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Authentication and Session Flow

This is the current AIRS auth architecture.

It is intentionally split by runtime and execution layer:

  • web uses a browser redirect flow with a dedicated callback route
  • native uses the client runtime directly and stays separate from the web callback contract
  • Better Auth can execute social login when selected by config
  • Authentik owns the canonical issuer boundary
  • Supabase owns application session persistence, app-user provisioning, data, and authorization for the compatibility path

The main rule is simple: deployed web builds should not silently drift between Authentik and Supabase because of hidden defaults.

Responsibilities​

Better Auth​

Better Auth is the execution layer when AUTH_EXECUTION_PROVIDER=better-auth.

It owns:

  • browser social login execution
  • the browser client flow on the API-origin /auth route
  • provider-specific execution tokens before issuer exchange

It does not own the canonical AIRS session authority.

Authentik​

Authentik is the issuer boundary.

It owns:

  • upstream social identity flows such as Google and Discord
  • the OIDC authorization/code exchange boundary
  • upstream logout and IdP session state
  • identity-side app/provider configuration
  • issuer-aligned session exchange for the canonical application session

It does not own the AIRS web callback page or AIRS route state.

Supabase​

Supabase is the application auth/data layer and legacy compatibility path.

It owns:

  • the application session in the compatibility path
  • app-user provisioning and synchronization
  • row-level authorization and app data access
  • email/password auth and wallet auth

For AIRS web social login, Supabase is not the visible identity broker. Authentik is the issuer boundary, and Better Auth can execute the browser sign-in when selected. When AUTH_EXECUTION_PROVIDER=better-auth, the browser still ends up with the canonical issuer-backed application session rather than a Better Auth cookie.

Runtime Split​

The shared auth package now exposes runtime-specific entry helpers instead of pretending every environment is the same.

Web​

Use browser redirects.

  • webRedirectSignIn(...)
  • callback route: /auth/callback

Web social login stores the intended destination, starts the selected execution provider, finalizes the callback on /auth/callback, then returns to the requested route.

When AUTH_EXECUTION_PROVIDER=better-auth, the browser client starts through the API-origin /auth route and the final application session is still resolved through the issuer exchange path.

Native​

Use native auth entry.

  • nativeSignIn(...)

Native auth remains separate from the web callback route. It should use runtime-native redirect/deep-link behavior instead of borrowing browser callback assumptions.

Popup login is not part of the package contract.

If popup auth is added later, it should be implemented as a separate explicit API, not implied by a generic signIn({ flow }) wrapper.

Deployment Note​

On the current testnet rollout, the user-facing bundle is deployed from dev, the live API/auth runtime is owned by dashboard-dev, and Authentik lives in identity-dev. api-dev is a backend-only escape hatch, not the owning stack for testnet.api.alternun.co.

Shared Package Contract​

The shared package surface lives in @alternun/auth.

The important pieces are:

  • packages/auth/src/mobile/runtimeSignIn.ts
    • webRedirectSignIn(...)
    • nativeSignIn(...)
    • web callback URL helpers
    • return-target storage helpers
  • packages/auth/src/mobile/authentikUrls.ts
    • issuer/client/redirect resolution
    • web callback URL defaults
  • packages/auth/src/mobile/authentikClient.ts
    • Authentik OIDC start/finalize helpers
  • packages/auth/src/mobile/AlternunMobileAuthClient.ts
    • runtime-aware client wrapper
    • browser runtime is now web, not native

The package contract is deliberately explicit:

  • web social auth starts through webRedirectSignIn(...)
  • native social auth starts through nativeSignIn(...)
  • wallet/email flows keep using the app auth client directly

Web Flow​

The deployed AIRS web flow is:

Important implementation rules:

  • /auth is the sign-in page, not the callback handler
  • /auth/callback is the browser callback boundary
  • callback finalization does not live in a UI button component
  • the intended destination is stored explicitly and restored after success
  • Better Auth execution tokens are not the final app session
  • the issuer exchange remains the canonical session boundary

Native Flow​

Native auth is separate:

Native does not depend on the web callback page.

Web Callback Route​

The dedicated browser callback route is:

  • apps/mobile/app/auth/callback.tsx

It is responsible for:

  • receiving the redirect from Authentik
  • finalizing the OIDC callback
  • handling callback errors
  • restoring the AIRS app session
  • redirecting the browser to the intended destination

This is intentionally cleaner than embedding callback handling inside AppAuthProvider or the sign-in screen.

AppAuthProvider now handles session restoration and sign-out cleanup, while /auth/callback handles browser callback finalization.

Entry Modes​

When the Authentik-managed execution path is active, the package still supports two Authentik entry styles.

source​

Direct Authentik source login.

  • shortest reliable path
  • default for deployed bundles
  • current testnet and production mode

relay​

App-owned relay entry through /auth-relay.

  • opt-in only
  • use when you deliberately want an app-controlled starter hop before Authentik

Social Login Modes​

EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_SOCIAL_LOGIN_MODE controls who owns social login:

  • authentik
    • Authentik only
    • no silent Supabase social fallback
  • hybrid
    • Authentik when configured
    • Supabase fallback only if Authentik is unavailable
  • supabase
    • bypass Authentik social login entirely

For deployed AIRS web builds, the intended default is:

  • EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_LOGIN_ENTRY_MODE=source
  • EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_SOCIAL_LOGIN_MODE=authentik

EXPO_PUBLIC_PRIMARY_OAUTH_PROVIDER is a legacy alias for the Authentik fallback path only. When AUTH_EXECUTION_PROVIDER=better-auth, the social login code resolves the Google branch regardless of that alias so the Better Auth migration path cannot be hijacked by a stale keycloak value. If the Better Auth URL is present but the execution flag is missing, the runtime promotes to better-auth automatically, which keeps the rollout aligned with the deployed URL config instead of a stale local alias.

For deployed frontend bundles, do not rely on repo-local env files or that runtime promotion as the deployment contract. EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTH_EXECUTION_PROVIDER and EXPO_PUBLIC_BETTER_AUTH_URL must be present in AWS SSM Parameter Store for each frontend stage, especially dev/testnet and production, so CodeBuild exports the intended browser config into the AIRS bundle.

Redirect URI Contract​

For web, the effective callback target is:

  • https://<airs-domain>/auth/callback

That is now the default derived callback URL when the browser origin is available.

If an older env still points at the site root, the shared web resolver prefers the dedicated callback route on the same origin instead of staying on the stale root redirect.

When the browser is running on a local loopback origin, the active browser origin wins over stale testnet or localhost callback values so local testing stays on the current app instance.

For native, use an explicit runtime-appropriate redirect/deep-link URI.

Custom Authentik Flow Slugs​

Custom provider flow slugs are supported, but they are now explicit-only and gated behind an allow flag.

  • EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_ALLOW_CUSTOM_PROVIDER_FLOW_SLUGS
  • EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_PROVIDER_FLOW_SLUGS
  • INFRA_ALLOW_CUSTOM_AUTHENTIK_PROVIDER_FLOW_SLUGS
  • INFRA_IDENTITY_GOOGLE_LOGIN_FLOW_SLUG

If the allow flag is unset or false, AIRS uses the direct source-login path even if a custom slug is present.

There is no hidden automatic custom Google starter flow assumption anymore.

That matters because implicit source-stage flows were creating hard-to-debug loops and double handoffs between Authentik and Google.

Current Deployed State​

As of April 2026, the intended deployed AIRS web mode is:

  • EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_LOGIN_ENTRY_MODE=source
  • EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_SOCIAL_LOGIN_MODE=authentik
  • EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_PROVIDER_FLOW_SLUGS empty
  • EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_ALLOW_CUSTOM_PROVIDER_FLOW_SLUGS false
  • INFRA_ALLOW_CUSTOM_AUTHENTIK_PROVIDER_FLOW_SLUGS false
  • INFRA_IDENTITY_GOOGLE_LOGIN_FLOW_SLUG empty unless a custom starter flow is being tested deliberately
  • the default internal application tile opens the stage-specific admin dashboard origin unless you override INFRA_IDENTITY_DEFAULT_APPLICATION_LAUNCH_URL
  • the Alternun Mobile Authentik application tile uses a stage-specific launch URL that points at the AIRS auth entrypoint, so the user enters the app instead of staying on the Authentik library page

On the Authentik side, the expected direct-source configuration is:

  • Google authentication_flow = default-source-authentication
  • Google enrollment_flow = default-source-enrollment
  • default-source-authentication must stay open and must not contain UserLoginStage
  • default-source-enrollment must stay open and must not contain UserLoginStage
  • Google enrollment should also bind a username-mapping policy on default-source-enrollment-prompt so the upstream Google email becomes the username automatically on first enrollment

If those login stages are present, Google can complete upstream auth but fail to resume the source flow cleanly, which shows up as loops or token.flow crashes instead of dashboard redirects.

For deployed AIRS web, custom outer starter flows such as alternun-google-login are not the default operating mode.

Smoothing the Browser Flow​

The current architecture reduces Authentik friction by keeping the browser path short:

  • AIRS web starts from /auth
  • Authentik uses direct source login by default
  • web forces a fresh Authentik social session whenever social login is still Authentik-managed, so a stale shared SSO session does not apply the wrong user
  • browser callback finalization happens on /auth/callback
  • AIRS restores the intended destination after callback completion
  • first-time Google enrollments should auto-fill the username from the upstream Google email instead of stopping on the Authentik username screen

That means the normal web path should be:

  1. AIRS /auth?next=...
  2. Authentik source login
  3. Google or Discord
  4. Authentik callback
  5. AIRS /auth/callback
  6. final AIRS route

If the browser bounces through additional Authentik flow screens before returning to AIRS, treat that as a regression and inspect the identity bootstrap state first.

Known Failure Modes​

These are the concrete regressions that have already happened in this repo:

  • direct-source mode with default-source-authentication or default-source-enrollment still carrying UserLoginStage
  • custom outer source-stage flow enabled in Authentik while the AIRS app bundle is already in direct-source mode
  • AIRS bundle built from stale shared package output rather than current auth package source
  • deployed or exported bundle still containing stale /better-auth/* web login paths
  • web callback state handled inside UI components instead of a dedicated callback route
  • local loopback redirect URIs leaking into deployed web assumptions
  • hidden Authentik fallback behavior caused by hybrid social mode or stale emitted JS defaults

When debugging, verify the live browser bundle and the live Authentik source configuration together. Checking only env files is not enough.

Configuration Contract​

VariablePurposeTypical value
EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_ISSUERAuthentik issuer URLhttps://testnet.sso.alternun.co/application/o/alternun-mobile/
EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_CLIENT_IDPublic OIDC client IDalternun-mobile
EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_REDIRECT_URIOptional explicit callback URLusually blank on deployed web; derived as /auth/callback from browser origin
EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTH_EXECUTION_PROVIDERExplicit web execution providerset per deployed stage; better-auth on the current testnet rollout
EXPO_PUBLIC_BETTER_AUTH_URLBrowser-facing Better Auth base URLhttps://testnet.api.alternun.co or https://api.alternun.co
EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_LOGIN_ENTRY_MODEsource or relaysource
EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_SOCIAL_LOGIN_MODEauthentik, hybrid, or supabaseauthentik
EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_PROVIDER_FLOW_SLUGSOptional custom provider-flow JSONempty unless explicitly needed
EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_ALLOW_CUSTOM_PROVIDER_FLOW_SLUGSExplicit opt-in for custom provider-flow slugsfalse
INFRA_ALLOW_CUSTOM_AUTHENTIK_PROVIDER_FLOW_SLUGSInfra-side opt-in for custom provider-flow slugsfalse

For deployed AIRS web, the two Better Auth rows above should come from AWS SSM Parameter Store instead of only local .env files. Keep them explicitly populated for dev/testnet and production so the frontend bundle cannot drift between auth execution modes during deploys.

Supabase Custom OIDC Checks​

When Supabase is configured to trust Authentik as a custom OIDC provider, verify all three of these:

  • the provider ID is the expected custom:... identifier
  • Authentik uses the Supabase callback URI shown when the provider was created
  • the app’s final redirectTo URL is allow-listed in Supabase URL configuration

Those checks matter for Supabase-side integrations, but they are separate from the AIRS web Authentik-first social entry flow.

Source of Truth​

If you need to change the current flow, start here:

  • packages/auth/src/mobile/runtimeSignIn.ts
  • packages/auth/src/mobile/authentikUrls.ts
  • packages/auth/src/mobile/authentikClient.ts
  • packages/auth/src/mobile/AlternunMobileAuthClient.ts
  • apps/mobile/app/auth.tsx
  • apps/mobile/app/auth/callback.tsx
  • apps/mobile/app/auth-relay.tsx
  • apps/mobile/components/auth/AuthSignInScreen.tsx
  • apps/mobile/components/auth/AppAuthProvider.tsx
  • packages/infra/config/pipelines/specs/core.ts
  • packages/infra/config/pipelines/specs/identity.ts
  • packages/infra/modules/identity.ts

Troubleshooting​

  • If AIRS web shows the Supabase social path on testnet, check the deployed bundle env first, especially EXPO_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_SOCIAL_LOGIN_MODE.
  • If Authentik shows "Flow does not apply to current user", the live source auth flow is stale or was re-locked. Redeploy identity so default-source-authentication.authentication=none is restored, then confirm the web build is still forcing a fresh Authentik-managed social session.
  • If Google loops between Authentik and Google, check whether a custom provider flow slug is enabled unintentionally.
  • If Authentik returns to the wrong place, check the effective redirect URI and make sure /auth/callback is allowed on the provider.
  • If localhost behaves differently from testnet, confirm you are testing the web callback route and not a native-style redirect path.