Configure enterprise SSO, role-based access control, and organization management. Use when implementing SSO integration, configuring role-based permissions, or setting up organization-level controls. Trigger with phrases like "clerk SSO", "clerk RBAC", "clerk enterprise", "clerk roles", "clerk permissions", "clerk organizations".
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Implement enterprise-grade role-based access control, organization management, and SSO with Clerk. Covers custom roles and permissions, organization lifecycle, multi-tenant access patterns, SAML/OIDC SSO, and the Backend API for programmatic role management (released Nov 2025).
@clerk/nextjs)// app/org-selector/page.tsx
import { OrganizationSwitcher, OrganizationProfile } from '@clerk/nextjs'
export default function OrgPage() {
return (
<div className="p-8">
<h1>Select Organization</h1>
<OrganizationSwitcher
hidePersonal={false}
afterSelectOrganizationUrl="/dashboard"
afterCreateOrganizationUrl="/dashboard"
/>
<div className="mt-8">
<OrganizationProfile />
</div>
</div>
)
}Configure in Clerk Dashboard > Organizations > Roles and Permissions.
Default roles (built-in):
| Role | Key | Built-in Permissions |
|---|---|---|
| Admin | org:admin | Full org management (members, settings, billing) |
| Member | org:member | View org, read-only access |
Custom permissions (create in Dashboard > Organizations > Permissions):
| Permission | Key | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Read data | org:data:read | View organization resources |
| Write data | org:data:write | Create/update resources |
| Delete data | org:data:delete | Delete resources |
| Manage billing | org:billing:manage | Access billing settings |
| View analytics | org:analytics:read | Access analytics dashboard |
Custom roles (create in Dashboard > Organizations > Roles):
| Role | Permissions | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
org:manager | data:read, data:write, analytics:read | Content managers |
org:viewer | data:read | Read-only stakeholders |
org:billing_admin | data:read, billing:manage | Finance team |
// middleware.ts
import { clerkMiddleware, createRouteMatcher } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'
const isPublicRoute = createRouteMatcher([
'/',
'/sign-in(.*)',
'/sign-up(.*)',
'/api/webhooks(.*)',
])
const isAdminRoute = createRouteMatcher(['/admin(.*)'])
const isManagerRoute = createRouteMatcher(['/manage(.*)'])
export default clerkMiddleware(async (auth, req) => {
if (isPublicRoute(req)) return
if (isAdminRoute(req)) {
// Only org:admin can access /admin/*
await auth.protect({ role: 'org:admin' })
} else if (isManagerRoute(req)) {
// org:admin OR org:manager can access /manage/*
await auth.protect((has) =>
has({ role: 'org:admin' }) || has({ role: 'org:manager' })
)
} else {
// All other routes just require authentication
await auth.protect()
}
})// app/admin/page.tsx
import { auth } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'
import { redirect } from 'next/navigation'
export default async function AdminPage() {
const { userId, orgId, orgRole, has } = await auth()
if (!userId) redirect('/sign-in')
if (!orgId) redirect('/org-selector')
// Permission-based checks (preferred over role-based)
const canManageMembers = has({ permission: 'org:sys_memberships:manage' })
const canWriteData = has({ permission: 'org:data:write' })
const canDeleteData = has({ permission: 'org:data:delete' })
const canViewAnalytics = has({ permission: 'org:analytics:read' })
return (
<div>
<h1>Admin Panel</h1>
<p>Current role: {orgRole}</p>
<nav>
{canManageMembers && <a href="/admin/members">Manage Members</a>}
{canWriteData && <a href="/admin/content">Content Management</a>}
{canDeleteData && <a href="/admin/danger-zone">Danger Zone</a>}
{canViewAnalytics && <a href="/admin/analytics">Analytics</a>}
</nav>
</div>
)
}'use client'
import { Protect, useOrganization, useAuth } from '@clerk/nextjs'
export function AdminSection() {
const { organization } = useOrganization()
const { has } = useAuth()
return (
<div>
<h2>{organization?.name}</h2>
{/* Declarative: Protect component with fallback */}
<Protect
role="org:admin"
fallback={<p>You need admin access to view this section.</p>}
>
<DangerZone />
</Protect>
{/* Permission-based rendering */}
<Protect permission="org:data:write">
<EditForm />
</Protect>
{/* Imperative: has() for conditional logic */}
{has?.({ permission: 'org:analytics:read' }) && (
<AnalyticsDashboard />
)}
</div>
)
}// app/api/org/members/route.ts
import { auth, clerkClient } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'
export async function GET() {
const { orgId, has } = await auth()
if (!orgId) return Response.json({ error: 'No org selected' }, { status: 400 })
if (!has({ permission: 'org:sys_memberships:read' })) {
return Response.json({ error: 'Forbidden' }, { status: 403 })
}
const client = await clerkClient()
const members = await client.organizations.getOrganizationMembershipList({
organizationId: orgId,
})
return Response.json({
members: members.data.map(m => ({
userId: m.publicUserData?.userId,
name: `${m.publicUserData?.firstName} ${m.publicUserData?.lastName}`,
email: m.publicUserData?.identifier,
role: m.role,
joinedAt: m.createdAt,
})),
})
}
export async function POST(req: Request) {
const { orgId, userId, has } = await auth()
if (!orgId || !has({ permission: 'org:sys_memberships:manage' })) {
return Response.json({ error: 'Forbidden' }, { status: 403 })
}
const { emailAddress, role } = await req.json()
const client = await clerkClient()
const invitation = await client.organizations.createOrganizationInvitation({
organizationId: orgId,
emailAddress,
role: role || 'org:member',
inviterUserId: userId!,
})
return Response.json({ invitation: { id: invitation.id, emailAddress, role } })
}// lib/org-roles.ts — manage roles and permissions via API (released Nov 2025)
import { clerkClient } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'
export async function createCustomRole(orgId: string) {
const client = await clerkClient()
// Create a custom permission
await client.organizations.createOrganizationPermission({
organizationId: orgId,
name: 'Manage reports',
key: 'org:reports:manage',
description: 'Create, edit, and delete reports',
})
// Create a custom role with that permission
await client.organizations.createOrganizationRole({
organizationId: orgId,
name: 'Report Manager',
key: 'org:report_manager',
description: 'Can manage all reports',
permissions: ['org:reports:manage', 'org:data:read'],
})
}
// Update a member's role
export async function updateMemberRole(
orgId: string,
userId: string,
newRole: string
) {
const client = await clerkClient()
const memberships = await client.organizations.getOrganizationMembershipList({
organizationId: orgId,
})
const membership = memberships.data.find(
m => m.publicUserData?.userId === userId
)
if (!membership) throw new Error('User is not a member of this organization')
await client.organizations.updateOrganizationMembership({
organizationId: orgId,
userId,
role: newRole,
})
}Configure in Clerk Dashboard > SSO Connections > Add SAML Connection:
https://<your-clerk-frontend-api>.clerk.accounts.dev/v1/saml/acshttps://<your-clerk-frontend-api>.clerk.accounts.dev/v1/saml/metadataemail, firstName, lastName// Enforce SSO for specific email domains
// Clerk Dashboard > Organizations > Settings > "Verified domains"
// Add your company domain (e.g., acme.com)
// Users with @acme.com emails will be forced through SSO| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
orgId is null | No active organization | Redirect to org selector, show <OrganizationSwitcher /> |
has() returns false | Role/permission not assigned | Check assignment in Dashboard > Organizations > Members |
| Permission denied on middleware | User lacks required role | Verify route matcher maps to correct role |
| SSO login fails | Misconfigured IdP metadata | Verify ACS URL and Entity ID in IdP settings |
| Invitation fails | Email already a member | Check membership before inviting |
| Custom role not visible | Created via API, not Dashboard | Roles created via API are org-scoped, not instance-wide |
WHERE org_id = :orgId)org_id, org_role, and org_permissions -- available in middleware without API callsorg:sys_* system permissions (sys_memberships:manage, sys_memberships:read, sys_domains:manage) for built-in org management actionsProceed to clerk-migration-deep-dive for auth provider migration.
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