Auth0 has launched Token Vault Privileged Worker in early access, addressing a critical gap in identity management for AI agents that operate without an active user session. Traditional identity systems assume a human is present, but background AI agents need third-party OAuth tokens (Gmail, Slack, etc.) with no one signed in. Previously, developers had to build their own databases of long-lived refresh tokens — a major security liability. Token Vault Privileged Worker lets agents authenticate using Private Key JWT or mTLS, receive short-lived access tokens scoped to specific connections, and never hold raw refresh tokens. Security guardrails include connection and scope pinning (max 5 connections, 20 scopes per credential), replay protection via one-time-use request IDs, IP allowlisting, required audit context per request, and dedicated audit logging. A compromised credential has a bounded blast radius rather than platform-wide exposure.
