MFA Errors - Auth0 Next.js SDK

Overview

MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) errors are thrown during MFA enrollment, challenge, and verification operations. All MFA error classes extend from SdkError and follow the Auth0 API error format with error and error_description properties.

MFA errors support both direct SDK consumption and HTTP API route usage via automatic toJSON() serialization.

Error Response Format

All MFA errors follow the Auth0 MFA API error response format:

interface MfaApiErrorResponse {
  error: string;
  error_description: string;
  message?: string;
}

InvalidRequestError

Thrown when MFA request validation fails due to missing or invalid parameters.

Properties

code

string

required

Always "invalid_request"

message

string

required

Description of the validation failure.

When Thrown

Missing required parameters (mfaToken, otp, authenticatorId, etc.)
Invalid parameter formats or values
Parameter type mismatches

Example

import { mfa } from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0/server';

try {
  await mfa.verify({
    mfaToken: '', // Empty token
    otp: '123456'
  });
} catch (error) {
  if (error && typeof error === 'object' && 'code' in error) {
    if (error.code === 'invalid_request') {
      return Response.json(error, { status: 400 });
    }
  }
}

MfaGetAuthenticatorsError

Thrown when listing MFA authenticators fails.

Properties

error

string

required

Auth0 error code (e.g., "invalid_token", "expired_token").

error_description

string

required

Human-readable error description from Auth0.

code

string

required

Same as error property. Use this for programmatic error handling.

cause

MfaApiErrorResponse | undefined

The original Auth0 API error response.

When Thrown

Invalid or expired MFA token
MFA token doesn’t belong to the current session
Network errors communicating with Auth0

Example

import { mfa, MfaGetAuthenticatorsError } from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0/server';

export async function GET(request: Request) {
  const { searchParams } = new URL(request.url);
  const mfaToken = searchParams.get('mfaToken');

  try {
    const authenticators = await mfa.getAuthenticators({ mfaToken });
    return Response.json(authenticators);
  } catch (error) {
    if (error instanceof MfaGetAuthenticatorsError) {
      console.error('Error code:', error.code);
      console.error('Description:', error.error_description);
      
      if (error.cause) {
        console.error('Original error:', error.cause);
      }
      
      return Response.json(error, { status: 400 });
    }
    throw error;
  }
}

MfaChallengeError

Thrown when initiating an MFA challenge fails.

Properties

error

string

required

Auth0 error code (e.g., "invalid_authenticator_id", "unsupported_challenge_type").

error_description

string

required

Human-readable error description from Auth0.

code

string

required

Same as error property. Use this for programmatic error handling.

cause

MfaApiErrorResponse | undefined

The original Auth0 API error response.

When Thrown

Invalid or expired MFA token
Authenticator ID not found or not active
Challenge type not supported for the authenticator
User doesn’t own the authenticator

Example

import { mfa, MfaChallengeError } from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0/server';

export async function POST(request: Request) {
  const { mfaToken, challengeType, authenticatorId } = await request.json();

  try {
    const challenge = await mfa.challenge({
      mfaToken,
      challengeType: 'oob',
      authenticatorId: 'sms|dev_abc123'
    });
    return Response.json(challenge);
  } catch (error) {
    if (error instanceof MfaChallengeError) {
      if (error.cause?.error === 'invalid_authenticator_id') {
        console.error('Authenticator not found or not active');
      }
      return Response.json(error, { status: 400 });
    }
    throw error;
  }
}

MfaVerifyError

Thrown when MFA verification fails.

Properties

error

string

required

Auth0 error code (e.g., "invalid_grant", "invalid_otp").

error_description

string

required

Human-readable error description from Auth0.

code

string

required

Same as error property. Use this for programmatic error handling.

cause

MfaApiErrorResponse | undefined

The original Auth0 API error response.

When Thrown

Invalid or expired verification code
Wrong OTP entered
Too many verification attempts
Expired MFA token

Example

import { mfa, MfaVerifyError } from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0/server';

export async function POST(request: Request) {
  const { mfaToken, otp } = await request.json();

  try {
    const result = await mfa.verify({
      mfaToken,
      otp: '123456'
    });
    return Response.json(result);
  } catch (error) {
    if (error instanceof MfaVerifyError) {
      if (error.cause?.error === 'invalid_grant') {
        console.error('Invalid or expired verification code');
      }
      return Response.json(error, { status: 400 });
    }
    throw error;
  }
}

MfaNoAvailableFactorsError

SDK-generated error thrown when no MFA factors are available for challenge. This error has no Auth0 API equivalent.

Properties

code

string

required

Always "mfa_no_available_factors"

error

string

required

Always "mfa_no_available_factors"

error_description

string

required

Description of why no factors are available.

When Thrown

User has no enrolled authenticators
All authenticators are inactive or unavailable
Challenge type requested has no matching authenticators

Example

import { mfa, MfaNoAvailableFactorsError } from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0/server';

try {
  const authenticators = await mfa.getAuthenticators({ mfaToken });
  
  if (authenticators.length === 0) {
    throw new MfaNoAvailableFactorsError(
      'No MFA authenticators enrolled. Please enroll an authenticator first.'
    );
  }
} catch (error) {
  if (error && typeof error === 'object' && 'code' in error) {
    if (error.code === 'mfa_no_available_factors') {
      // Redirect to enrollment
      redirect('/mfa/enroll');
    }
  }
}

MfaEnrollmentError

Thrown when MFA enrollment fails.

Properties

error

string

required

Auth0 error code (e.g., "unsupported_challenge_type", "invalid_token").

error_description

string

required

Human-readable error description from Auth0.

code

string

required

Same as error property. Use this for programmatic error handling.

cause

MfaApiErrorResponse | undefined

The original Auth0 API error response.

When Thrown

Unsupported authenticator type for the tenant
Invalid MFA token
Enrollment already exists
Maximum authenticators reached

Example

import { mfa, MfaEnrollmentError } from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0/server';

export async function POST(request: Request) {
  const { mfaToken, authenticatorTypes } = await request.json();

  try {
    const enrollment = await mfa.enroll({
      mfaToken,
      authenticatorTypes: ['otp']
    });
    return Response.json(enrollment);
  } catch (error) {
    if (error instanceof MfaEnrollmentError) {
      if (error.cause?.error === 'unsupported_challenge_type') {
        console.error('Tenant does not support OTP enrollment');
      }
      return Response.json(error, { status: 400 });
    }
    throw error;
  }
}

MfaRequiredError

Thrown when getAccessToken() requires MFA step-up authentication. This error is returned during token refresh when Auth0 indicates that MFA is required.

Properties

code

string

required

Always "mfa_required"

error

string

required

Always "mfa_required"

error_description

string

required

Error description from Auth0.

mfa_token

string

required

Encrypted MFA token to pass to MFA API methods. This token is encrypted using the SDK’s cookie secret for security.

mfa_requirements

MfaRequirements | undefined

MFA requirements indicating available challenge/enrollment methods.

cause

Error | undefined

The underlying error that caused this MFA requirement.

MfaRequirements Type

interface MfaRequirements {
  /** Required enrollment types (user needs to enroll new authenticator) */
  enroll?: Array<{ type: string }>;
  /** Available challenge types (existing authenticators) */
  challenge?: Array<{ type: string }>;
}

When Thrown

Access token refresh requires MFA step-up
Tenant has MFA policies requiring additional authentication
High-risk actions require MFA verification

Example

import { getAccessToken, MfaRequiredError } from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0/server';

export async function GET(request: Request) {
  try {
    const { accessToken } = await getAccessToken({
      audience: 'https://api.example.com'
    });
    
    return Response.json({ accessToken });
  } catch (error) {
    if (error instanceof MfaRequiredError) {
      // MFA step-up required
      console.log('MFA token:', error.mfa_token);
      console.log('Requirements:', error.mfa_requirements);
      
      // Redirect to MFA challenge page
      redirect(`/mfa/challenge?token=${encodeURIComponent(error.mfa_token)}`);
    }
    throw error;
  }
}

Complete MFA Step-Up Flow

import { 
  getAccessToken, 
  mfa,
  MfaRequiredError,
  MfaVerifyError 
} from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0/server';

// Step 1: Attempt to get access token
try {
  const { accessToken } = await getAccessToken({
    audience: 'https://api.example.com'
  });
  // Use accessToken...
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof MfaRequiredError) {
    // Step 2: Store mfa_token and redirect to MFA page
    const mfaToken = error.mfa_token;
    redirect(`/mfa?token=${encodeURIComponent(mfaToken)}`);
  }
}

// Step 3: On MFA page, get authenticators
const authenticators = await mfa.getAuthenticators({ mfaToken });

// Step 4: Challenge the authenticator
await mfa.challenge({
  mfaToken,
  challengeType: 'oob',
  authenticatorId: authenticators[0].id
});

// Step 5: Verify the OTP
try {
  await mfa.verify({
    mfaToken,
    otp: userEnteredCode
  });
  // MFA complete, redirect back to original request
  redirect('/api/protected-resource');
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof MfaVerifyError) {
    // Invalid code, let user retry
    console.error('Invalid verification code');
  }
}

MfaTokenExpiredError

Thrown when MFA API methods are called but the encrypted mfa_token has expired or the session context no longer exists.

Properties

code

string

required

Always "mfa_token_expired"

message

string

required

“MFA token has expired. Please restart the MFA flow.”

When Thrown

The session expired between catching MfaRequiredError and calling MFA methods
The MFA context was cleaned up due to TTL expiration
Too much time passed between MFA steps

Example

import { mfa, MfaTokenExpiredError } from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0/server';

try {
  await mfa.verify({ mfaToken, otp: code });
} catch (error) {
  if (error && typeof error === 'object' && 'code' in error) {
    if (error.code === 'mfa_token_expired') {
      // Restart MFA flow - context was lost
      redirect('/auth/login?prompt=mfa');
    }
  }
}

MfaTokenInvalidError

Thrown when the encrypted mfa_token is invalid or tampered with.

Properties

code

string

required

Always "mfa_token_invalid"

message

string

required

“MFA token is invalid.”

When Thrown

The token was tampered with
The token is malformed (not valid JWE)
The token was encrypted with a different secret
The token doesn’t belong to the current session

Example

import { mfa, MfaTokenInvalidError } from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0/server';

try {
  const authenticators = await mfa.getAuthenticators({ 
    mfaToken: tamperedToken 
  });
} catch (error) {
  if (error && typeof error === 'object' && 'code' in error) {
    if (error.code === 'mfa_token_invalid') {
      // Token is invalid or tampered
      console.error('Invalid MFA token. Restart authentication.');
      redirect('/auth/login');
    }
  }
}

Error Handling Best Practices

Catching Errors in API Routes

MFA errors serialize automatically for HTTP responses:

import { mfa } from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0/server';

export async function POST(request: Request) {
  try {
    const { mfaToken, otp } = await request.json();
    const result = await mfa.verify({ mfaToken, otp });
    return Response.json(result);
  } catch (error) {
    // MFA errors automatically serialize to Auth0 API format
    if (error && typeof error === 'object' && 'error' in error) {
      return Response.json(error, { status: 400 });
    }
    return Response.json(
      { error: 'internal_error', error_description: 'An unexpected error occurred' },
      { status: 500 }
    );
  }
}

Catching by Error Code

try {
  await mfa.verify({ mfaToken, otp });
} catch (error) {
  if (error && typeof error === 'object' && 'code' in error) {
    switch (error.code) {
      case 'invalid_request':
        console.error('Validation error:', error.message);
        break;
      case 'mfa_token_expired':
        redirect('/auth/login');
        break;
      case 'mfa_token_invalid':
        redirect('/auth/login');
        break;
      default:
        // Handle MFA API errors by checking error.error
        if ('error' in error) {
          console.error('MFA API error:', error.error);
        }
    }
  }
}

Common MFA Error Codes from Auth0

Error Code	Description	Recovery Action
`invalid_token`	MFA token is invalid or expired	Restart authentication flow
`expired_token`	MFA token has expired	Restart authentication flow
`invalid_grant`	Invalid verification code or OTP	Prompt user to re-enter code
`invalid_authenticator_id`	Authenticator not found or inactive	Show list of available authenticators
`unsupported_challenge_type`	Challenge type not supported	Use a different authenticator type
`invalid_otp`	One-time password is incorrect	Allow user to retry
`too_many_attempts`	Too many failed verification attempts	Implement rate limiting or cooldown

SdkError - Base error class
OAuth Errors - OAuth 2.0 related errors
Auth0 MFA API Documentation

Client

Server

Errors

Types

​Overview

​Error Response Format

​InvalidRequestError

​Properties

​When Thrown

​Example

​MfaGetAuthenticatorsError

​Properties

​When Thrown

​Example

​MfaChallengeError

​Properties

​When Thrown

​Example

​MfaVerifyError

​Properties

​When Thrown

​Example

​MfaNoAvailableFactorsError

​Properties

​When Thrown

​Example

​MfaEnrollmentError

​Properties

​When Thrown

​Example

​MfaRequiredError

​Properties

​MfaRequirements Type

​When Thrown

​Example

​Complete MFA Step-Up Flow

​MfaTokenExpiredError

​Properties

​When Thrown

​Example

​MfaTokenInvalidError

​Properties

​When Thrown

​Example

​Error Handling Best Practices

​Catching Errors in API Routes

​Catching by Error Code

​Common MFA Error Codes from Auth0

​Related

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Error Response Format

InvalidRequestError

Properties

When Thrown

Example

MfaGetAuthenticatorsError

Properties

When Thrown

Example

MfaChallengeError

Properties

When Thrown

Example

MfaVerifyError

Properties

When Thrown

Example

MfaNoAvailableFactorsError

Properties

When Thrown

Example

MfaEnrollmentError

Properties

When Thrown

Example

MfaRequiredError

Properties

MfaRequirements Type

When Thrown

Example

Complete MFA Step-Up Flow

MfaTokenExpiredError

Properties

When Thrown

Example

MfaTokenInvalidError

Properties

When Thrown

Example

Error Handling Best Practices

Catching Errors in API Routes

Catching by Error Code

Common MFA Error Codes from Auth0

Related