> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://hercules.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Single Sign-On (SSO)

> Let your users sign in to your app with your company's identity provider, like Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, or Google Workspace, or make SSO the only way in.

Let your users sign in to your app with your company's identity provider (the service your company uses to manage work accounts, such as Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, or Google Workspace). Offer SSO next to your other sign-in methods, or make it the only way in for an internal app.

* One login: your users sign in with the work account they already have.
* One place to manage access: your identity provider decides who gets in.
* No new passwords for your users, and none for you to reset.

### How do I set up SSO for my app?

Single sign-on is available on Business plans and above, on apps using Hercules Auth 2.0. If your app was created before Hercules Auth 2.0, [upgrade it first](/docs/apps/users-auth/upgrade-to-hercules-auth-2.md).

**1. Connect your identity provider**

Go to **Organization → SSO** and choose **Connect identity provider**. Follow the steps in [SSO
/ SAML](/docs/platform/sso-saml.md), including verifying your email domains. You do this once, and every
app in your organization can use it.

**2. Turn on SSO in your app**

In your app, go to **Users & Access → Auth Portal**. Under **Sign-in Methods**, turn on **Single
sign-on (SSO)**. If your organization has more than one identity provider, pick the one this app
uses.

**3. Save**

Click **Save**. Your sign-in page shows the new button within about a minute.

If your organization has no verified identity provider yet, the **Single sign-on (SSO)** row shows **Set up SSO**, which opens **Organization → SSO**.

### What do my users see?

A **Continue with SSO** button on your app's sign-in page. Clicking it sends them to your identity provider. After they sign in there, they come back to your app signed in. The first time someone signs in, Hercules creates their account in your app.

The button follows your [Auth Portal language](/docs/apps/users-auth/customize-auth-portal.md#how-do-i-change-the-auth-portal-language).

### How do I make SSO the only way to sign in?

1. Turn on SSO in **Users & Access → Auth Portal** first.
2. Go to **Users & Access → Sign-in Rules**.
3. Under **Who can sign up?**, choose **Only SSO users** and confirm.

This takes effect right away. Your app's other sign-in methods are hidden, and only people your identity provider signs in can sign up or sign in. People already signed in stay signed in until their session ends.

While **Only SSO users** is selected, you cannot turn SSO off in the Auth Portal. Change **Who can sign up?** first.

### How do I change which identity provider my app uses?

Go to **Users & Access → Auth Portal**, click **Configure** on the **Single sign-on (SSO)** row, pick another provider, and click **Save**. To add or remove providers, click **Manage identity providers**.

### What happens if SSO stops working?

If your identity provider can no longer be used, for example because a domain's verification lapsed, the **Continue with SSO** button disappears from your sign-in page. Your other sign-in methods keep working.

If your app is set to **Only SSO users**, nobody can sign in until you fix it. Your sign-in page tells users: "Single sign-on is not set up for this app yet. Contact the app owner." Your other sign-in methods stay hidden, so the app does not open up to everyone. Fix the provider under **Organization → SSO**. See [Why do I need to verify my domain?](/docs/platform/sso-saml.md#why-do-i-need-to-verify-my-domain) for the 7 days Hercules gives you to restore a missing DNS record.

### Additional FAQ

> **Which identity providers work?**
>
> Any provider you can connect under **Organization → SSO**: Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Google
> Workspace, OneLogin, JumpCloud, any other SAML 2.0 provider, or an OpenID Connect provider.

> **Who can sign in with SSO?**
>
> Anyone your identity provider signs in, as long as your sign-in rules let them in. Block rules
> under **Users & Access → Sign-in Rules** apply to SSO users, and with **Only people I approve**,
> SSO users must match your approved emails or domains too. Manage who your identity provider
> signs in from your identity provider.

> **How do I check that SSO works before my users try it?**
>
> Open the provider under **Organization → SSO** and choose **Test sign-in**. You go through your
> identity provider's real sign-in, and Hercules shows who it signed in or what went wrong.

> **What happens if my plan changes?**
>
> Your app keeps SSO, and **Only SSO users** stays enforced, so your app does not open up to
> everyone. On any plan you can turn SSO off or change **Who can sign up?**. Turning SSO on,
> changing the identity provider, or choosing **Only SSO users** needs a Business plan or higher.

> **What happens to SSO when I transfer my app?**
>
> Your identity provider belongs to your organization, so it stays behind. The transferred app has
> no SSO, and if it was set to **Only SSO users**, **Who can sign up?** goes back to **Allow
> everyone**. Set up SSO again in the new organization.

> **Do cloned apps keep SSO?**
>
> Yes, when your organization's plan includes SSO. The clone signs in through the same identity
> provider and keeps **Only SSO users** if the original had it.

> **Is this the same as SSO for Hercules?**
>
> They share the same identity provider. [SSO / SAML](/docs/platform/sso-saml.md) lets your teammates sign
> in to Hercules itself. This page covers your app's users signing in to your app.

### What's next?

> **[Sign-in Rules](/docs/apps/users-auth/sign-in-rules.md)**
>
> Control who can sign up for your app

> **[Customize Auth Portal](/docs/apps/users-auth/customize-auth-portal.md)**
>
> Customize login methods, branding, and domains


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