Okta + PagerDuty integration
Set up Okta as the identity provider for PagerDuty via SAML + SCIM — with SCIM provisioning into PagerDuty teams + on-call schedules.
- Okta admin
- PagerDuty Owner / Account Owner role
- PagerDuty Business+ plan
1. Create a new SAML 2.0 application in Okta
In the Okta admin console, create a new SAML 2.0 application. Choose "Web Application" type. Note the placeholders for ACS URL + Entity ID — you'll get these from PagerDuty in step 3.
2. Get the SAML metadata URL from Okta
Okta exposes the IdP metadata at a stable URL. Copy this URL — you'll paste it into PagerDuty's SSO configuration. Alternatively, download the metadata XML if PagerDuty doesn't support URL-based metadata.
3. Configure SSO in PagerDuty
In PagerDuty's admin → security → SSO settings, paste the Okta metadata URL (or upload the XML). PagerDuty will display the ACS URL + Entity ID it expects — copy these.
4. Return to Okta + complete the SAML app config
Paste PagerDuty's ACS URL into the Okta app's Single Sign-On URL field. Paste the Entity ID into the Audience URI field. Set the NameID format to EmailAddress (or persistent if PagerDuty expects that).
5. Configure attribute mapping
Map the attributes the SP expects (see the Attribute Mapping section below). At minimum, email is required. Most apps also expect firstName + lastName.
6. Assign users + groups
In Okta, assign the SAML app to users or groups that should have access. Test with a pilot group before broad rollout.
7. Test end-to-end
Sign in to PagerDuty via the IdP-initiated link (from Okta dashboard) AND via SP-initiated (direct PagerDuty login URL). Both should work. Check the SAML Tracer browser extension or SAML decoder to inspect the assertion if anything fails.
What flows from where.
| Source (Okta) | Target (PagerDuty) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| user.email | NameID | — |
| user.email | — | |
| user.firstName + lastName | name | — |
| user.phone | phone | — |
- Clock skew: Okta and PagerDuty clocks must be within ~5 minutes. NTP-sync both. SAML's NotBefore + NotOnOrAfter are strict.
- NameID format mismatches are the most common failure. PagerDuty typically wants EmailAddress; Okta defaults vary. Mismatch → cryptic "invalid assertion" errors.
- Just-in-time (JIT) provisioning vs SCIM: many apps support both. SAML JIT creates the user on first SSO; SCIM creates them ahead of time. Pick one — both can cause attribute drift.
- Audience restriction: PagerDuty's expected Audience URI must match exactly what the IdP sends. Trailing slashes + protocol (http vs https) matter.
- Signed Response vs signed Assertion: many SPs require the Assertion to be signed (not just the Response envelope). Check the SP's docs.
- PagerDuty SCIM doesn't handle on-call schedule membership — only basic user + team membership. Schedule assignment is manual or API.
- Phone numbers + escalation contact info must round-trip cleanly for paging to work.
- Free / Starter plans don't support SCIM; SAML is in Business+.
- IdP-initiated SSO works (sign in from the IdP dashboard)
- SP-initiated SSO works (visit PagerDuty directly + get redirected to IdP)
- User attributes flow through correctly (email, name, groups)
- Logout (single logout if supported) works as expected
- Step-up MFA fires when policy requires it
- Unauthorized users (not assigned to the app) get a clean denied message
- Capture a successful SAML response and inspect it (use the SAML decoder tool)
For the latest vendor-side configuration changes, refer to:
PagerDuty SAML + SCIM →