Setting Up an MCP Server with Auth0 as Your Authorization Provider

Set a Default Audience for Secure OAuth Authorization

When using Claude and other MCP clients, it’s crucial to set a default audience to streamline your OAuth authorization request. By default, parameters include resource, but not audience, leading Auth0 to issue opaque tokens that are challenging to validate in MCP environments. Without a designated audience, decryption of these tokens may pose compatibility issues with keypairs and required support.

To ensure seamless integration, follow these simple steps in the Auth0 dashboard:

1. Navigate to APIs.
2. Click on + Create API.
3. Provide a friendly name (e.g., “My MCP Server”).
4. Enter your server’s identifier, such as https://mymcpserver.com/.
5. Click Save.

Setting a default audience is a practical shortcut ideal for demos or non-production environments, ensuring your MCP server can easily validate standard JWT access tokens.

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