trails/openspec/specs/authentication-methods/spec.md

authentication-methods Specification

Purpose

The credentials a user can authenticate with on the Journal: passkeys (WebAuthn) and email magic links / 6-digit codes. Covers registration, login, adding a passkey to an existing account, and the UX toggle on the register/login forms that lets users pick the method that works in their browser. Session management, terms acceptance, and the cookie session cookie itself live in journal-auth — this spec only covers what proves identity.

Requirements

Requirement: Passkey-based registration

The Journal SHALL support WebAuthn passkey registration as the primary auth method when the browser advertises browserSupportsWebAuthn(). Registration SHALL create the user row, generate a credential, and start a session in one HTTP round-trip pair (step: "start" followed by step: "finish").

Scenario: Browser supports WebAuthn

• WHEN a visitor completes the Register form with a browser that supports WebAuthn
• THEN the form prompts for a passkey, the credential is stored in credentials, the users row is created with terms_version and terms_accepted_at, and a session cookie is issued

Scenario: Browser does not support WebAuthn

• WHEN the browser reports browserSupportsWebAuthn() === false
• THEN the Register form auto-switches to the magic-link/code path; the passkey button is not rendered

Requirement: Magic link + 6-digit code registration

The Journal SHALL support a passwordless registration alternative: the user submits email + username, the server creates the account and a 15-minute magic token (with both a click-through link and a 6-digit code), and the user verifies through either path. Used in production over real email; in development the link/code is logged to the server console ([Register Magic Link] ...) so the dev can test without a mail transport.

Scenario: Production register-magic-link flow

• WHEN a visitor submits the Register form with step: "register-magic-link" in production
• THEN the server inserts the user row, creates a magic_tokens row with both token and code, sends the email (link + 6-digit code), and the form renders a "check your email" confirmation

Scenario: Dev register-magic-link flow

• WHEN the same flow runs with NODE_ENV !== "production"
• THEN the server logs [Register Magic Link] <email>: <link> (code: <code>) to stdout instead of sending email, and the API response includes both devLink and code so the dev can paste either

Scenario: Verify via 6-digit code on registration

• WHEN the new user enters the 6-digit code on the post-submit form
• THEN POST /api/auth/login { step: "verify-code", email, code } validates against the same magic_tokens row (default purpose = "login"), marks it used, and starts a session — registration and first login share the verify-code endpoint

Scenario: Verify via click-through link

• WHEN the user clicks the link delivered to their inbox (or to the dev console)
• THEN /auth/verify?token=... validates the same row, marks it used, and starts a session

Requirement: Passkey login

The Journal SHALL support WebAuthn passkey login on /auth/login. The page SHALL default to the passkey method when browserSupportsWebAuthn() returns true; otherwise it SHALL pre-select the magic-link method.

Scenario: Passkey login on a browser with a registered credential

• WHEN a returning user clicks "Sign in with passkey" on a browser that already holds the credential
• THEN WebAuthn authentication completes, the matching credentials row is verified, and a session cookie is issued

Scenario: Passkey not found locally

• WHEN the browser does not present any matching credential during the WebAuthn ceremony
• THEN the login page surfaces the auth.passkeyNotFound error and the user can switch to the magic-link/code flow

Requirement: Magic link + code login

The Journal SHALL support email-based login as the universal fallback. The login form SHALL include a "Use magic link instead" toggle (for users with WebAuthn but no local credential), which surfaces an email-only form; submitting it sends a magic link (production) or surfaces devLink + code (dev), and a 6-digit code form lets the user paste the code instead of clicking the link.

Scenario: Send magic link

• WHEN a registered user submits their email under step: "magic-link"
• THEN a magic_tokens row is created with both token and code, and either the email is sent (prod) or devLink + code are returned (dev) plus [Magic Link] <email>: <link> (code: <code>) is logged to stdout

Scenario: Verify via 6-digit code

• WHEN the user submits step: "verify-code" with the email and the 6-digit code
• THEN the matching magic_tokens row is validated (not expired, not used), marked used, and a session cookie is issued

Scenario: Magic-link-only browser routes through magic-link mode

• WHEN the login page detects browserSupportsWebAuthn() === false
• THEN the page auto-selects magic-link mode and does not render the passkey button

Requirement: Method-toggle UX on register and login

The register form and the login form SHALL both render a small text toggle that lets the user manually switch between passkey and magic-link mode when both are available, mirroring the same UX on both surfaces.

Scenario: Toggle on register

• WHEN a passkey-capable browser visits /auth/register
• THEN the form starts in passkey mode and renders a "Use magic link instead" link below the submit button; clicking it switches the form to the magic-link path

Scenario: Toggle on login

• WHEN a passkey-capable browser visits /auth/login
• THEN the form starts in passkey mode and renders the same toggle to switch to magic-link mode

Requirement: Add passkey to an existing account

A signed-in user SHALL be able to add an additional passkey to their account from the settings page (or from the post-login /?add-passkey=1 prompt). The flow SHALL reuse the WebAuthn registration ceremony but bind the credential to the existing users.id rather than creating a new account.

Scenario: Add passkey from settings

• WHEN a signed-in user clicks "Add passkey" in settings
• THEN a WebAuthn registration ceremony runs against the existing user id and a new row is inserted in credentials linked to that user

Scenario: Post-login add-passkey nudge

• WHEN a user has just verified via magic-link/code and lands on /?add-passkey=1
• THEN the home page surfaces an "Add a passkey for faster sign-in" prompt; if dismissed it does not re-appear automatically

Requirement: Passkey deletion

A signed-in user SHALL be able to remove a passkey from their account via the settings page. The Journal SHALL prevent deletion of the user's last remaining passkey if no alternative auth method (a verified email for magic-link login) is available, to avoid lock-out.

Scenario: Delete one of multiple passkeys

• WHEN a user with 2+ passkeys removes one via /api/settings/passkey/delete
• THEN the matching credentials row is deleted; remaining passkeys stay valid

Scenario: Last-passkey safety net (verified email is the fallback)

• WHEN a user attempts to delete their only remaining passkey
• THEN the action proceeds because magic-link login by email is always available — passkey deletion does not lock the user out