4 minute read
Duo is joining PlainID's IDP Authorizer program. Your tokens are about to get smarter.
The problem: static tokens in a dynamic world
When a user authenticates through an IdP, the resulting token carries claims that downstream applications use to make access decisions. In most enterprise environments today, those claims are static. They reflect what was mapped at configuration time, not what the user should actually be able to do right now.
A user whose role changed this morning still carries yesterday's entitlements in their token. An employee who moved from Engineering to Sales still has access to developer tools until someone manually updates the IdP mapping. The token does not know what changed, it only knows what was configured.
Organizations that have invested in dedicated authorization engines like PlainID have already solved the "what can this user do" problem. They have policies, context, and real-time evaluation. But that investment only pays off if the IdP can call out to the authorization engine at token issuance time and inject those decisions as claims.
Duo has not supported this pattern. Until now.
Duo joins PlainID's IDP Authorizer program
We are partnering with PlainID to bring deeper dynamic authorization to Duo's access flows. Duo is joining PlainID's IDP Authorizer program, which means PlainID customers can use Duo as their identity provider without giving up fine-grained, policy-driven token enrichment.
PlainID evaluates authorization policies at authentication time and returns claims that Duo injects into the token before it reaches the application. Applications get context-aware access decisions without needing their own integration to PlainID.
How it works
The integration is powered by a new capability in Duo: Inline Hooks. These are synchronous callout points in Duo's token issuance pipeline that let external services enrich tokens and assertions with dynamic claims.
A user authenticates through Duo SSO
Before token issuance, Duo calls PlainID with user and session context
PlainID evaluates its authorization policies and responds with claims to include
What we are delivering
The integration starts with token enrichment and assertion modification:
Token Inline Hooks: Enrich OIDC/OAuth tokens with dynamic claims from PlainID at issuance time
SAML Assertion Inline Hooks: Modify SAML assertions with dynamic attributes before signing
External Authorization Hooks, which route runtime permit/deny decisions to PlainID for use cases like MCP tool access, will follow as the platform matures.
The underlying hook platform is engine-agnostic by design. PlainID is our first partner and validates the pattern, but the contract works with any HTTP-based policy decision point.
Why this matters
For teams running PlainID today: You no longer need to choose between Duo and your authorization investment. Duo handles identity. PlainID handles what users can do. The hook connects them at the moment it matters most.
For teams migrating to Duo: Token extensibility has been a blocker for some organizations. With this integration, that blocker is going away.
For teams planning for AI agents: As agents interact with enterprise systems, authorization decisions get more complex, not less. Having PlainID's policy engine available during Duo authentication flows means those decisions can be made consistently whether a human or an agent is requesting access.
Timeline
Token and SAML Assertion Inline Hooks are entering Alpha (limited availability with select design partners for validation and feedback) soon. We will be working with design partners to validate the integration before broader availability.
This is early, and we are sharing it now because the partnership is real, the architecture is taking shape, and we want to hear from teams who have been waiting for this.
Get involved
This integration expands on Duo’s list of hundreds of technology partnerships. You can learn more about our complete ecosystem of integrations at ecosystem.duo.com.
If you are interested in participating as a design partner, or if PlainID integration has been a factor in your identity strategy, reach out to your Duo contact today and get connected with the Duo Product team.