--- title: Personalize and lock down a Nuxt app with Vercel Passport description: Use `getIdentity()` to read a visitor’s verified Vercel Passport identity in Nuxt server routes, then personalize pages, restrict routes by group, and log actions. url: "https://vercel.com/kb/guide/vercel-passport-nuxt" published: 2026-10-14 last_updated: 2026-10-14 authors: Ben Sabic install_vercel_plugin: npx plugins add vercel/vercel-plugin --- Vercel Passport signs visitors in with your own identity provider, such as Okta or Microsoft Entra ID, before a request reaches your Nuxt app. Once a visitor is through, the `@vercel/passport` SDK gives your Nuxt server routes a verified identity with a stable visitor ID. Use it to personalize pages, restrict sensitive routes, and record who did what, without building your own auth flow. In this guide, you'll learn how to: - Install `@vercel/passport` and read the visitor identity with `getIdentity()` - Choose a stable identifier for each visitor - Develop locally with a Passport development identity - Apply Passport identity to four common use cases in a project ## Before you begin Make sure you have: - A Vercel team on the Enterprise plan, which is required for Passport. - A Nuxt 4 project deployed to Vercel that uses server-side rendering or server routes in the `server/` directory. A fully static `nuxt generate` build has no server code to read identity. - Passport enabled on the project with an identity provider configured. If you haven't set this up yet, follow [Set up Passport with an identity provider](https://vercel.com/docs/passport/set-up-identity-provider). ## How Vercel Passport identity reaches your Nuxt app Vercel Passport runs in Vercel's network before your deployment's routes and Nuxt server middleware execute. When a visitor without a session opens a protected deployment, Vercel redirects them to your identity provider. After the provider authenticates them, Vercel validates the response, stores a signed session token in a HttpOnly cookie, and forwards the same token to your deployment in the `x-vercel-oidc-passport-token` request header. The token is a Vercel-signed JSON Web Token (JWT) that combines standard OpenID Connect claims, deployment context, and identity claims from your provider. Vercel strips any client-supplied value for `x-vercel-oidc-passport-token` and injects its own verified token, so a visitor can't forge an identity by setting the header themselves. Passport controls who can open your deployment. To control what each visitor can see and do inside it, read their verified identity in your Nuxt server routes and server-rendered pages. ## Install the Vercel Passport SDK Install `@vercel/passport` in your Nuxt project: **pnpm** ```bash pnpm i @vercel/passport ``` **npm** ```bash npm i @vercel/passport ``` **yarn** ```bash yarn add @vercel/passport ``` **bun** ```bash bun add @vercel/passport ``` ## Read the visitor identity with `getIdentity()` The `getIdentity()` function from `@vercel/passport` reads the Passport token from the request, verifies it, and returns an identity object. It returns `null` when the request has no Passport identity, for example a request that used [Protection Bypass for Automation](https://vercel.com/docs/deployment-protection/methods-to-bypass-deployment-protection/protection-bypass-automation) without an existing Passport session. Create a shared helper in `server/utils/passport.ts` so every server route reads identity the same way: ```typescript import type { H3Event } from 'h3'; import { getIdentity } from '@vercel/passport'; export type PassportIdentity = NonNullable< Awaited> >; // Returns the verified Passport visitor, or null if there isn't one. export async function getVisitor( event: H3Event, ): Promise { try { // Pass the incoming request headers so getIdentity() reads this request. return await getIdentity({ headers: event.headers }); } catch { // Treat verification failures as unauthenticated. Don't log the raw token. return null; } } // Stable key for storing a visitor. Combines issuer and subject. export function visitorKey(identity: PassportIdentity): string { return `${identity.payload.iss}|${identity.subject}`; } ``` The helper passes H3 event's request headers to `getIdentity()` explicitly. This keeps verification working whether or not the Nitro runtime exposes Vercel's request context, and it ties each identity lookup to the request. Nuxt renders pages and runs server routes on every request by default, so identity is read per request. Don't apply `prerender`, `isr`, or `swr` route rules to identity-dependent routes. A prerendered route renders at build time, when no identity exists, and a cached route can serve one visitor's response to another. The identity object exposes these fields: | Field | Type | Description | | ----------------- | ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `subject` | string | Stable Passport principal (the `sub` claim). Use this as the visitor ID. Treat it as opaque and don't parse it. | | `externalSubject` | string | Subject from your identity provider (the `external_sub` claim). Specific to the Connect application and not globally unique. | | `email` | string, optional | Email returned by your identity provider, if any. | | `name` | string, optional | Display name returned by your identity provider. | | `token` | string or null | The raw Passport JWT, or null for the local development identity. Use it only to forward identity to a backend you operate. | | `payload` | object | All verified token claims, including `iss`, `aud`, `exp`, and any allowlisted claims such as `groups`. | ## Which claim to use as the visitor identifier Use `identity.subject` (the `sub` claim) as the visitor identifier when your app accepts tokens from one Passport issuer. If your app accepts tokens from more than one Vercel team, store `payload.iss` and `subject` together, which is what the `visitorKey()` helper above does. Don't use `email`, `name`, `sid`, or `external_sub` alone as a global identifier. These values can change, be absent, or overlap across identity providers and Connect applications. Visitors who sign in through a different Connect application also get a different Passport subject. ## How to develop locally with a Passport development identity The `nuxt dev` server never receives the real Passport cookie or header, because Passport only runs in Vercel's network. When neither is present, `getIdentity()` returns a development identity and logs a warning the first time it does so: ```plaintext subject: owner:local:connector:local:principal:test-user externalSubject: test-user email: test-user@passport.local name: Test User ``` The development identity has `verified: false` and no `token`, so treat it as a fixture for your application logic, not as proof the sign-in flow works. Preview and production deployments never return a development identity. Any process where `VERCEL_ENV` is unset does, which includes a production build you run locally. To match the values your app expects, set them in the `.env` file that Nuxt loads during local development: ```bash VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_OWNER=acme VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_OWNER_ID=team_your_team_id_here VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_PROJECT=my-project VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_PROJECT_ID=prj_your_project_id_here VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_CONNECTOR_ID=scl_dev VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_EXTERNAL_SUB=user_dev VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_EXTERNAL_ISS=https://idp.example.com ``` To test how your app handles a missing identity, set `VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV=0` in `.env`, which makes `getIdentity()` return `null`. To test the real redirect, session cookie, and verified claims, use a Passport-protected preview deployment. ## Common use cases for Passport identity in Nuxt Once `getVisitor()` returns a verified identity, you can use it in any Nuxt server route. The following use cases build on the same `server/utils/passport.ts` helper and cover the patterns internal tools need most: - **Personalize pages**: Return the signed-in visitor's profile from a server route and render it in your pages and components. - **Restrict an admin area**: Use identity provider groups to limit sensitive pages and server routes to specific teams. - **Attribute actions**: Record which visitor created or changed data, using a stable identifier instead of an email address. - **Forward identity**: Pass the verified visitor to another backend you operate and verify it there. Each use case stands on its own, so you can start with the one your app needs. ### Personalize pages with the signed-in visitor Internal tools often need to greet the visitor, show their own records, or prefill forms. Because Passport has already authenticated every request, a server route can read the identity and return the visitor’s profile to your pages. Create `server/api/me.get.ts` to return only the fields your pages need: ```typescript import { getVisitor } from '~~/server/utils/passport'; export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => { const visitor = await getVisitor(event); if (!visitor) { throw createError({ statusCode: 401, statusMessage: 'Unauthorized' }); } // Return only the fields the client needs. Never return identity.token. return { subject: visitor.subject, email: visitor.email ?? null, name: visitor.name ?? null, }; }); ``` Then call the route with `useFetch()` from a page such as `app/pages/index.vue`: ```vue ``` When `useFetch()` runs during server-side rendering, Nuxt proxies the incoming request headers to the internal API route, so `/api/me` reads the same verified identity as the page request. During client-side navigation, the browser sends the Passport session cookie and Vercel injects the verified token before the request reaches the route. Profile fields such as `name` and `email` only appear when your identity provider returns them, so always provide a fallback. To load records that belong to the visitor, query your data store with `visitorKey(visitor)` rather than the email address. ### Restrict an admin area by identity provider group Passport lets everyone assigned to your identity provider application into the deployment, but an admin area or a destructive action usually needs a narrower policy. Group membership from your identity provider is a good fit for this. #### Request the `groups` claim Passport requests the standard `openid`, `profile`, and `email` scopes by default. To include group membership in the Passport token: 1. In the Vercel dashboard, open the Connect application that Passport uses from your project's Passport settings. 2. Under Grant Types, enable User Authorization. 3. Add `groups` to the User Authorization scopes. 4. Under Forwarded ID Token Claims, add `groups`. This is the allowlist of extra claims Connect can include in the Passport token. 5. Save the application. Your identity provider must also return the claim. In Okta, for example, you configure a `groups` claim on the authorization server that matches your Connect application's issuer. See [Configure additional identity scopes](https://vercel.com/docs/passport/additional-identity-scopes) for the full Okta walkthrough. After changing the configuration, start a new Passport session in a private browser window so the new claim appears. #### Check group membership on the server Add a helper in `server/utils/authorization.ts` that reads `groups` defensively, because the claim name and shape depend on your identity provider: ```typescript import type { PassportIdentity } from '~~/server/utils/passport'; export const ADMIN_GROUP = 'platform-admins'; export function getGroups(identity: PassportIdentity): string[] { const claims = identity.payload as Record; const groups = claims.groups; if (!Array.isArray(groups)) return []; return groups.filter((group): group is string => typeof group === 'string'); } export function isInGroup( identity: PassportIdentity | null, group: string, ): boolean { if (!identity) return false; return getGroups(identity).includes(group); } ``` Nuxt pages render on both the server and the client, so enforce the policy in a server route and have the page ask that route. Create `server/api/admin/session.get.ts` to return a 404 when the check fails, so visitors outside the group can’t tell the admin area exists: ```typescript import { getVisitor } from '~~/server/utils/passport'; import { ADMIN_GROUP, isInGroup } from '~~/server/utils/authorization'; export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => { const visitor = await getVisitor(event); if (!isInGroup(visitor, ADMIN_GROUP)) { throw createError({ statusCode: 404, statusMessage: 'Not Found' }); } return { allowed: true }; }); ``` Then check the route from the admin page at `app/pages/admin.vue` and show the error page when the check fails: ```vue ``` The page check only controls what the visitor sees. Server routes are reachable as their own endpoints, so a check on the page doesn’t protect them. Repeat the check inside each privileged route and return a 403 when it fails. For example, add the check to `server/api/admin/rotate-api-key.post.ts`: ```typescript import { getVisitor } from '~~/server/utils/passport'; import { ADMIN_GROUP, isInGroup } from '~~/server/utils/authorization'; export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => { const visitor = await getVisitor(event); if (!isInGroup(visitor, ADMIN_GROUP)) { throw createError({ statusCode: 403, statusMessage: 'Forbidden' }); } // Perform the privileged operation here. return { rotated: true }; }); ``` The local development identity doesn't include `groups`, so the admin page returns a 404 while running `nuxt dev`. Test group checks on a Passport-protected preview deployment. Don't rely on Nuxt route middleware in `app/middleware/` for this check. Route middleware also runs in the browser during client-side navigation, where no verified identity is available, so the server routes must enforce the policy. Nitro server middleware can't make a Passport-protected path public either, because Passport has already made its sign-in decision before the request reaches your Nuxt app. ### Attribute actions to the signed-in visitor When several people share an internal tool, you usually want to record who created a request or approved a change. Passport already gives you a verified actor for every request, so a server route can stamp each write with the visitor's identity. In the server route, read the visitor and attach `visitorKey(visitor)` to the record it writes. Store that key as the actor and treat `email` as a display value, because email addresses can change or be absent. Create the route at `server/api/requests.post.ts`: ```typescript import { getVisitor, visitorKey } from '~~/server/utils/passport'; export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => { const visitor = await getVisitor(event); if (!visitor) { throw createError({ statusCode: 401, statusMessage: 'Unauthorized' }); } const body = await readBody<{ title?: unknown }>(event); const title = body?.title; if (typeof title !== 'string' || title.trim() === '') { throw createError({ statusCode: 400, statusMessage: 'Title is required' }); } const record = { action: 'request.created', actor: visitorKey(visitor), actorEmail: visitor.email ?? null, title: title.trim(), createdAt: new Date().toISOString(), }; // Structured log line, visible in your project's logs. console.log(JSON.stringify(record)); // Persist `record` to your database, keyed on `record.actor`. return { ok: true }; }); ``` Then connect the route to a form in a page such as `app/pages/requests.vue`. TThe form only collects the request title, since Passport supplies the actor. Never read the actor from form fields or request bodies, which the client controls: ```vue ``` Passport also records sign-ins at the platform level. Each successful authentication creates a `passport-access-granted` event in the Activity Log and Audit Logs, so your application log covers what visitors did and Vercel's logs cover when they entered. ### Forward Passport identity to another backend Your Nuxt app might call a separate API, such as a reporting service or another Vercel project, that also needs to know who the visitor is. Forward the Passport token as a bearer token and verify it at the receiving service with `verifyIdentity()`. #### Forward the token from the Nuxt app Create a server route at `server/api/export-report.post.ts` that forwards the token: ```typescript import { getVisitor } from '~~/server/utils/passport'; export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => { const visitor = await getVisitor(event); if (!visitor?.token) { throw createError({ statusCode: 401, statusMessage: 'Unauthorized' }); } const response = await fetch('https://reports.example.com/api/reports', { method: 'POST', headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${visitor.token}`, }, }); return new Response(response.body, { status: response.status }); }); ``` The development identity has no `token`, so this route returns `401` under `nuxt dev`. Test forwarding against a Passport-protected preview deployment. #### Verify the token in the receiving backend Install `@vercel/passport` in the receiving service. The `verifyIdentity()` function is available in `@vercel/passport` 0.1.3 and later. `verifyIdentity()` reads the bearer token from the request, checks its signature, and confirms it came from the expected source project and environment. If the receiving service is also a Nuxt app, convert the H3 event to a web `Request` with `toWebRequest()` in a route such as `server/api/reports.post.ts`: ```typescript import { verifyIdentity } from '@vercel/passport'; // IDs of the Passport-protected deployment that minted the token, // not the project receiving it. const ownerId = process.env.PASSPORT_SOURCE_OWNER_ID!; const projectId = process.env.PASSPORT_SOURCE_PROJECT_ID!; const environment = process.env.PASSPORT_SOURCE_ENVIRONMENT ?? 'production'; export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => { try { const identity = await verifyIdentity(toWebRequest(event), { ownerId, projectId, environment, }); // Use identity.subject (with identity.payload.iss) as the visitor ID. return { requestedBy: identity.subject }; } catch { throw createError({ statusCode: 401, statusMessage: 'Unauthorized' }); } }); ``` Keep these rules in mind when forwarding identity: - Use HTTPS to backends you operate: The Passport token authenticates the visitor to your own services. It isn't an access token for your identity provider or for third-party APIs. Use Vercel Connect when a backend needs credentials for another service. - Validate against the source deployment: Pass the owner ID, project ID, and environment of the app that minted the token. Don't substitute the receiving project's values. - Verify outside JavaScript with the JWKS: Non-JavaScript services can verify the token as a standard JWT against https://passport.vercel.com/.well-known/jwks.json, checking `iss`, `aud`, `exp`, `nbf`, `typ` (which must equal `passport`), `project_id`, and `environment`. - Account for Deployment Protection on the receiver: If the receiving backend is itself a protected Vercel deployment, the server-to-server request has no Passport session and needs a [Protection Bypass for Automation](https://vercel.com/docs/deployment-protection/methods-to-bypass-deployment-protection/protection-bypass-automation) secret. ## Troubleshooting ### `getIdentity()` returns `null` on a deployment Confirm that the deployment is Passport-protected and that `getIdentity()` runs in server-side code in the `server/` directory, with the H3 event's headers passed through `getVisitor(event)`. Requests that use Protection Bypass for Automation without an existing Passport session legitimately have no identity. If the route is prerendered or cached with a `prerender`, `isr`, or `swr` route rule, remove that rule so the route runs per request. `getIdentity()` also checks the token's `project_id` and `environment` claims against the `VERCEL_PROJECT_ID` and `VERCEL_TARGET_ENV` (or `VERCEL_ENV`) System Environment Variables. If those variables aren't exposed to your functions, verification throws and `getVisitor()` returns `null`. Confirm that **Enable access to System Environment Variables** is checked in your project’s [environment variable settings.](https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%5Bproject%5D%2Fsettings%2Fenvironment-variables%3Fenv%3Dsystem) ### The `groups`, `email`, or `name` claim is missing These claims are optional. Confirm that your identity provider returns the claim, that the Connect application requests the scope and lists the claim under Forwarded ID Token Claims, and then start a new Passport session. Existing sessions keep the claims from when they were issued. ### Webhooks or cron jobs can't reach a Passport-protected route Passport redirects any request without a session to your identity provider, including webhooks and Cron Jobs. The original request must include a Protection Bypass for Automation secret. Don't try to make a path public from Nitro server middleware or a Nuxt route rule, because Passport has already run by then. ### Token verification fails Treat the request as unauthenticated and confirm your code reads the Vercel-injected `x-vercel-oidc-passport-token` header, not a client-supplied value. For forwarded tokens, check that the server can reach the Passport JWKS and that its clock is accurate. The `@vercel/passport` SDK fetches signing keys from https://oidc.vercel.com/.well-known/jwks, which serves the same key set as https://passport.vercel.com/.well-known/jwks.json, so allow both hosts if your backend restricts outbound traffic. Don't log the raw token while debugging. ## Next steps - Review every claim in the [Passport token claims reference](https://vercel.com/docs/passport/token-claims). - Read the full [Read Passport identity in your application](https://vercel.com/docs/passport/read-identity) docs for SDK options. - Set up additional claims with [Configure additional identity scopes](https://vercel.com/docs/passport/additional-identity-scopes). - Learn more about [forwarding identity](https://vercel.com/docs/passport/forward-identity) and [verifying forwarded tokens](https://vercel.com/docs/passport/verify-identity). - Compare Passport with other [methods to protect deployments](https://vercel.com/docs/deployment-protection/methods-to-protect-deployments). ## Frequently asked questions ### How do I get the current user in Nuxt with Vercel Passport? Install `@vercel/passport` and call `getIdentity()` from a Nuxt server route, passing the H3 event's request headers. It returns a verified identity object with `subject`, `externalSubject`, `email`, `name`, and the full claim `payload`, or `null` when the request has no Passport identity. ### Should I use `sub` or `external_sub` to identify a Vercel Passport visitor? Use `sub` (exposed as `identity.subject`) as the stable visitor identifier, and store it together with the `iss` claim if your app accepts tokens from more than one Vercel team. The `external_sub` claim comes from your identity provider, is specific to the Connect application, and isn't globally unique. ### Can I use Vercel Passport identity in a Vue component? Not directly. Read identity in a Nuxt server route, then fetch only the fields you need with `useFetch()`, for example from an `/api/me` route. Never send the raw Passport token to the browser. ### How do I test Vercel Passport locally? A local `nuxt dev` server receives a development identity from `getIdentity()`, which you can customize with `VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_*` environment variables in `.env` or disable with `VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV=0`. To test the real identity provider sign-in and verified claims, use a Passport-protected preview deployment. ### Can I use Nuxt middleware to authorize Vercel Passport visitors? Not on its own. Nuxt route middleware also runs in the browser, where no verified identity is available, and neither route middleware nor Nitro server middleware can make a Passport-protected path public, because Passport runs before your Nuxt app. Put authorization checks in each server route that serves protected data or performs a protected action. ## More Nuxt guides - [How to build an MCP server with Nuxt](/kb/guide/how-to-build-an-mcp-server-with-nuxt): Add an MCP server to your Nuxt app with the Nuxt MCP Toolkit. Create tools, resources, and prompt templates that AI assistants like Cursor and VS Code can connect to. - [Build Imgur-style image hosting with Nuxt and Vercel Blob](/kb/guide/vercel-blob-nuxt-imgur-clone): Learn how to build an Imgur-style paste-to-share image host using Nuxt and Vercel Blob, with direct-to-storage client uploads, shareable ISR preview pages, and CDN caching at every layer. - [Build with Vercel Blob on Nuxt](/kb/guide/vercel-blob-nuxt): Set up Vercel Blob in a Nuxt application with NuxtHub, upload and serve files, and deliver optimized images with Nuxt Image.