Auth - Attribute

Identify users by passing identity as data-* attributes on the widget loader script tag. No backend required.

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-email="user@example.com"
  data-api-url="https://prod-widgets.returning.ai"
  data-widget-url="https://prod-widgets.returning.ai/custom-widget"
></script>

Common attributes

Attribute	Description
data-email	User email address. The most common identifier.
data-user-id	Your internal user ID.
data-firstname	User first name.
data-lastname	User last name.

Security through stacking

The more attributes you include, the harder it is for someone to spoof the identity. Stack email + userId + custom fields for stronger identification.

<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-email="user@example.com"
  data-user-id="USR-9a3f2b"
  data-firstname="Jane"
  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.email = user.email;
script.dataset.userId = user.id;
script.dataset.firstname = user.firstName;
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 to add layers of identity verification.

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