Auth - Attribute

Identify users by passing identity as data-* attributes on the widget loader script tag. No backend required, but the identifier remains visible in the browser.

How it works

Add user identity fields as data-* attributes on the widget loader script tag. The loader reads these attributes and uses them to identify the user with Returning.AI.

<script
  src="https://prod-widgets.returning.ai/widget-loader.js"
  data-widget-id="YOUR_WIDGET_ID"
  data-widget-type="custom"
  data-container="returning-ai-widget-YOUR_WIDGET_ID"
  data-customer-id="CUST-10482"
  data-api-url="https://prod-widgets.returning.ai"
  data-widget-url="https://prod-widgets.returning.ai/custom-widget"
></script>

Common attributes

Attribute	Description
data-customer-id	Preferred stable broker-owned customer ID.
data-user-id	Fallback internal user ID if that field already exists in your platform.
data-email	Use only if email is already your canonical identifier and you do not have a better stable ID.
data-firstname / data-lastname	Optional display fields. Do not treat names as your primary identifier.

Legacy fallback guidance

If you do not have a backend, prefer a stable broker-owned identifier like data-customer-id. In most integrations, one stable identifier is enough. Only add a second identifier if your registration setup explicitly relies on it. This mode still exposes identity in the browser.

<script
  src="https://prod-widgets.returning.ai/widget-loader.js"
  data-widget-id="YOUR_WIDGET_ID"
  data-widget-type="custom"
  data-container="returning-ai-widget-YOUR_WIDGET_ID"
  data-customer-id="CUST-10482"
  data-custom-tier="gold"
  data-theme="dark"
  data-api-url="https://prod-widgets.returning.ai"
  data-widget-url="https://prod-widgets.returning.ai/custom-widget"
></script>

Dynamic attribute building

If your user data is available in JavaScript, build the script tag dynamically:

// Build the widget loader script tag dynamically
const script = document.createElement('script');
script.src = 'https://prod-widgets.returning.ai/widget-loader.js';
script.dataset.widgetId = 'YOUR_WIDGET_ID';
script.dataset.widgetType = 'custom';
script.dataset.container = 'returning-ai-widget-YOUR_WIDGET_ID';
script.dataset.customerId = user.customerId;
script.dataset.apiUrl = 'https://prod-widgets.returning.ai';
script.dataset.widgetUrl = 'https://prod-widgets.returning.ai/custom-widget';

document.getElementById('widget-container').appendChild(script);

When to use

CMS platforms where you can template user data into the script tag.
Static sites with known users.
Quick prototyping before implementing Access Key Embed.

Custom attributes

Any field that exists on both the client side and the Returning.AI platform can be passed as a data-* attribute. Custom fields can be created in the admin panel so you can use a broker-owned identifier like data-customer-id instead of email.

Need server-verified identity? Use the Widget SDK with Access Key Embed for server-verified authentication.