnonymousToken(). That JWT is a Neon anonymous Data API token. It is not Better Auth's Anonymous-account plugin (signIn.anonymous). anonymousTokenClient() is the SDK plugin factory, not a method on the public client. Do not call it, and do not call getAnonymousToken() on SupabaseAuthAdapter().
Trusted domains and webhooks are Neon settings, not installable Better Auth plugins.
Apple and Microsoft OAuth
Both providers reject shared credentials; add them with your own via neon neon-auth oauth-provider add|update (Console and API work too). A multi-line secret goes in a file with --oauth-client-secret-file, not inline.
Apple:
client_idis the Services ID,client_secretis the full.p8private key. Also pass--apple-team-idand--apple-key-id(10 characters). Neon Auth signs the client-secret JWT itself, so there is nothing to rotate. Rotating the key needs the new--apple-key-idin the same update. The return URL must be HTTPS (https://<auth host>/<db>/auth/callback/apple); Apple rejects localhost, so test through a tunnel or a deployed preview.Microsoft:
client_idandclient_secretfrom the Entra app registration.--microsoft-tenant-idis optional:common(default),organizations,consumers, a tenant GUID, or a domain. The redirect URI is<base_url>/callback/microsoft.Microsoft email verification: an email counts as verified only when the ID token carries
xms_edov= true andacct= 0. Addxms_edovandacctas optional ID-token claims in Entra. Without them, a same-email existing user getsaccount_not_linked,link-socialfails withunable_to_link_account, and new users stay unverified.
Trusted domains
Auth redirects only to origins on its allowlist. invalid domain means the app origin is missing. Include the scheme, omit a trailing slash, register production and preview origins before pointing users at them, and target the correct branch:
neon neon-auth domain add https://app.example.com
neon neon-auth domain list
neon neon-auth domain delete https://old.example.comLocalhost ports are pre-approved by default. An existing project can have that off: neon neon-auth domain allow-localhost get|enable|disable. Docs: https://neon.com/docs/auth/guides/configure-domains.md
OAuth provider redirect is {NEON_AUTH_BASE_URL}/callback/{provider} (the Auth URL includes its path). callbackURL on signIn.social is the later app landing origin and must be trusted.
The Managed SDK handles iframe OAuth popup and neon_auth_session_verifier. Keep the wrapper, callback route, and middleware. Do not reimplement that flow, and do not promise third-party cookies in every browser.
Functions and Data API
A Function authenticates whoever already signs the user in. Do not switch identity to call a Function. Verify the token in the neon-functions skill and https://neon.com/docs/compute/functions/authentication.md.
Managed Auth: injected NEON_AUTH_JWKS_URL, issuer from NEON_AUTH_BASE_URL. Token: default client .token() then data.token; SupabaseAuthAdapter() getSession() then data.session.access_token. A valid token is not permission to read another user's rows. Sign-out ends the browser session; do not claim it immediately revokes an already-issued JWT.
Data API identity: references/managed-auth.md. New apps query Postgres from Functions or existing handlers, not the Data API.
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer862 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer11.1 KiB
- SKILL.md14.0 KiB
- references/managed-auth.md12.6 KiB
- references/oauth-server.md10.7 KiB
- references/self-managed.md1.8 KiB
references/oauth-server.md
Managed Better Auth as the OAuth server
Use this page when the request is "let MCP clients sign in my users", "protect my MCP server with OAuth", or "let another app or OAuth client call my API on behalf of my users". Managed Better Auth is the OAuth 2.1 / OIDC authorization server (the OAuth provider plugin, beta, available to all Managed projects). Do not move to self-managed Better Auth for this, and keep the app's existing login method.
"OAuth server" and "OAuth clients" here are not the social providers (Google, GitHub, Apple) of neon neon-auth oauth-provider. Those sign users in to Neon Auth. This page makes Neon Auth issue tokens to other apps.
Docs: https://neon.com/docs/auth/guides/plugins/oauth-provider.md
Configuration is per branch: each branch has its own issuer, clients, and settings.
Prerequisites: Auth enabled; a login page and a consent page that you host (there is no default UI); the origin of each page on the branch's trusted domains; at least one protected resource (the MCP server URL, or an API identifier URL).
1. Enable and configure the server
CLI (Console and the API PATCH .../branches/{branch_id}/auth/plugins/oauth-provider do the same):
# MCP server
neon neon-auth config oauth-server update --enabled \
--login-page https://app.example.com/auth/sign-in \
--consent-page https://app.example.com/auth/consent \
--mcp-resource https://mcp.example.com/mcp
# A non-MCP API instead (or as well)
neon neon-auth config oauth-server resource add https://api.example.com/reports
neon neon-auth config oauth-server getEnabling needs both pages and at least one of
--mcp-resourceor a resource. Resources are absolutehttpsURLs (orhttpon loopback) with no query or fragment, and they must not be the Auth host. They do not need to resolve.--mcp-resourceturns on Client ID Metadata Documents (CIMD): MCP clients that support CIMD identify themselves, so you create no client for them. Turn it off with--no-mcp-client-id-metadata-documentsto allow only clients you create. Legacy dynamic registration is off by default; leave it off.Keep the MCP server URL in
--mcp-resource, not in the resources list.resource add|removerewrites the full stored list.--resourcesreplaces it.
Programmatic equivalents: neon.auth.oauthServer.get|update and neon.auth.oauthClients.* in @neon/sdk, and the get_auth_oauth_server / update_auth_oauth_server / *_auth_oauth_client tools in the Neon MCP server (neon_auth scope).
2. Register clients
Skip this for MCP clients that use CIMD. Create managed clients for known apps, for non-MCP resources, or when CIMD is off. Every --resources URL must already be configured on the server.
neon neon-auth oauth-client create --name "Reports" --type confidential \
--redirect-uris https://reports.example.com/callback \
--resources https://api.example.com/reports
neon neon-auth oauth-client list
neon neon-auth oauth-client get <client-id>
neon neon-auth oauth-client update <client-id> --redirect-uris https://reports.example.com/callback
neon neon-auth oauth-client rotate-secret <client-id>
neon neon-auth oauth-client delete <client-id>confidential(server-side apps, token endpoint authclient_secret_basic) orpublic(SPA, mobile, desktop, CLI; PKCE, no secret). The type cannot change after creation.The
client_secretof a confidential client is returned only bycreateandrotate-secret. Store it in a secret manager or the host's environment variables immediately. The old secret stops working at once on rotation. Never put it in client-side code, the repo, or logs.Redirect URIs must match exactly:
https, orhttponlocalhost/127.0.0.1/[::1]when localhost access is enabled. No fragments, credentials, or custom schemes. Register only the URIs the app uses.At most 100 OAuth clients per project (
OAUTH_CLIENT_LIMIT_REACHEDpast that). Runoauth-client listbefore creating more, and reuse or delete a client rather than creating duplicates.--skip-consentonly for first-party confidential clients you control.A new branch starts with its parent's clients (same IDs and secrets). Rotate secrets on branches that must differ.
3. Build the login and consent pages
Both pages receive the signed authorization query. Use @neon/auth 0.8.0 or later: the client forwards that query (oauth_query) for you. There is no auth.oauth.resume() or getConsentRequest() helper; do not call or write one, and do not build consent URLs by hand.
// lib/auth/client.ts
import { createAuthClient } from "@neon/auth";
export const authClient = createAuthClient(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_NEON_AUTH_URL!);Login page. Existing sign-in calls (signIn.email, signIn.social) carry the query automatically. On every load, including the return from a social sign-in, resume if the user already has a session:
const { data } = await authClient.getSession();
if (data?.user) {
const { error } = await authClient.oauth2.continue({ selected: true });
if (error) showError("This sign-in link expired. Go back to the app and try again.");
}continue navigates to the consent page or back to the client; a 400 means the link expired. After signIn.email, skip your own redirect when data.redirect is true.
Consent page. Show the client name, the redirect URI hosts, and the requested scope and resource (query parameters), and warn when every redirect URI is loopback:
const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
const { data: client } = await authClient.oauth2.publicClient({
query: { client_id: params.get("client_id") ?? "" },
});
// Allow / Deny buttons:
await authClient.oauth2.consent({ accept }); // navigates the browser itself; do not redirect againpublicClient and consent need a signed-in user. Send Content-Security-Policy: frame-ancestors 'none' on both pages.
4. Protect an MCP server
The user identity is the token's sub. Never trust a user id from tool arguments.
Verify iss (the exact Auth URL of the branch) and aud (the exact MCP server URL) as well as the signature. All branches of a project share signing keys, so the signature alone does not identify the branch. @neon/oauth 0.3.0 or later (beta) does all three.
npm install @neon/oauth @modelcontextprotocol/sdk hono @hono/mcpOn a Neon Function, the default export is a Hono app (see the neon-functions skill, references/mcp.md):
import { Hono } from "hono";
import { StreamableHTTPTransport } from "@hono/mcp";
import { McpServer } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js";
import { createMcpAuth } from "@neon/oauth/mcp";
import { honoMcp, type McpAuthVariables } from "@neon/oauth/mcp/hono";
const mcpAuth = createMcpAuth({
baseUrl: process.env.NEON_AUTH_BASE_URL!, // the branch's Auth URL
resource: process.env.MCP_RESOURCE!, // exactly the --mcp-resource value
});
const app = new Hono<McpAuthVariables>();
app.use(honoMcp(mcpAuth, { path: "/mcp" })); // metadata routes + bearer guard
app.all("/mcp", async (c) => {
const userId = c.get("auth").sub; // verified identity; scope every query by it
const server = new McpServer({ name: "my-mcp", version: "1.0.0" });
// register tools that close over userId
const transport = new StreamableHTTPTransport({ sessionIdGenerator: undefined });
await server.connect(transport);
return transport.handleRequest(c);
});
export default app;Stateless: build the server and transport per request.
c.get("auth")is the verified result (sub,clientId,scopes,claims);c.get("authInfo")is the MCP SDKAuthInfo. Express, Next.js, andnode:httpadapters exist (@neon/oauth/mcp/express,/next,/node).Set
NEON_AUTH_BASE_URLandMCP_RESOURCEthrough the Function'senvinneon.ts, and deploy withneon deploy(orneon functions deploy <name> --src <file>).Known gaps: a request with no token gets a challenge with
error="invalid_token"rather than a bare RFC 6750 challenge, and/mcphas no CORS orOPTIONShandling, so browser-based MCP clients need CORS added by you.Without the SDK, use
joseagainst the issuer's JWKS with the sameissandaudchecks. See the docs.
5. Endpoints and discovery
Issuer = the branch's Auth URL, e.g.
https://ep-example.neonauth.us-east-1.aws.neon.tech/neondb/auth. Copy it from the Console orbase_urlfromGET .../auth; do not construct it. It differs per branch, so keep it in per-branch config.Authorization server metadata:
<issuer>/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server(also<issuer>/.well-known/openid-configuration). It lists the authorize, token, and userinfo endpoints, so read them from there.JWKS:
<issuer>/.well-known/jwks.json. Userinfo:<issuer>/oauth2/userinfo.The MCP server serves protected resource metadata (RFC 9728);
honoMcpdoes this.Clients must send
resourceon both the authorize and token requests, or the token is opaque and cannot be verified. Access tokens are EdDSA JWTs valid for one hour. Scopes are fixed:openid,profile,email,offline_access. Grants areauthorization_codeandrefresh_token; there is noclient_credentials.
6. Verify
neon neon-auth config oauth-server getshowsenabled, both pages, and the resource.curl <issuer>/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server:issuerequals the Auth URL.curl -i <mcp-url>without a token: 401 whoseWWW-Authenticatepoints to the protected resource metadata, and that metadata names the issuer.Run the real flow with MCP Inspector (
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector, Streamable HTTP, the MCP URL) or an MCP client such as Cursor or Claude. Expect: redirect to your login page, then your consent page, then a token, then a successful tool call.Confirm a tool returns data for the signed-in user only, and that a token for another resource or branch is rejected.
For a managed client, run authorize with PKCE and
resource, then exchange the code at the token endpoint.
Report any step you could not run.
Do NOT
Do not move to self-managed Better Auth or the Better Auth MCP plugin for this. Managed supports it.
Do not confuse this with
neon neon-auth oauth-provider(social login) or Generic OAuth.Do not call
auth.oauth.resume(),getConsentRequest(), or any resume helper. Useoauth2.continue,oauth2.publicClient, andoauth2.consent.Do not put client secrets, or Neon API keys, in browser or mobile code.
Do not skip
issandaudchecks, or trust a user id from tool input instead ofsub.Do not enable dynamic client registration or
--skip-consentfor third-party or public clients.Do not list the MCP server URL under resources instead of
--mcp-resource.
Requirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Needs: Needs an MCP server, Needs network access, Needs an API key
Security
No issues found by our static scan· No issues found
A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.
Attribution and licence
- Published by
- Neon
- Publisher
- Neon (Official)
- Source
- neondatabase/agent-skills · skills/neon-auth · commit 2b0e2b6
- Licence
- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
- Also distributed in
- neondatabase/agent-skills
AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Neon.
Download ZIP
The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download neon-auth.zip