Single Sign-On

Enterprise

Agent sign-in

Agents sign in with the account they already have

Single sign-on is part of Enterprise, at $49 per agent per month. Connect ZChat to your identity provider over OpenID Connect or SAML 2.0 and agents sign in with their work account. Accounts are matched by email address.

Administrators can always sign in with their password, so an identity provider outage never locks you out. This page describes the ASP.NET Core edition of ZChat 2.0.6; the separate Web Forms package does not include the 2.0.5 or 2.0.6 additions.

Enterprise

OpenID Connect

Enter the issuer URL, client ID and secret, check the discovery document from the form, and map the email, login and display name claims.

Enterprise

SAML 2.0

Download ZChat's service provider metadata, and import your identity provider's metadata instead of copying certificates by hand.

Enterprise

Control who gets in

Limit sign-in to allowed email domains, create agent accounts on first sign-in with a default role, and require SSO for agents.

Set up from the dashboard

Protocol, provider details, claim mapping and account rules are on one page.

ZChat single sign-on settings with OpenID Connect selected, issuer URL, client ID, scopes, claim mapping and allowed email domains

A clear sign-in page

Agents see a Sign in with button; administrators can still use a password.

ZChat sign-in page with a Sign in with identity provider button above the username and password fields

Included on Enterprise

  • OpenID Connect sign-in
  • SAML 2.0 sign-in, with service provider metadata
  • Import identity provider metadata
  • Several identity provider certificates for rotation
  • Allowed email domains
  • Just-in-time agent accounts with a default role
  • Require single sign-on for agents
  • Check the provider's discovery document from the settings page

New in 2.0.6

Single sign-on in the desktop app

Single sign-on is part of Enterprise, at $49 per agent per month.

Enterprise

Sign in with your identity provider

The Windows desktop app shows the same “Sign in with” button as the browser. When single sign-on is required, it says so, and administrators can still use their password.

Enterprise

Needs a 2.0.6 server

Single sign-on in the desktop app needs the server to run 2.0.6. Against an older server the app does not offer it.

Free

Settings only a person can change

Single sign-on settings can be changed only by an administrator who is signed in, never through an API access token.

Desktop sign-in

The desktop app on a server where single sign-on is required for agents.

ZChat Windows desktop app sign-in screen with a Sign in with Contoso Okta button, a note that the organisation requires single sign-on for agents, and username and password fields

Details

Which providers

Any identity provider that speaks OpenID Connect or SAML 2.0, such as Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, Google, Keycloak or ADFS.

If Enterprise lapses

The single sign-on button is hidden and every agent signs in with a password. The settings stay stored and come back when you renew.

Questions we get asked

Which tier includes single sign-on?

Enterprise, at 49 dollars per agent per month. It is not part of Community or Premium.

Can an identity provider outage lock us out?

No. Administrators can always sign in with their password, even when single sign-on is required for agents.

Do agents need an account before their first sign-in?

Not if you turn on just-in-time accounts. The first sign-in creates the agent with the role you choose. Otherwise an administrator adds each agent first, with the same email address.

Sign-in your security team already approves

Single sign-on is part of Enterprise at $49 per agent per month. Live chat stays free with unlimited agents.

Self-hosted customer support software

Deploy live chat on your own terms, not on someone else's pricing model.

ZChat gives you the installable server, web dashboard, website widget, and desktop agent tools in one self-hosted product, with live chat free to run. Run it on infrastructure you trust and connect AI only if and how you want it.

Deployment

Install on Windows or Linux, behind IIS or Nginx, in a VM, or in Docker if that fits your stack.

Commercial model

Live chat is free with unlimited agents. Only the optional AI assistant is billed, per agent per month.

AI Flexibility

Use Ollama locally or connect OpenAI and Anthropic with your own provider accounts.