# Public Client Integration

## Authentication for Public Clients

:::callout{intent="warning"}
This method requires enabling **Public Client** for your app. Most games will not want to ship with this enabled. [Learn more](/guides/core-concepts-oauth2-scopes#oauth2-client-types)
:::

:::callout{intent="warning"}
Use Public Client Integration only if you don't have a server-authoritative backend and therefore require a Public Client for authentication.
:::

If you have `Public Client` enabled on your Discord app, you can use the following code to authenticate your players with the external provider directly from the client — no backend required. Before using this method, you must [configure your identity provider](/guides/provisional-accounts-development-guides-identity-providers) in the Developer Portal.

```cpp
// filepath: your_game/auth_manager.cpp
void AuthenticateUser(std::shared_ptr<discordpp::Client> client) {
    // Get your external auth token (Steam, OIDC, etc.)
    std::string externalToken = GetExternalAuthToken();

    // Get provisional token from Discord
    client->GetProvisionalToken(DISCORD_APPLICATION_ID,
        discordpp::AuthenticationExternalAuthType::OIDC,
        externalToken,
        [client](discordpp::ClientResult result, std::string accessToken, std::string refreshToken, discordpp::AuthorizationTokenType tokenType, int32_t expiresIn, std::string scope) {
        if (result.Successful()) {
            std::cout << "🔓 Provisional token received! Establishing connection...\n";
            client->UpdateToken(discordpp::AuthorizationTokenType::Bearer, accessToken, [client](discordpp::ClientResult result) {
                client->Connect();
            });
        } else {
            std::cerr << "❌ Provisional token request failed: " << result.Error() << std::endl;
        }
    });
}
```

### How the Flow Works

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    autonumber
    actor P as Player
    participant Prov as External Provider<br/>(OIDC, Steam, EOS)
    participant C as Game Client (SDK)
    participant D as Discord

    P->>Prov: Authenticate
    Prov-->>C: External auth token
    C->>D: GetProvisionalToken(app_id, auth_type, external_token)
    alt No account / provisional account exists
        D-->>C: Access token
        C->>D: UpdateToken() → Connect()
    else Full Discord account exists
        D-->>C: Error (use OAuth2 flow)
    end
```

Once authentication is complete, you can use the access token as you would a full Discord user's access token. See [Managing Provisional Accounts](/guides/provisional-accounts-development-guides-managing-accounts) for token refresh, storage, and display names.

## Error Handling

Common error codes and solutions when creating a provisional account:

| Code   | Meaning                      | Solution                                                                    |
| ------ | ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 530000 | Application not configured   | Contact Discord support to enable provisional accounts for your application |
| 530001 | Expired ID token             | Request a new token from your identity provider                             |
| 530004 | Token too old                | Request a new token (tokens over 1 week old are rejected)                   |
| 530006 | Username generation failed   | Retry the operation (temporary error)                                       |
| 530007 | Invalid client secret        | Verify or regenerate your client secret in the Developer Portal             |
| 530010 | User account non-provisional | User already linked to Discord account - use standard OAuth2 flow           |

If you are using OIDC, you may encounter more specific errors:

| Code   | Meaning                      | Solution                                                                                                               |
| ------ | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 530002 | Invalid issuer               | Verify the `iss` claim in your ID token exactly matches the issuer URL in your OIDC configuration                      |
| 530003 | Invalid audience             | Verify the `aud` claim in your ID token includes the client ID in your OIDC configuration                              |
| 530008 | OIDC configuration not found | Verify your issuer URL is correct, accessible over HTTPS, and serves a valid discovery document without HTTP redirects |
| 530009 | OIDC JWKS not found          | Verify your JWKS endpoint is accessible over HTTPS without HTTP redirects                                              |
| 530020 | Invalid OIDC JWT token       | Verify your ID token is properly signed and uses a supported algorithm                                                 |
| 530027 | Missing `kid` header         | Ensure your ID token includes a `kid` (Key ID) header in the JWT header identifying the signing key                    |

***

## Next Steps

::::card-grid
:::card{title="Managing Provisional Accounts" href="/guides/provisional-accounts-development-guides-managing-accounts"}
Refresh access tokens and set display names.
:::

:::card{title="Merging Accounts" href="/guides/provisional-accounts-development-guides-merging-accounts"}
Merge a provisional account into a full Discord account.
:::

:::card{title="Unmerging Accounts" href="/guides/provisional-accounts-development-guides-unmerging-accounts"}
Sever the link between a Discord account and a provisional account.
:::
::::

Need help? Join the [Discord Developers Server](https://discord.gg/discord-developers) and share questions in the `#social-sdk-dev-help` channel for support from the community.

If you encounter a bug while working with the Social SDK, please report it here:  https://dis.gd/social-sdk-bug-report

***

## Change Log

| Date           | Changes                                                   |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| July 14, 2026  | Split the provisional accounts guide into its own section |
| March 17, 2025 | Initial release                                           |

## Related pages

- [API Reference](./api-reference-index.md)
- [App Fundamentals](./app-fundamentals-index.md)
- [Best Practices](./best-practices-index.md)
- [Bots & Companion Apps](./bots-companion-apps-index.md)
- [Building Games](./building-games-index.md)
- [Building on Discord](./building-on-discord-index.md)
- [Change Log](./change-log-index.md)
- [Communities & Servers](./communities-servers-index.md)
- [Components](./components-index.md)
- [Core Concepts](./core-concepts-index.md)

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