Claude Code for Claude SSO Integration Workflow Tutorial Guide

Single Sign-On (SSO) integration is a critical component for enterprise development teams looking to streamline authentication across multiple applications. This tutorial guide walks you through integrating Claude Code with your SSO workflow, providing practical examples and actionable advice for a secure implementation.

Understanding Claude Code and SSO Integration

Claude Code is Anthropic’s command-line interface for interacting with Claude AI models. When integrated with SSO, it allows developers to authenticate using their corporate identity providers (IdP) such as Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace, or any SAML/OIDC-compatible service.

The integration enables:

• Centralized authentication management
• Role-based access control (RBAC) through your identity provider
• Audit logging of Claude Code usage
• Compliance with enterprise security policies

Prerequisites

Before beginning the integration, ensure you have:

• Claude Code installed on your system
• Admin access to your SSO identity provider
• A registered application in your IdP
• Basic understanding of OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect

Setting Up Your Identity Provider

The first step involves configuring your identity provider to recognize Claude Code as a valid client application. This process varies by provider but follows a common pattern.

Configuring Okta as Your IdP

For Okta users, create a new application integration:

1. Navigate to Applications → Applications in your Okta admin console
2. Click “Create App Integration”
3. Select “OIDC - OpenID Connect” as the sign-in method
4. Choose “Native Application” as the application type
5. Configure the following:
   • App name: Claude Code
   • Login redirect URIs: http://localhost:8080/callback
   • Grant type: Authorization Code
   • Refresh token: Enabled

After creation, note your Client ID and Client Secret—these will be needed for configuration.

Configuring Azure Active Directory

For Azure AD integration:

1. Register a new application in Azure Portal
2. Configure redirect URI as a public client
3. Select API permissions for Microsoft Graph (if needed)
4. Note the Application (client) ID and Directory (tenant) ID

Implementing the OAuth Flow

With your IdP configured, you can now implement the OAuth 2.0 authorization code flow with Claude Code. Create a configuration file to store your SSO settings.

Configuration File Setup

Create a claude-sso-config.json file:

{
  "client_id": "your-client-id",
  "client_secret": "your-client-secret",
  "authorization_endpoint": "https://your-idp.com/oauth2/authorize",
  "token_endpoint": "https://your-idp.com/oauth2/token",
  "redirect_uri": "http://localhost:8080/callback",
  "scopes": ["openid", "profile", "email"],
  "session_encryption_key": "your-encryption-key"
}

Authentication Code Implementation

Here’s a practical implementation using Node.js:

const http = require('http');
const url = require('url');
const crypto = require('crypto');

class ClaudeSSOClient {
  constructor(config) {
    this.config = config;
    this.state = crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('hex');
    this.codeVerifier = crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('hex');
  }

  generateAuthorizationURL() {
    const params = new URLSearchParams({
      client_id: this.config.client_id,
      redirect_uri: this.config.redirect_uri,
      response_type: 'code',
      scope: this.config.scopes.join(' '),
      state: this.state,
      code_challenge: this.generateCodeChallenge(),
      code_challenge_method: 'S256'
    });

    return `${this.config.authorization_endpoint}?${params}`;
  }

  generateCodeChallenge() {
    const hash = crypto.createHash('sha256')
      .update(this.codeVerifier)
      .digest('base64url');
    return hash;
  }

  async exchangeCodeForToken(code) {
    const response = await fetch(this.config.token_endpoint, {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded'
      },
      body: new URLSearchParams({
        grant_type: 'authorization_code',
        code: code,
        redirect_uri: this.config.redirect_uri,
        client_id: this.config.client_id,
        client_secret: this.config.client_secret,
        code_verifier: this.codeVerifier
      })
    });

    return response.json();
  }
}

Starting the Local Server

Implement a simple callback server to handle the OAuth redirect:

const server = http.createServer(async (req, res) => {
  const parsedUrl = url.parse(req.url, true);
  
  if (parsedUrl.pathname === '/callback') {
    const { code, state } = parsedUrl.query;
    
    if (state !== expectedState) {
      res.writeHead(400, { 'Content-Type': 'text/html' });
      res.end('State mismatch - possible CSRF attack');
      return;
    }

    const tokens = await ssoClient.exchangeCodeForToken(code);
    
    // Store tokens securely (use encrypted session storage)
    res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/html' });
    res.end('Authentication successful! You can close this window.');
  }
});

server.listen(8080, () => {
  console.log('Callback server running on http://localhost:8080');
});

Configuring Claude Code for SSO

After obtaining the access token, configure Claude Code to use it:

# Set SSO token for Claude Code
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-sso-access-token"

# Or configure in Claude Code settings
claude config set auth.sso.enabled true
claude config set auth.sso.provider "okta"

Environment Variables

For production deployments, use environment variables:

export SSO_CLIENT_ID="your-client-id"
export SSO_CLIENT_SECRET="your-client-secret"
export SSO_TENANT_URL="https://your-domain.okta.com"
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key"

Best Practices and Security Considerations

When implementing SSO with Claude Code, follow these security guidelines:

Token Security

• Store tokens in secure, encrypted storage
• Implement token refresh logic to handle expired sessions
• Use short-lived access tokens with refresh tokens
• Never log or expose tokens in plain text

Error Handling

Implement robust error handling for common scenarios:

async function handleAuthError(error) {
  switch (error.error) {
    case 'access_denied':
      return { action: 'retry', message: 'User denied access' };
    case 'invalid_request':
      return { action: 'fix_config', message: 'Check your configuration' };
    case 'temporarily_unavailable':
      return { action: 'retry_later', message: 'IdP temporarily unavailable' };
    default:
      return { action: 'contact_support', message: 'Unknown error occurred' };
  }
}

Session Management

Implement proper session lifecycle management:

• Set appropriate token expiration times (recommend 1 hour access, 7 days refresh)
• Implement logout functionality that clears tokens at the IdP
• Use secure, HTTP-only cookies for web applications
• Implement session invalidation on password change

Testing Your Integration

Thorough testing ensures a reliable SSO implementation:

1. Unit Test: Test each authentication function in isolation
2. Integration Test: Verify the complete OAuth flow with your IdP
3. Error Test: Test error handling for network failures, token expiration
4. Security Test: Verify CSRF protection, token storage, and encryption
5. User Acceptance Test: Have real users complete the authentication flow

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Token Exchange Failures

If token exchange fails with “invalid_grant”:

• Verify the authorization code hasn’t expired (typically 10 minutes)
• Check that redirect_uri matches exactly what’s registered in IdP
• Ensure code_verifier matches the code_challenge sent initially

Callback Not Reaching Server

For redirect URI issues:

• Verify the redirect URI is registered exactly in your IdP
• Check firewall rules if running locally
• Ensure your server binds to the correct interface

Conclusion

Integrating Claude Code with your SSO workflow provides secure, centralized authentication for your development team. By following this guide, you can implement a production-ready authentication system that leverages your existing identity infrastructure while maintaining the flexibility to work with Claude Code’s capabilities.

Remember to regularly review and update your security configurations, stay current with your IdP’s documentation, and implement the best practices outlined here for a secure and reliable authentication experience.