InvalidAuthenticationTokenTenant
Azure Resource Manager returns `InvalidAuthenticationTokenTenant` when the access token was issued by a tenant that does not match the target subscription tenant.
Last reviewed: February 1, 2026|Editorial standard: source-backed technical guidance
What Does Invalid Authentication Token Tenant Mean?
ARM rejects the request before resource evaluation, so deployments and management operations fail until token tenant identity matches the subscription context.
Common Causes
- -Client app requests token from the wrong Microsoft Entra tenant authority URL.
- -Service connection is bound to a different tenant than the subscription being targeted.
- -Multi-tenant automation uses cached token from a previous tenant context.
- -Interactive login account switched tenant, but CLI/SDK context did not refresh.
How to Fix Invalid Authentication Token Tenant
- 1Verify subscription tenant in Azure portal or CLI and compare it with token
tidclaim. - 2Request a fresh token from the correct tenant authority, then replay the same ARM call.
- 3Re-authenticate Azure CLI or service principal using the subscription's home tenant.
- 4Pin tenant and subscription IDs explicitly in deployment configuration.
Step-by-Step Diagnosis for Invalid Authentication Token Tenant
- 1Capture the failing ARM request ID and decode the bearer token claims (
tid,aud,iss). - 2Run
az account showand verify current tenant/subscription pair matches target scope. - 3Trace CI/CD service connection metadata to confirm tenant ID alignment.
- 4Retest with a newly issued token from the corrected tenant authority endpoint.
Tenant and Token Issuer Alignment
- -Compare token tenant claim with subscription tenant binding (example: token
tidpoints to tenant A while subscription belongs to tenant B). - -Validate authority URL used during token acquisition (example:
login.microsoftonline.com/<wrong-tenant-id>in pipeline secret store).
Cross-Tenant Automation Context Checks
- -Inspect deployment service connection or federated credential tenant assignment (example: GitHub OIDC app trusts a different tenant than target subscription).
- -Purge stale token caches and force re-authentication (example: long-lived agent reuses cached token after tenant switch).
How to Verify the Fix
- -Replay the identical ARM request and confirm
InvalidAuthenticationTokenTenantno longer returns. - -Validate subsequent ARM read and write operations succeed in the same tenant context.
- -Confirm Activity Log entries show expected caller tenant and subscription pairing.
How to Prevent Recurrence
- -Store tenant ID and subscription ID as immutable deployment inputs, not optional defaults.
- -Add preflight tenant/subscription assertion checks before every ARM deployment stage.
- -Rotate and refresh tokens per environment boundary to avoid cross-tenant cache bleed.
Pro Tip
- -decode and log token
tidplusaudin non-production preflight checks to catch tenant drift before any ARM mutation runs.
Decision Support
Compare Guide
401 Unauthorized vs 403 Forbidden: Auth vs Access Denied
Fix 401 Unauthorized vs 403 Forbidden by separating authentication failures from authorization denials, then apply the right login or permission fix fast.
Playbook
Auth Incident Playbook (401 / UNAUTHENTICATED)
Use this playbook to separate missing, expired, or invalid identity proof from authorization and transport failures, and apply credential-source-correct fixes safely.
Official References
Provider Context
This guidance is specific to Azure services. Always validate implementation details against official provider documentation before deploying to production.