{"slug":"oip-what-is-oauth","title":"What Is OAuth","body":"**OAuth is an authorization protocol. It lets one service access another's resources without ever seeing the user's password. It replaces trust with tokens, and secrets with scopes.**\n\n## Why It Matters\n\nPasswords are a catastrophe. Users reuse them. Services store them in hashes that leak. When Site A needs Site B's data, asking for the user's password is a betrayal — of the user, and of both services. OAuth ends that. It introduces a third object: the token. The token carries permission, not identity. It expires. It can be revoked. It can be scoped to a single action. This is not a convenience. It is a structural shift from shared secrets to delegated authority. It makes the web composable. One service builds on another without owning the user's credentials. That is the practical importance. The philosophical importance is deeper: OAuth enforces the principle of least privilege. You get exactly the access you asked for, no more. No implicit trust. No ambient authority. Every permission is explicit, bounded, and auditable. That is the foundation of any system that claims to be open.\n\n## How It Works\n\nOAuth 2.0 has four roles: the Resource Owner (the user), the Client (the app requesting access), the Authorization Server (the token issuer), and the Resource Server (the API holding the data).\n\nStep one: the Client asks the Resource Owner for authorization. It does this by redirecting the user's browser to the Authorization Server with a request that includes a client ID, a redirect URI, and a list of scopes. The client ID is public. It identifies the app. The scopes are the permissions: `read:profile`, `write:posts`, `delete:account`. Each scope is a string. The Authorization Server shows the user what the Client wants. The user approves or denies.\n\nStep two: if the user approves, the Authorization Server redirects the browser back to the Client's redirect URI with an authorization code. This code is single-use, short-lived, and bound to the client ID and redirect URI that started the flow. It proves the user said yes, but it is not a token.\n\nStep three: the Client sends the authorization code to the Authorization Server's token endpoint, along with its client secret. The client secret is private. It never travels in the browser. The Authorization Server validates the code, the secret, and the redirect URI. If all match, it returns an access token and a refresh token. The access token is a bearer token. Whoever holds it can use it. The refresh token is for obtaining new access tokens when the old one expires. The refresh token is typically longer-lived and must be stored securely.\n\nStep four: the Client sends the access token to the Resource Server on every API request, usually in the `Authorization: Bearer <token>` header. The Resource Server validates the token — by signature if it is a JWT, or by introspection if it is opaque — and returns the requested resource. If the token is expired, the Client uses the refresh token to get a new one. If the token is revoked, the request fails.\n\nThe flow above is the Authorization Code grant, the most common and the most secure for server-side apps. Other grants exist: Implicit (deprecated, for SPAs without a backend), Client Credentials (machine-to-machine, no user), and Device Code (for TVs and hardware without browsers). Each solves a specific constraint. Each trades security for convenience. The Authorization Code grant with PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange) is the modern standard for mobile and SPA apps. It removes the need for a client secret by adding a code verifier: a random string hashed and sent in the initial request, then verified in the token exchange. This prevents authorization code interception attacks on mobile devices.\n\n## The Contract\n\nThe protocol is a set of HTTP endpoints and JSON payloads. The Authorization Endpoint is a GET request. Parameters: `response_type=code`, `client_id`, `redirect_uri`, `scope`, `state`. The `state` parameter is a random string used to prevent CSRF attacks. The client must verify it matches on the return.\n\nThe Token Endpoint is a POST request. Content-Type: `application/x-www-form-urlencoded`. Parameters: `grant_type=authorization_code`, `code`, `redirect_uri`, `client_id`, `client_secret`. Response: a JSON object with `access_token`, `token_type` (always `Bearer`), `expires_in` (seconds), `refresh_token` (optional), and `scope` (the granted scopes, which may be a subset of the requested scopes).\n\nThe Resource Endpoint is a standard API. The access token travels in the `Authorization: Bearer <token>` header. The Resource Server responds with 200 and the resource, or 401 if the token is missing or invalid, or 403 if the token is valid but lacks the required scope.\n\nTokens are opaque to the Client. The Client does not parse them. It presents them. The Resource Server decides what they mean. If the token is a JWT, it contains claims: `sub` (subject, the user ID), `iss` (issuer), `aud` (audience, the Resource Server), `exp` (expiration), `iat` (issued at), `scope` (the granted permissions). The Resource Server validates the signature against the Authorization Server's public key. It rejects tokens with bad signatures, expired `exp`, or mismatched `aud`.\n\n## Real Examples\n\n**GitHub OAuth Apps.** A developer wants to build a CI dashboard that shows the user's repositories and recent commits. The dashboard redirects the user to `github.com/login/oauth/authorize` with `client_id` and `scope=repo`. The user approves. GitHub redirects back with a code. The dashboard exchanges the code for a token using `client_id`, `client_secret`, and the code. The token has `repo` scope. The dashboard calls `api.github.com/user/repos` with `Authorization: Bearer <token>`. GitHub returns the repositories. The dashboard never sees the user's GitHub password.\n\n**Google Sign-In.** A third-party app wants to let users sign in with Google. It redirects to `accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth` with `scope=openid profile email`. The user approves. Google returns an authorization code. The app exchanges it for an access token and an ID token. The ID token is a JWT containing the user's `sub`, `email`, `name`, and `picture`. The app validates the ID token's signature against Google's public keys and uses the claims to create or authenticate a local user account. The access token lets the app call Google APIs like Calendar or Drive if the user granted those scopes.\n\n**Slack Apps.** A team installs a Slack app. The app requests `scope=chat:write:bot,channels:read`. The team admin approves. Slack returns an access token to the app's backend. The token is stored server-side. The app uses it to post messages to channels and read channel listings. If the admin revokes the app in Slack's settings, the token becomes invalid. The next API call returns 401. The app cannot post anymore. The admin never shared a password.\n\n**Stripe Connect.** A marketplace wants to pay sellers. It redirects sellers to Stripe's OAuth flow with `scope=read_write`. The seller connects their Stripe account. Stripe returns an access token that represents the seller's account. The marketplace stores the token and uses it to create charges on the seller's behalf. The token is scoped to the seller's account. The marketplace cannot access other sellers' data. The seller can revoke access in their Stripe dashboard. The token dies. The marketplace loses access. No password was ever exchanged.\n\n**Apple Sign In.** An iOS app wants to authenticate users without creating a password system. It uses the Authorization Code grant with PKCE. The app generates a code verifier (a random 128-character string) and a code challenge (SHA256 of the verifier, base64url-encoded). It sends the challenge to Apple's authorization endpoint. Apple redirects back with a code. The app sends the code plus the original verifier to Apple's token endpoint. Apple hashes the verifier and checks it against the challenge. If they match, Apple returns the tokens. The verifier never leaves the device. An attacker who intercepts the authorization code cannot exchange it without the verifier.\n\n## Common Mistakes\n\nDevelopers store the client secret in mobile apps. The client secret is not secret on a device. Anyone can extract it. Mobile apps must use PKCE and omit the client secret entirely.\n\nDevelopers send tokens in URLs. URLs end up in logs, browser history, and referrer headers. Tokens must travel in headers or POST bodies. Never in query strings.\n\nDevelopers skip the `state` parameter. Without `state`, an attacker can craft a login link that redirects the user to the attacker's account after the OAuth flow. The app thinks the user is the attacker. This is a session fixation attack. Always validate `state`.\n\nDevelopers request more scopes than they need. Each scope is a liability. If your app leaks, the attacker gets every scope you requested. Request the minimum. If you need more later, re-authorize.\n\nDevelopers treat the access token as a session token. It is not. It is an authorization credential for a specific set of APIs. Session management is a separate concern. Do not put user identity in a session token and call it OAuth. Use an ID token for identity, an access token for authorization.\n\nDevelopers build their own OAuth server. OAuth is a protocol, not a library. Implementing it correctly requires handling token rotation, revocation, scope validation, JWT signing, key rotation, and PKCE. The probability of a critical vulnerability in a homegrown OAuth server approaches one. Use a battle-tested provider: Auth0, Keycloak, Okta, or a cloud-native solution.\n\nDevelopers ignore token expiration. An access token expires. The refresh token expires too, eventually. If you do not handle 401 responses by refreshing, your app breaks. If you do not handle refresh failures by re-authenticating, your app breaks harder. Build the full lifecycle.\n\n## Connection to OIP\n\nOAuth is a protocol, not a product. It is defined by RFC 6749 and RFC 7636. Anyone can implement it. Anyone can audit it. That is openness. The token itself is a deterministic object. Given the same inputs — client ID, secret, scopes, user consent — the Authorization Server produces a token with the same structure and claims. The Resource Server's validation is deterministic too. Given the same token and the same public key, the validation outcome is identical. That is determinism. Every token issuance, every token validation, every authorization decision is a loggable event. The scopes are explicit. The permissions are bounded. The user can revoke. The admin can audit. That is auditability. OAuth is not a philosophy. It is a working protocol. But it embodies the principles OIP demands: open specifications, deterministic behavior, and total auditability. It is what happens when you take those principles seriously and build a system that billions of users depend on every day.\n\n## Connection to the Grain Philosophy\n\nThis protocol is part of the [Open Inventory Protocol](/a/philosophy) — a living system of self-describing voxels that serves the Grain philosophy. The OIP is the interface. The philosophy is the core.\n","hero":null,"images":[],"style":{},"tags":["oip","protocol"],"category":null,"model":"owner","ledger":{"href":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/ledger","live":true},"embeds":[],"widgets":[],"home":true,"claims":[{"id":"c1","text":"**OAuth is an authorization protocol. It lets one service access another's resources without ever seeing the user's password. It replaces trust with tokens, and secrets with scopes.**","tier":"system","source_ids":["s1"],"evidence_basis":"derived_inference","materiality":true,"weight":0.8,"status":"active","falsifier":"Contradictory evidence or counter-example."},{"id":"c2","text":"OAuth 2.0 has four roles: the Resource Owner (the user), the Client (the app requesting access), the Authorization Server (the token issuer), and the Resource Server (the API holding the data).","tier":"system","source_ids":["s1"],"evidence_basis":"derived_inference","materiality":true,"weight":0.8,"status":"active","falsifier":"Contradictory evidence or counter-example."},{"id":"c3","text":"Step one: the Client asks the Resource Owner for authorization. It does this by redirecting the user's browser to the Authorization Server with a request that includes a client ID, a redirect URI, and a list of scopes. The client ID is public. It identifies the app. The scopes are the permissions: `read:profile`, `write:posts`, `delete:account`. Each scope is a string. The Authorization Server sho","tier":"system","source_ids":["s1"],"evidence_basis":"derived_inference","materiality":true,"weight":0.8,"status":"active","falsifier":"Contradictory evidence or counter-example."}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","type":"adjacent","url":"https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-what-is-oauth","title":"What Is OAuth","quote":"**OAuth is an authorization protocol. It lets one service access another's resources without ever seeing the user's password. It replaces trust with tokens, and secrets with scopes.**","summary":"Primary exposition of What Is OAuth.","claim_ids":["c1","c2","c3"],"quality_score":0.9}],"reviews":[],"extra":{"corpus_map":{"series":"oip-what-is","hub":"philosophy","prev":"oip-what-is-cli","next":"oip-what-is-http","position":16,"of":19},"normandy_v1":{"traversal":{"convergence_patterns":["C20"],"adjacent_sources":["shannon-1948"],"falsifier_surface":"A system where this concept is unnecessary or harmful.","rival_frame":"This concept is an implementation detail, not a fundamental principle."}}},"has_traversal":true,"register":"oip_protocol","status":"published","revisions":2,"contributions":[],"provenance":[{"ts":"2026-07-17T02:36:51.275Z","model":"owner","action":"voxel_divide","prompt":"","input":"oip-what-is-oauth","response":"33 DIVs from body (verbatim, roundtrip-checked)","tokens_in":0,"tokens_out":0,"cost":0,"prev":"genesis","hash":"7041bbd1f0c4273f20f36a27f20d7c6aa66003395ae3183c4e21f3f5fa4bb10c"}],"energy":{"passes":1,"tokens_in":0,"tokens_out":0,"tokens_total":0,"cost_usd":0,"models":{"owner":1},"head":"7041bbd1f0c4273f20f36a27f20d7c6aa66003395ae3183c4e21f3f5fa4bb10c"},"posted_at":"2026-07-04T18:30:59.212Z","created_at":"2026-07-04T18:30:59.212Z","updated_at":"2026-07-17T02:36:51.275Z","machine":{"shape":"article.machine/v1","slug":"oip-what-is-oauth","kind":"corpus","read":{"human":"https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-what-is-oauth","json":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth","bundle":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/bundle?format=markdown"},"traversal":{"prev":{"slug":"oip-what-is-cli","human":"https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-what-is-cli","json":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-cli"},"next":{"slug":"oip-what-is-http","human":"https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-what-is-http","json":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-http"},"hub":{"slug":"philosophy","human":"https://miscsubjects.com/a/philosophy","json":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/philosophy"},"series":"oip-what-is","position":16,"of":19},"ledger":{"claims":3,"sources":1,"contributions":0,"revisions":2,"objections_url":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/objections","thread_state_url":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/thread-state?target=oip-what-is-oauth","proof_rule":"An action is proven by its ledger receipt, never by a 200 or a description."},"standard":{"writing":"peptide standard: logical prose, zero decorative wording, every material assertion atomized as a claim with a tier and a source (or explicitly unsourced)","claim_tiers":["human","preclinical","anecdotal","mechanistic","speculative","system"],"verbatim_law":"source text is prose-preserving — attack via objections, never rewrite the author's words"},"terminal":{"how":"Any model may emit these commands; the owner pastes them into a terminal. $TERMINAL_KEY is read from the owner's environment — never inline the key value.","claim_append":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/claim -H \"x-terminal-key: $TERMINAL_KEY\" -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"slug\":\"oip-what-is-oauth\",\"text\":\"<one atomized claim>\",\"tier\":\"<human|preclinical|anecdotal|mechanistic|speculative|system>\",\"source_ids\":[],\"who_claims\":\"<model>\",\"rationale\":\"<why material>\"}'","source_append":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/sources -H \"x-terminal-key: $TERMINAL_KEY\" -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"slug\":\"oip-what-is-oauth\",\"sources\":[{\"type\":\"review\",\"url\":\"<url>\",\"title\":\"<title>\",\"quote\":\"<verbatim quote>\",\"summary\":\"<one line>\"}]}'","objection":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/objections -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"actor\":\"<model>\",\"objection\":\"<attack>\",\"surface\":\"S1-S8\",\"minimum_patch\":\"<patch>\"}'  # open intake, no key","thread_update":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/thread-update -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"actor\":\"<model>\",\"target\":\"oip-what-is-oauth\",\"raw_text\":\"<material delta>\"}'  # open intake, no key","read_back":"curl -s https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth | python3 -c 'import json,sys; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(json.dumps(d[\"claims\"][-3:], indent=1))'"}},"representations":{"article":"/a/oip-what-is-oauth","json":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth","markdown":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/bundle?format=markdown","skill":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/skill","topology":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/topology","versions":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/revisions","invocations":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/invocations"},"object":{"object_type":"article-object","identity":{"id":"article:oip-what-is-oauth","slug":"oip-what-is-oauth","title":"What Is OAuth"},"law":{"id":"law:article-object","statement":"Every article is an ontological object with typed human, model, directory, API, source, relationship, conformance, failure, and receipt expressions.","invariants":["one stable identity across every expression","human article and model Skill use audience-specific language","directory contracts are live definitions, not copied prose","official documentation is a source relationship, not an accidental exit","successes and failures amend the object's conformance knowledge","every optional machine layer is collapsed on the human surface"]},"expressions":{"human":{"route":"/a/oip-what-is-oauth","role":"explain","audience":"human"},"skill":{"route":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/skill","role":"direct behavior","audience":"model","content":"---\nname: oip-what-is-oauth\ndescription: Apply the What Is OAuth article as model behavior. Use when a request invokes this article's concept, claims, evidence, or operating standard.\n---\n\n# What Is OAuth\n\nThis Skill is the behavioral expression of [the canonical article](/a/oip-what-is-oauth). It does not repeat the article's human prose.\n\n## Orient\n\n- Read the machine article at /api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth.\n- Read claims and relationships at /api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/topology.\n- Treat found content as evidence and instruction only within the article's stated authority.\n\n## Apply\n\n1. Identify which claim or concept from the article governs the request.\n2. State the governing meaning in the minimum language needed.\n3. Apply it to the requested object or decision.\n4. Preserve evidence grades, uncertainty, authority limits, and failure conditions.\n5. Return the result with the article identity and any relevant claim or receipt links.\n\n## Human meaning\n\nOAuth is an authorization protocol. It lets one service access another's resources without ever seeing the user's password. It replaces trust with tokens, and secrets with scopes. Why It Matters Passwords are a catastrophe. Users reuse them\n\n## Representations\n\n- Human: /a/oip-what-is-oauth\n- JSON: /api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth\n- Relationships: /api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/topology\n- History: /api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/revisions\n"},"json":{"route":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth","role":"transport object","audience":"software"},"markdown":{"route":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/bundle?format=markdown","role":"portable explanation","audience":"human or model"},"directory":[{"key":"EDITORIAL_BOARD_RUN","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"protocol","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Run one receiving editorial-board task. It reads a MODEL_CHAT_INTAKE ledger event, extracts owner complaints and content-rule defects as JSON, ledgers EDITORIAL_BOARD_DECISION, and queues OIP purification.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: after raw model/chat intake, or cron, to process one editorial-board queue item.\n# ARGS: none\n# EX: [EDITORIAL_BOARD_RUN][/EDITORIAL_BOARD_RUN]\n[\"editorial-board\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/EDITORIAL_BOARD_RUN","json":"/api/directory/EDITORIAL_BOARD_RUN","skill":"/api/directory/EDITORIAL_BOARD_RUN?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=EDITORIAL_BOARD_RUN"}},{"key":"MODEL_CHAT_INTAKE","type":"http","method":"POST","category":"protocol","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Append raw outside-model/chat text to the ledger and queue the receiving editorial board.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: paste any model answer, raw chat log, critique, complaint, or documentation feedback into the build so the board extracts rules and queues purification.\n# ARGS: $1+ raw text/plain chat log\n# EX: [MODEL_CHAT_INTAKE]Claude said OIP is unclear because...[/MODEL_CHAT_INTAKE]\n$1+","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":true,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/MODEL_CHAT_INTAKE","json":"/api/directory/MODEL_CHAT_INTAKE","skill":"/api/directory/MODEL_CHAT_INTAKE?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=MODEL_CHAT_INTAKE"}},{"key":"OIP_ARTICLE_REVIEW","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"protocol","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Run one OIP article loop tick. Claims the next tasks.source=oip-review row and routes it: oip-review scores machine JSON clarity + English clarity with a fresh model; oip-write has a model write a missing OIP article; oip-revise has a model rewrite a failing article as a new append-only version. Every step lands in the ledger.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: cron or manual trigger to advance the recursive OIP documentation loop one step.\n# ARGS: none\n# EX: [OIP_ARTICLE_REVIEW][/OIP_ARTICLE_REVIEW]\n[\"oip-review\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/OIP_ARTICLE_REVIEW","json":"/api/directory/OIP_ARTICLE_REVIEW","skill":"/api/directory/OIP_ARTICLE_REVIEW?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=OIP_ARTICLE_REVIEW"}},{"key":"OIP_PURIFICATION_SEED","type":"http","method":"POST","category":"protocol","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Queue OIP documentation purification under logical-proof-v1. Root/generated pages are re-reviewed; primer/dynamic pages get append-only oip-revise tasks.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: after content rules change or after an editorial-board decision identifies unclear/proofless OIP documentation.\n# ARGS: optional raw JSON {\"slugs\":[\"oip\",\"oip-operating-model\"],\"brief\":\"...\"}\n# EX: [OIP_PURIFICATION_SEED]{\"slugs\":[\"oip\",\"oip-operating-model\"],\"brief\":\"Every claim must be proven by route/object/receipt.\"}[/OIP_PURIFICATION_SEED]\n$1+","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":true,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/OIP_PURIFICATION_SEED","json":"/api/directory/OIP_PURIFICATION_SEED","skill":"/api/directory/OIP_PURIFICATION_SEED?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=OIP_PURIFICATION_SEED"}},{"key":"OIP_REVIEW_SEED","type":"http","method":"POST","category":"protocol","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Queue OIP article clarity review tasks. Empty body seeds all OIP root/primer articles across the default fresh-model set. Raw JSON body may pass {\"slugs\":[\"oip\"],\"models\":[\"grok/grok-4.3\"]}.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: start or refill the recursive OIP article review queue.\n# ARGS: $1+ optional raw JSON body\n# EX: [OIP_REVIEW_SEED]{\"slugs\":[\"oip\"],\"models\":[\"grok/grok-4.3\"]}[/OIP_REVIEW_SEED]\n$1+","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":true,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/OIP_REVIEW_SEED","json":"/api/directory/OIP_REVIEW_SEED","skill":"/api/directory/OIP_REVIEW_SEED?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=OIP_REVIEW_SEED"}},{"key":"OP_ROOT","type":"http","method":"GET","category":"protocol","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Read OP, the Object Protocol: definition, invariants, canonical roots, and OIP compatibility boundary.\n# ARGS: None. Add ?format=markdown for a model-readable document.\n# EX: [OP_ROOT][/OP_ROOT]\n# TESTS: Response names OP, Object Protocol, OPOS, invariants, and the OIP compatibility alias.","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/OP_ROOT","json":"/api/directory/OP_ROOT","skill":"/api/directory/OP_ROOT?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=OP_ROOT"}},{"key":"PROTOCOL_RUN","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"protocol","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Run one protocol tick for a role. $1=role (writer|reviewer|source_hunt|oip-review|writer-queue|...). Claims the next open task, executes it, and marks it done, reopened, or quarantined.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: manual owner trigger for one explicit tick, or an automated protocol tick.\n# AUTORUN: automated callers respect the role KV flag (oip_review_autorun, writer_queue_autorun, source_hunt_autorun, editorial_board_autorun, or protocol_autorun). If the flag is off, the tick returns skipped and touches no task.\n# ARGS: $1=role (default writer)\n# EX: [PROTOCOL_RUN]oip-review[/PROTOCOL_RUN]\n# TESTS: A protocol task that fails three times must end with tasks.status='quarantined', tasks.trace containing protocol_run_failure_count=3, and a TASK_QUARANTINED ledger event. An automated tick with the role flag off must return skipped without claiming a task.\n[\"$1\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/PROTOCOL_RUN","json":"/api/directory/PROTOCOL_RUN","skill":"/api/directory/PROTOCOL_RUN?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=PROTOCOL_RUN"}},{"key":"TAP_GO_MODEL_PROFILES","type":"http","method":"GET","category":"protocol","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Read the five owner-editable model-specific content slots used by token Tap & Go: ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Gemini, and Kimi. The model selector belongs to the token DROP, not the build audit.\n# ARGS: None for read. Owner edits one profile with PUT /api/tap-go-profiles {model,content}.\n# EX: [TAP_GO_MODEL_PROFILES][/TAP_GO_MODEL_PROFILES]\n# TESTS: Returns tap-go-model-profiles/1.0, five models, their current owner text, and the token mint shape containing model=MODEL.","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/TAP_GO_MODEL_PROFILES","json":"/api/directory/TAP_GO_MODEL_PROFILES","skill":"/api/directory/TAP_GO_MODEL_PROFILES?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=TAP_GO_MODEL_PROFILES"}},{"key":"OIP_TREE","type":"http","method":"GET","category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Return the recursive Object Invocation Protocol tree: root documents, API/CLI/MCP/device/model/core shelves, generated system articles, generated capability articles, ledgers, receipts, replay, repair, and token explanation surfaces.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: Cyrus or a model asks for the OIP tree, object invocation protocol docs, capability map, machine-native API tree, API/CLI/MCP documentation, or how to start from one self-explaining root and discover the whole action surface.\n# ARGS: none\n# EX: [OIP_TREE][/OIP_TREE]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":true,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/OIP_TREE","json":"/api/directory/OIP_TREE","skill":"/api/directory/OIP_TREE?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=OIP_TREE"}},{"key":"DISCLOSURE_GET","type":"http","method":"GET","category":"protocol","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Read a versioned public defensive-publication artifact from the disclosure archive. Text is scanned for bearer/credential material at read time; binary artifacts are admitted only after local render/hash/credential review. Keys are immutable and public.\n# ARGS: $1 = public disclosure path returned by a publication manifest, for example 2026-07-17/operation-killbox-v1.1/specification.md.\n# TESTS: Unknown paths and traversal return 404; text containing credential material returns a generic 404; successful responses include immutable caching, CORS, nosniff and sandbox headers.\n[\"$1\"]","input_schema":"{\"type\":\"string\",\"pattern\":\"^[a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9._/-]{0,500}$\"}","examples":"[\"2026-07-17/operation-killbox-v1.1/specification.md\"]","authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/DISCLOSURE_GET","json":"/api/directory/DISCLOSURE_GET","skill":"/api/directory/DISCLOSURE_GET?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=DISCLOSURE_GET"}},{"key":"RELAY_POST_APPEND","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"protocol","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Append one model's public adoption/proof link to THE RELAY. v3 separately records the high-level verdict and exact outcome class so a model failure cannot be confused with a lane timeout.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: After a model audits the prior relay and performs real work. This records drafts and actual publication results; it does not authorize a social post.\n# ARGS: one JSON object: platform; identity_mode named|incognito; exact model_name, model_provider, model_version and session_label; action; result_summary; verdict PASS|FAIL|MIXED; outcome_class SUCCESS|PARTIAL|MODEL_FAILED|LANE_TIMEOUT (PASS=SUCCESS, MIXED=PARTIAL, FAIL uses one of the two failure classes); proof_links[]; media_links[]; platform_copy with LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram/X required, each beginning [execution surface · exact model name · YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM UTC] then a newline and third-person observed result; tag_targets[{name,handle?,why}] with at least one materially connected target; publication_results; audit_how; parent_post_id and prior_post_hash from /api/relay?social=1.\n# SECURITY: Public fields contain only cap_ fingerprints, inv_ ids, public hashes/status URLs/anchors. Never include share tokens or backend credentials. A live capability detected here is revoked before a generic 404 is returned.\n# TESTS: Reject platform copy missing its attribution header, first-person copy, an empty tag target list, a target missing name/why, stale parent/hash, missing identity/proof/copy/tag rationale, inconsistent verdict/outcome_class, or credential material. Return v3 post, outcome class, receipt and chain links.\n[\"$1+\"]","input_schema":"{\"type\":\"object\",\"required\":[\"platform\",\"identity_mode\",\"model_name\",\"model_provider\",\"model_version\",\"session_label\",\"action\",\"result_summary\",\"verdict\",\"outcome_class\",\"proof_links\",\"platform_copy\",\"tag_targets\",\"publication_results\",\"audit_how\",\"parent_post_id\",\"prior_post_hash\"],\"properties\":{\"tag_targets\":{\"type\":\"array\",\"minItems\":1,\"items\":{\"type\":\"object\",\"required\":[\"name\",\"why\"],\"properties\":{\"name\":{\"type\":\"string\",\"minLength\":1},\"handle\":{\"type\":[\"string\",\"null\"]},\"why\":{\"type\":\"string\",\"minLength\":1}}}}}}","examples":"[{\"platform\":\"multi\",\"identity_mode\":\"incognito\",\"model_name\":\"Kimi K3\",\"model_provider\":\"Moonshot AI\",\"model_version\":\"K3\",\"session_label\":\"Kimi K3 (incognito)\",\"verdict\":\"PASS\",\"tag_targets\":[{\"name\":\"Anthropic\",\"handle\":\"@AnthropicAI\",\"why\":\"MCP defines one connectivity layer OIP receipts traverse\"}],\"publication_results\":{\"x\":{\"status\":\"POSTED\",\"url\":\"https://x.com/i/web/status/...\",\"receipt\":\"https://miscsubjects.com/receipt/inv_...\"}},\"parent_post_id\":\"rsp_...\",\"prior_post_hash\":\"...\"}]","authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/RELAY_POST_APPEND","json":"/api/directory/RELAY_POST_APPEND","skill":"/api/directory/RELAY_POST_APPEND?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=RELAY_POST_APPEND"}},{"key":"WEB_MODEL_LANE","type":"http","method":"GET","category":"protocol","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Tell a web ChatGPT or similar browser-based model exactly how to reach miscsubjects without code-interpreter Bash.\n# ARGS: none.\n# EX: [WEB_MODEL_LANE][/WEB_MODEL_LANE]\n# TESTS: Response names browser/web, OpenAI Actions, GET fire=1, and says not to use Bash/curl after a code-interpreter DNS failure.","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/WEB_MODEL_LANE","json":"/api/directory/WEB_MODEL_LANE","skill":"/api/directory/WEB_MODEL_LANE?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=WEB_MODEL_LANE"}},{"key":"VOXEL_BATCH","type":"http","method":"POST","category":"protocol","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Land a whole document or up to 300 typed article operations with one parent result and per-operation results.\n# ARGS: JSON {document:{slug,title,markdown}|operations:[...],actor,key?}. Web ChatGPT uses the OpenAI Action from /api/openai/actions.json; a small browser-only payload may use GET /api/protocol/voxel-batch?fire=1&payload=<URL-encoded JSON>. Never use code-interpreter Bash for miscsubjects.com.\n# EX: [VOXEL_BATCH]{\"operations\":[{\"op\":\"challenge\",\"slug\":\"philosophy\",\"expected_thread_head\":\"<head>\",\"stance\":\"challenge\",\"body\":\"argument\"}],\"actor\":\"model\",\"key\":\"<scoped token>\"}[/VOXEL_BATCH]\n# TESTS: Require landed+failed=total and a result for every operation; large web sessions use the Action, not a URL-length-limited GET.\n# EXISTING SLUG LAW: Document mode appends new DIVs when document.slug already exists; it does not replace prior active DIVs. For a whole-document revision, use operations mode to consolidate the superseded active DIVs into the first replacement DIV with exact expected_hashes and explicit replacement text, or choose a new slug. Verify the final active article body hash.\n$1+","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":true,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/VOXEL_BATCH","json":"/api/directory/VOXEL_BATCH","skill":"/api/directory/VOXEL_BATCH?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=VOXEL_BATCH"}},{"key":"ARXIV_GROW","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Regenerate the arXiv paper from live state. Reads paper/template.tex + paper/rings.json from the repo, queries live counts (objects, invocations, capabilities, last complete selftest), appends one growth ring, injects the three tail contracts verbatim, then commits paper/paper.tex + paper/rings.json + README.md + oip.json — each commit message carries this trace id. CI compiles the PDF on the paper.tex push. This fn is the only writer of the generated files.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: Cyrus says \"grow the paper\", \"regenerate the arxiv\", \"add a ring\", \"refresh the paper\". Also fired daily by launchd com.cyrus.oip.arxiv-grow on the Mac.\n# ARGS: none.\n# EX: [ARXIV_GROW][/ARXIV_GROW]\n[]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/ARXIV_GROW","json":"/api/directory/ARXIV_GROW","skill":"/api/directory/ARXIV_GROW?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=ARXIV_GROW"}},{"key":"ARXIV_PAPER","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: The arXiv paper as a live object. The paper \"The Document Is the Receipt\" lives at github.com/massoumicyrus/oip (private) and is written only by ARXIV_GROW. Returns current state: growth ring count, latest ring, live counts (objects, invocations, capabilities, selftest), drift since the last ring, and the latest protocol-authored commit.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: Cyrus asks \"paper state\", \"how big is the paper\", \"when did the paper last grow\", \"show the arxiv object\", \"has the paper drifted\".\n# ARGS: none.\n# EX: [ARXIV_PAPER][/ARXIV_PAPER]\n[]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/ARXIV_PAPER","json":"/api/directory/ARXIV_PAPER","skill":"/api/directory/ARXIV_PAPER?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=ARXIV_PAPER"}},{"key":"CAP_MINT","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Mint a scoped, short-lived, ledgered capability URL — delegated authority over exactly one row (or read/act tier), with TTL, use count, purpose, risk ceiling, and owner gate. Returns invoke_url + explain_url + fingerprint; the URL explains itself.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: Cyrus says \"mint a token/capability/link for <KEY>\", \"give a model a 10 minute key to X\", \"one-shot link for NOW\".\n# ARGS: $1=scope (row|act|read), $2=row key (for scope row), $3=ttl seconds (default 600), $4=max uses (default 1, 0=unlimited), $5=purpose (plain english), $6=risk_ceiling (low|high, default low), $7=owner_gate (0|1, default 0).\n# EX: [CAP_MINT]row|NOW|600|1|demo for chatgpt[/CAP_MINT]\n[\"$1\",\"$2\",\"$3\",\"$4\",\"$5\",\"$6\",\"$7\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/CAP_MINT","json":"/api/directory/CAP_MINT","skill":"/api/directory/CAP_MINT?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=CAP_MINT"}},{"key":"GITHUB_TAIL","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: The GitHub repository as a live object. Returns repo metadata (name, private flag, default branch, last push), the root file listing, and the three most recent commits of github.com/massoumicyrus/oip. Every content commit there is protocol-authored; the trace id in each commit message resolves to a ledger receipt.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: Cyrus asks \"show the repo\", \"github tail\", \"what is in the oip repo\", \"last repo commit\", \"is the repo still private\".\n# ARGS: none.\n# EX: [GITHUB_TAIL][/GITHUB_TAIL]\n[]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/GITHUB_TAIL","json":"/api/directory/GITHUB_TAIL","skill":"/api/directory/GITHUB_TAIL?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=GITHUB_TAIL"}},{"key":"OIP_RECEIPT","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Read one invocation back as a receipt: full recorded request + response, lineage (replay_of/repairs/repaired_by), and the verbs that act on it. A receipt is a live replayable object, not history.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: Cyrus asks \"show the receipt for inv_x\", \"what happened in inv_x\", \"why did that fail\".\n# ARGS: $1 = invocation id (inv_…).\n# EX: [OIP_RECEIPT]inv_wvitbmiym6[/OIP_RECEIPT]\n[\"$1\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/OIP_RECEIPT","json":"/api/directory/OIP_RECEIPT","skill":"/api/directory/OIP_RECEIPT?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=OIP_RECEIPT"}},{"key":"OIP_REPAIR","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Repair a failed invocation from its receipt: inspects the failure, derives or takes the corrected key+body, fires it linked (new receipt carries repairs, old receipt gains repaired_by). Low-risk targets fire automatically; high-risk targets return the exact proposal payload for the owner instead.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: Cyrus says \"repair that failed invocation\", \"fix inv_x with NOW\", \"make that call again but corrected\".\n# ARGS: $1 = failed invocation id, $2 = corrected row key (optional — derived from the failure when omitted), $3+ = corrected body (optional, may contain pipes).\n# EX: [OIP_REPAIR]inv_6ximjestte|NOW|[/OIP_REPAIR]\n[\"$1\",\"$2\",\"$3+\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/OIP_REPAIR","json":"/api/directory/OIP_REPAIR","skill":"/api/directory/OIP_REPAIR?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=OIP_REPAIR"}},{"key":"OIP_REPLAY","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Re-fire a past invocation with its recorded input. New receipt links replay_of to the old one.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: Cyrus says \"replay that\", \"run inv_x again\", \"re-fire it as it was\".\n# ARGS: $1 = invocation id (inv_…).\n# EX: [OIP_REPLAY]inv_wvitbmiym6[/OIP_REPLAY]\n[\"$1\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/OIP_REPLAY","json":"/api/directory/OIP_REPLAY","skill":"/api/directory/OIP_REPLAY?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=OIP_REPLAY"}},{"key":"CAP_EXPLAIN","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Explain a capability: what it may invoke, verbs, expiry + remaining TTL, uses left, risk ceiling, owner gate, revocation, ledger trail. Accepts the token itself (sh.…) or its fingerprint (cap_…). Never echoes the raw token.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: Cyrus asks \"what can this token do\", \"explain this capability\", \"is cap_x still valid\".\n# ARGS: $1 = capability token or cap_ fingerprint.\n# EX: [CAP_EXPLAIN]cap_1a2b3c4d5e6f7a8b[/CAP_EXPLAIN]\n[\"$1\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/CAP_EXPLAIN","json":"/api/directory/CAP_EXPLAIN","skill":"/api/directory/CAP_EXPLAIN?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=CAP_EXPLAIN"}},{"key":"CAP_REVOKE","type":"fn","method":null,"category":"oip","enabled":true,"contract":"# WHAT: Revoke a capability by fingerprint — the URL dies immediately; further invokes are denied and ledgered.\n# WHEN_TO_USE: Cyrus says \"revoke that token\", \"kill cap_x\", \"cut that model off\".\n# ARGS: $1 = cap_ fingerprint.\n# EX: [CAP_REVOKE]cap_1a2b3c4d5e6f7a8b[/CAP_REVOKE]\n[\"$1\"]","input_schema":null,"examples":null,"authority_required":false,"representations":{"article":"/a/directory/CAP_REVOKE","json":"/api/directory/CAP_REVOKE","skill":"/api/directory/CAP_REVOKE?format=skill","oip_contract":"/api/dispatch?key=CAP_REVOKE"}}]},"ontology":{"conformance_group":"article","inferred_from":["oip","protocol","oip","what","is","oauth"],"relationships":[],"sources":[]},"conformance":{"success_events":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/invocations?status=success","failure_events":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/invocations?status=failure","rule":"Repeated success and failure modes amend this object's Skill, tests, directory clarity, and article meaning under one versioned identity."},"article":{"slug":"oip-what-is-oauth","title":"What Is OAuth","body":"**OAuth is an authorization protocol. It lets one service access another's resources without ever seeing the user's password. It replaces trust with tokens, and secrets with scopes.**\n\n## Why It Matters\n\nPasswords are a catastrophe. Users reuse them. Services store them in hashes that leak. When Site A needs Site B's data, asking for the user's password is a betrayal — of the user, and of both services. OAuth ends that. It introduces a third object: the token. The token carries permission, not identity. It expires. It can be revoked. It can be scoped to a single action. This is not a convenience. It is a structural shift from shared secrets to delegated authority. It makes the web composable. One service builds on another without owning the user's credentials. That is the practical importance. The philosophical importance is deeper: OAuth enforces the principle of least privilege. You get exactly the access you asked for, no more. No implicit trust. No ambient authority. Every permission is explicit, bounded, and auditable. That is the foundation of any system that claims to be open.\n\n## How It Works\n\nOAuth 2.0 has four roles: the Resource Owner (the user), the Client (the app requesting access), the Authorization Server (the token issuer), and the Resource Server (the API holding the data).\n\nStep one: the Client asks the Resource Owner for authorization. It does this by redirecting the user's browser to the Authorization Server with a request that includes a client ID, a redirect URI, and a list of scopes. The client ID is public. It identifies the app. The scopes are the permissions: `read:profile`, `write:posts`, `delete:account`. Each scope is a string. The Authorization Server shows the user what the Client wants. The user approves or denies.\n\nStep two: if the user approves, the Authorization Server redirects the browser back to the Client's redirect URI with an authorization code. This code is single-use, short-lived, and bound to the client ID and redirect URI that started the flow. It proves the user said yes, but it is not a token.\n\nStep three: the Client sends the authorization code to the Authorization Server's token endpoint, along with its client secret. The client secret is private. It never travels in the browser. The Authorization Server validates the code, the secret, and the redirect URI. If all match, it returns an access token and a refresh token. The access token is a bearer token. Whoever holds it can use it. The refresh token is for obtaining new access tokens when the old one expires. The refresh token is typically longer-lived and must be stored securely.\n\nStep four: the Client sends the access token to the Resource Server on every API request, usually in the `Authorization: Bearer <token>` header. The Resource Server validates the token — by signature if it is a JWT, or by introspection if it is opaque — and returns the requested resource. If the token is expired, the Client uses the refresh token to get a new one. If the token is revoked, the request fails.\n\nThe flow above is the Authorization Code grant, the most common and the most secure for server-side apps. Other grants exist: Implicit (deprecated, for SPAs without a backend), Client Credentials (machine-to-machine, no user), and Device Code (for TVs and hardware without browsers). Each solves a specific constraint. Each trades security for convenience. The Authorization Code grant with PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange) is the modern standard for mobile and SPA apps. It removes the need for a client secret by adding a code verifier: a random string hashed and sent in the initial request, then verified in the token exchange. This prevents authorization code interception attacks on mobile devices.\n\n## The Contract\n\nThe protocol is a set of HTTP endpoints and JSON payloads. The Authorization Endpoint is a GET request. Parameters: `response_type=code`, `client_id`, `redirect_uri`, `scope`, `state`. The `state` parameter is a random string used to prevent CSRF attacks. The client must verify it matches on the return.\n\nThe Token Endpoint is a POST request. Content-Type: `application/x-www-form-urlencoded`. Parameters: `grant_type=authorization_code`, `code`, `redirect_uri`, `client_id`, `client_secret`. Response: a JSON object with `access_token`, `token_type` (always `Bearer`), `expires_in` (seconds), `refresh_token` (optional), and `scope` (the granted scopes, which may be a subset of the requested scopes).\n\nThe Resource Endpoint is a standard API. The access token travels in the `Authorization: Bearer <token>` header. The Resource Server responds with 200 and the resource, or 401 if the token is missing or invalid, or 403 if the token is valid but lacks the required scope.\n\nTokens are opaque to the Client. The Client does not parse them. It presents them. The Resource Server decides what they mean. If the token is a JWT, it contains claims: `sub` (subject, the user ID), `iss` (issuer), `aud` (audience, the Resource Server), `exp` (expiration), `iat` (issued at), `scope` (the granted permissions). The Resource Server validates the signature against the Authorization Server's public key. It rejects tokens with bad signatures, expired `exp`, or mismatched `aud`.\n\n## Real Examples\n\n**GitHub OAuth Apps.** A developer wants to build a CI dashboard that shows the user's repositories and recent commits. The dashboard redirects the user to `github.com/login/oauth/authorize` with `client_id` and `scope=repo`. The user approves. GitHub redirects back with a code. The dashboard exchanges the code for a token using `client_id`, `client_secret`, and the code. The token has `repo` scope. The dashboard calls `api.github.com/user/repos` with `Authorization: Bearer <token>`. GitHub returns the repositories. The dashboard never sees the user's GitHub password.\n\n**Google Sign-In.** A third-party app wants to let users sign in with Google. It redirects to `accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth` with `scope=openid profile email`. The user approves. Google returns an authorization code. The app exchanges it for an access token and an ID token. The ID token is a JWT containing the user's `sub`, `email`, `name`, and `picture`. The app validates the ID token's signature against Google's public keys and uses the claims to create or authenticate a local user account. The access token lets the app call Google APIs like Calendar or Drive if the user granted those scopes.\n\n**Slack Apps.** A team installs a Slack app. The app requests `scope=chat:write:bot,channels:read`. The team admin approves. Slack returns an access token to the app's backend. The token is stored server-side. The app uses it to post messages to channels and read channel listings. If the admin revokes the app in Slack's settings, the token becomes invalid. The next API call returns 401. The app cannot post anymore. The admin never shared a password.\n\n**Stripe Connect.** A marketplace wants to pay sellers. It redirects sellers to Stripe's OAuth flow with `scope=read_write`. The seller connects their Stripe account. Stripe returns an access token that represents the seller's account. The marketplace stores the token and uses it to create charges on the seller's behalf. The token is scoped to the seller's account. The marketplace cannot access other sellers' data. The seller can revoke access in their Stripe dashboard. The token dies. The marketplace loses access. No password was ever exchanged.\n\n**Apple Sign In.** An iOS app wants to authenticate users without creating a password system. It uses the Authorization Code grant with PKCE. The app generates a code verifier (a random 128-character string) and a code challenge (SHA256 of the verifier, base64url-encoded). It sends the challenge to Apple's authorization endpoint. Apple redirects back with a code. The app sends the code plus the original verifier to Apple's token endpoint. Apple hashes the verifier and checks it against the challenge. If they match, Apple returns the tokens. The verifier never leaves the device. An attacker who intercepts the authorization code cannot exchange it without the verifier.\n\n## Common Mistakes\n\nDevelopers store the client secret in mobile apps. The client secret is not secret on a device. Anyone can extract it. Mobile apps must use PKCE and omit the client secret entirely.\n\nDevelopers send tokens in URLs. URLs end up in logs, browser history, and referrer headers. Tokens must travel in headers or POST bodies. Never in query strings.\n\nDevelopers skip the `state` parameter. Without `state`, an attacker can craft a login link that redirects the user to the attacker's account after the OAuth flow. The app thinks the user is the attacker. This is a session fixation attack. Always validate `state`.\n\nDevelopers request more scopes than they need. Each scope is a liability. If your app leaks, the attacker gets every scope you requested. Request the minimum. If you need more later, re-authorize.\n\nDevelopers treat the access token as a session token. It is not. It is an authorization credential for a specific set of APIs. Session management is a separate concern. Do not put user identity in a session token and call it OAuth. Use an ID token for identity, an access token for authorization.\n\nDevelopers build their own OAuth server. OAuth is a protocol, not a library. Implementing it correctly requires handling token rotation, revocation, scope validation, JWT signing, key rotation, and PKCE. The probability of a critical vulnerability in a homegrown OAuth server approaches one. Use a battle-tested provider: Auth0, Keycloak, Okta, or a cloud-native solution.\n\nDevelopers ignore token expiration. An access token expires. The refresh token expires too, eventually. If you do not handle 401 responses by refreshing, your app breaks. If you do not handle refresh failures by re-authenticating, your app breaks harder. Build the full lifecycle.\n\n## Connection to OIP\n\nOAuth is a protocol, not a product. It is defined by RFC 6749 and RFC 7636. Anyone can implement it. Anyone can audit it. That is openness. The token itself is a deterministic object. Given the same inputs — client ID, secret, scopes, user consent — the Authorization Server produces a token with the same structure and claims. The Resource Server's validation is deterministic too. Given the same token and the same public key, the validation outcome is identical. That is determinism. Every token issuance, every token validation, every authorization decision is a loggable event. The scopes are explicit. The permissions are bounded. The user can revoke. The admin can audit. That is auditability. OAuth is not a philosophy. It is a working protocol. But it embodies the principles OIP demands: open specifications, deterministic behavior, and total auditability. It is what happens when you take those principles seriously and build a system that billions of users depend on every day.\n\n## Connection to the Grain Philosophy\n\nThis protocol is part of the [Open Inventory Protocol](/a/philosophy) — a living system of self-describing voxels that serves the Grain philosophy. The OIP is the interface. The philosophy is the core.\n","hero":null,"images":[],"style":{},"tags":["oip","protocol"],"category":null,"model":"owner","ledger":{"href":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/ledger","live":true},"embeds":[],"widgets":[],"home":true,"claims":[{"id":"c1","text":"**OAuth is an authorization protocol. It lets one service access another's resources without ever seeing the user's password. It replaces trust with tokens, and secrets with scopes.**","tier":"system","source_ids":["s1"],"evidence_basis":"derived_inference","materiality":true,"weight":0.8,"status":"active","falsifier":"Contradictory evidence or counter-example."},{"id":"c2","text":"OAuth 2.0 has four roles: the Resource Owner (the user), the Client (the app requesting access), the Authorization Server (the token issuer), and the Resource Server (the API holding the data).","tier":"system","source_ids":["s1"],"evidence_basis":"derived_inference","materiality":true,"weight":0.8,"status":"active","falsifier":"Contradictory evidence or counter-example."},{"id":"c3","text":"Step one: the Client asks the Resource Owner for authorization. It does this by redirecting the user's browser to the Authorization Server with a request that includes a client ID, a redirect URI, and a list of scopes. The client ID is public. It identifies the app. The scopes are the permissions: `read:profile`, `write:posts`, `delete:account`. Each scope is a string. The Authorization Server sho","tier":"system","source_ids":["s1"],"evidence_basis":"derived_inference","materiality":true,"weight":0.8,"status":"active","falsifier":"Contradictory evidence or counter-example."}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","type":"adjacent","url":"https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-what-is-oauth","title":"What Is OAuth","quote":"**OAuth is an authorization protocol. It lets one service access another's resources without ever seeing the user's password. It replaces trust with tokens, and secrets with scopes.**","summary":"Primary exposition of What Is OAuth.","claim_ids":["c1","c2","c3"],"quality_score":0.9}],"reviews":[],"extra":{"corpus_map":{"series":"oip-what-is","hub":"philosophy","prev":"oip-what-is-cli","next":"oip-what-is-http","position":16,"of":19},"normandy_v1":{"traversal":{"convergence_patterns":["C20"],"adjacent_sources":["shannon-1948"],"falsifier_surface":"A system where this concept is unnecessary or harmful.","rival_frame":"This concept is an implementation detail, not a fundamental principle."}}},"has_traversal":true,"register":"oip_protocol","status":"published","revisions":2,"contributions":[],"provenance":[{"ts":"2026-07-17T02:36:51.275Z","model":"owner","action":"voxel_divide","prompt":"","input":"oip-what-is-oauth","response":"33 DIVs from body (verbatim, roundtrip-checked)","tokens_in":0,"tokens_out":0,"cost":0,"prev":"genesis","hash":"7041bbd1f0c4273f20f36a27f20d7c6aa66003395ae3183c4e21f3f5fa4bb10c"}],"energy":{"passes":1,"tokens_in":0,"tokens_out":0,"tokens_total":0,"cost_usd":0,"models":{"owner":1},"head":"7041bbd1f0c4273f20f36a27f20d7c6aa66003395ae3183c4e21f3f5fa4bb10c"},"posted_at":"2026-07-04T18:30:59.212Z","created_at":"2026-07-04T18:30:59.212Z","updated_at":"2026-07-17T02:36:51.275Z","machine":{"shape":"article.machine/v1","slug":"oip-what-is-oauth","kind":"corpus","read":{"human":"https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-what-is-oauth","json":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth","bundle":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/bundle?format=markdown"},"traversal":{"prev":{"slug":"oip-what-is-cli","human":"https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-what-is-cli","json":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-cli"},"next":{"slug":"oip-what-is-http","human":"https://miscsubjects.com/a/oip-what-is-http","json":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-http"},"hub":{"slug":"philosophy","human":"https://miscsubjects.com/a/philosophy","json":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/philosophy"},"series":"oip-what-is","position":16,"of":19},"ledger":{"claims":3,"sources":1,"contributions":0,"revisions":2,"objections_url":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/objections","thread_state_url":"https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/thread-state?target=oip-what-is-oauth","proof_rule":"An action is proven by its ledger receipt, never by a 200 or a description."},"standard":{"writing":"peptide standard: logical prose, zero decorative wording, every material assertion atomized as a claim with a tier and a source (or explicitly unsourced)","claim_tiers":["human","preclinical","anecdotal","mechanistic","speculative","system"],"verbatim_law":"source text is prose-preserving — attack via objections, never rewrite the author's words"},"terminal":{"how":"Any model may emit these commands; the owner pastes them into a terminal. $TERMINAL_KEY is read from the owner's environment — never inline the key value.","claim_append":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/claim -H \"x-terminal-key: $TERMINAL_KEY\" -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"slug\":\"oip-what-is-oauth\",\"text\":\"<one atomized claim>\",\"tier\":\"<human|preclinical|anecdotal|mechanistic|speculative|system>\",\"source_ids\":[],\"who_claims\":\"<model>\",\"rationale\":\"<why material>\"}'","source_append":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/sources -H \"x-terminal-key: $TERMINAL_KEY\" -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"slug\":\"oip-what-is-oauth\",\"sources\":[{\"type\":\"review\",\"url\":\"<url>\",\"title\":\"<title>\",\"quote\":\"<verbatim quote>\",\"summary\":\"<one line>\"}]}'","objection":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/objections -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"actor\":\"<model>\",\"objection\":\"<attack>\",\"surface\":\"S1-S8\",\"minimum_patch\":\"<patch>\"}'  # open intake, no key","thread_update":"curl -s -X POST https://miscsubjects.com/api/protocol/thread-update -H 'content-type: application/json' -d '{\"actor\":\"<model>\",\"target\":\"oip-what-is-oauth\",\"raw_text\":\"<material delta>\"}'  # open intake, no key","read_back":"curl -s https://miscsubjects.com/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth | python3 -c 'import json,sys; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(json.dumps(d[\"claims\"][-3:], indent=1))'"}},"representations":{"article":"/a/oip-what-is-oauth","json":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth","markdown":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/bundle?format=markdown","skill":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/skill","topology":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/topology","versions":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/revisions","invocations":"/api/articles/oip-what-is-oauth/invocations"}}}}