Articles on: Security & SSO

Configure single sign-on (SSO)

Setting up Single Sign-On (SSO)

Single Sign-On (SSO) lets your team sign in to Smart Core Connect using your organisation's existing

identity provider — the same login they already use for other work tools. There are no separate

passwords to manage, and access follows your normal joiner/leaver processes.

This guide walks you through connecting your identity provider.

You'll need administrator permissions for your organisation.

Before you start

SSO setup has two prerequisites. Please complete these first:

✅ A verified domain. See Verifying your domain (link). The Configure SSO button stays

disabled until at least one domain shows Verified.

✅ At least one IT contact. See Managing IT contacts (link).

SSO must be included in your plan. If you don't see the Single Sign-On option on the
Authentication page, it isn't enabled for your organisation yet — contact your Smart Core Connect
account manager or support to add it.

Supported identity providers

Smart Core Connect works with all major identity providers. If you'd like to confirm that your

specific provider is supported, get in touch with your Smart Core Connect account manager or support

and we'll be happy to check for you.

Step 1 — Open SSO setup

Open Settings → Organisation → Authentication.
Confirm your domain shows Verified and that you've added an IT contact.
In the Single Sign-On section, click Configure SSO.

(If you started earlier and haven't finished, the button reads Continue SSO setup.)

A new browser tab opens the WorkOS Admin Portal, where you'll connect your provider.

Tip: The portal link is valid for a few minutes only. If it expires, return to the
Authentication page and click the button again.

Step 2 — Connect your identity provider

In the portal:

Choose your identity provider from the list.
Follow the provider-specific instructions. Depending on your provider, this typically involves:

Creating an application in your identity provider, and
Exchanging connection details — for example uploading or pasting SAML metadata, or entering

OIDC endpoint details — and

Mapping user attributes (such as email and name) so they come across correctly.

The portal guides you through each step for your specific provider. If someone else on your IT team

should handle this, invite them to Smart Core Connect with administrator permissions so they can run

the setup themselves — rather than passing the setup link around.

You don't have to finish in one go

Your progress is saved, so you can pause and pick up where you left off at any time:

If you close the portal tab (or the link expires) before you're done, just return to the

Authentication tab in Smart Core Connect. The button now reads Continue SSO setup — click

it to re-open the portal and carry on from where you left off.

If you chose the wrong identity provider, you don't need to start over. Re-open the portal the

same way and select the correct provider instead.

Nothing goes live until the connection shows active (see the next step), so there's no rush to

get it right first time.

Step 3 — Confirm the connection is live

When you've finished in the portal, return to the Authentication tab in Smart Core Connect. The

connection status refreshes automatically when you come back to the page.

A green active chip means SSO is live and your team can sign in through your provider.
Any other status means setup isn't finished — re-open the portal to complete it.

What happens after SSO is live

Your team signs in through your identity provider. When they go to sign in, they're sent to

your provider, authenticate there, and are returned to Smart Core Connect.

New people get an account automatically. The first time someone signs in via SSO, Smart Core

Connect creates their account for them — you don't need to invite them in advance. See

Just-in-time (JIT) provisioning (link) for exactly how this works and what to expect.

Troubleshooting

The "Configure SSO" button is greyed out.

You need a verified domain first. Check the Domains section — see Verifying your domain.

I don't see a Single Sign-On section at all.

SSO isn't enabled for your organisation's plan yet. Contact your Smart Core Connect account manager

or support.

The connection isn't showing as "active".

Re-open the portal from the Continue SSO setup button and complete any remaining steps. The

status in Smart Core Connect updates when you return to the page.

Verifying your domain — required before SSO setup
Managing IT contacts — required before SSO setup
Just-in-time (JIT) provisioning — how new users are created on first sign-in

Updated on: 15/06/2026

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