AEM: Authors prompted for login when previewing content with SSO
This article explains why authors may be prompted to log in again when previewing content in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), even when single sign-on (SSO) is configured, and outlines available options and workarounds.
Description description
Environment
- Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), all versions
- Separate authoring and preview environments
- Single sign-on (SSO) configured through a corporate identity provider
Issue/Symptoms
- Authors log in to the authoring environment and navigate to a page.
- When authors select the preview option, such as through the Sidekick, a new tab opens for the preview environment.
- Authors are prompted to log in again to the preview environment instead of experiencing seamless SSO.
- The issue occurs consistently for all authors using this workflow.
Cause
The authentication flow between the authoring and preview environments uses separate application sessions. The identity provider configuration for preview access requires explicit re-authentication, which forces a login prompt even when an active session exists. This behavior is typically a security measure and can be required by design.
Resolution resolution
Follow these steps to resolve the issue:
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Review the identity provider configuration and confirm that both the authoring and preview environments use the same SSO provider and identity source.
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Confirm that the login prompt is enforced by the identity provider settings for preview access and is not adjustable through project-level configuration files or environment variables.
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If seamless SSO is critical for the workflow, consider the following options:
- Evaluate whether disabling authentication on the preview environment is acceptable for the use case, especially if the environment is already publicly accessible and reducing login prompts is a priority.
- Monitor product updates and engineering efforts aimed at improving the login experience and enabling silent SSO for preview workflows.
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To verify the behavior, log in to the authoring environment, open a preview page, and confirm whether the login prompt appears as described.