Agent skill
oauth-user-authentication
OAuth flows for user-context operations. Web application patterns, device flow for CLI tools, and token refresh strategies for GitHub Apps.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/adaptive-enforcement-lab/claude-skills/tree/main/plugins/patterns/skills/oauth-user-authentication
SKILL.md
OAuth User Authentication
When to Use This Skill
OAuth authentication provides user-context access for GitHub Apps. It enables:
- User attribution - Actions appear as the user in audit logs
- User permissions - Respect individual user access levels
- Personal repository access - Access to user's private repositories
- Interactive applications - Web apps and CLI tools requiring user authorization
- Long-lived sessions - Tokens valid until revoked
OAuth Limitations
- Not suitable for automated workflows (no user present)
- Requires user consent for each installation
- Rate limits apply per user (5,000/hour)
- More complex setup than installation tokens
Implementation
See the full implementation guide in the source documentation.
Techniques
OAuth vs Other Methods
flowchart TD
A["Need user context?"] --> B{"Who initiates<br/>the action?"}
B -->|"Human user<br/>(web app, CLI)"| C["Use OAuth"]
B -->|"Automated process<br/>(GitHub Actions)"| D["Use Installation Token"]
C --> C1["User attribution required"]
C --> C2["Personal repos access"]
C --> C3["User-level permissions"]
D --> D1["No user present"]
D --> D2["Organization repos"]
D --> D3["App-level permissions"]
%% Ghostty Hardcore Theme
style A fill:#515354,stroke:#ccccc7,stroke-width:2px,color:#ccccc7
style B fill:#fd971e,stroke:#e6db74,stroke-width:2px,color:#1b1d1e
style C fill:#a7e22e,stroke:#bded5f,stroke-width:2px,color:#1b1d1e
style D fill:#f92572,stroke:#ff669d,stroke-width:2px,color:#1b1d1e
style C1 fill:#515354,stroke:#ccccc7,stroke-width:1px,color:#ccccc7
style C2 fill:#515354,stroke:#ccccc7,stroke-width:1px,color:#ccccc7
style C3 fill:#515354,stroke:#ccccc7,stroke-width:1px,color:#ccccc7
style D1 fill:#515354,stroke:#ccccc7,stroke-width:1px,color:#ccccc7
style D2 fill:#515354,stroke:#ccccc7,stroke-width:1px,color:#ccccc7
style D3 fill:#515354,stroke:#ccccc7,stroke-width:1px,color:#ccccc7
See reference.md for additional techniques and detailed examples.
Comparison
See examples.md for detailed code examples.
Examples
See examples.md for code examples.
Full Reference
See reference.md for complete documentation.
References
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