msal-extensions
Microsoft Authentication Library extensions (MSAL EX) provides a persistence API that can save your data on disk, encrypted on Windows, macOS and Linux. Concurrent data access will be coordinated by a file lock mechanism.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you are building a desktop or client application with MSAL Python and need secure token persistence. The library handles platform-specific encryption transparently and integrates seamlessly with msal. However, note that the last release was 518 days ago (aging maintenance), so verify that the current version meets your msal compatibility requirements. Not suitable for web applications.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires msal as a runtime dependency; encryption support depends on platform-specific system libraries (DPAPI on Windows, Keychain on macOS, LibSecret on Linux).
- Low install friction with a single pure-Python dependency (msal).
- Maintenance status is aging—last release was 518 days ago, though the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2025-09-10.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT License (permissive) — MIT License permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
last release 2025-03-14 (518 days) · last repo commit 2025-09-10 · 45 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 166,408,976 downloads/mo, #251 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install msal-extensions
from msal_extensions import PersistedTokenCache, FilePersistence
import msal
persistence = FilePersistence("token_cache.bin")
cache = PersistedTokenCache(persistence)
app = msal.PublicClientApplication("client_id", token_cache=cache)- Whether LibSecret, Keychain, or DPAPI are automatically available or require separate installation on each platform.
- Performance characteristics when used with high-frequency token access patterns.
- Compatibility with msal versions beyond what the fact sheet specifies.
What it is and what it does
msal-extensions extends the Microsoft Authentication Library for Python by adding secure, persistent token cache storage across Windows, macOS, and Linux. It wraps platform-native encryption (DPAPI, Keychain, LibSecret) to save authentication tokens to disk with automatic file locking and reload behavior, eliminating the need for developers to implement their own cross-platform persistence layer.
The library is designed for desktop and client applications that need to cache tokens between sessions. It provides a PersistedTokenCache class that integrates directly with MSAL's PublicClientApplication, and also offers a lower-level persistence API for storing arbitrary encrypted data. The documentation explicitly recommends it only for public client applications like desktop apps, not for web services where session-based caching is preferred.
Use it for
- Desktop applications using Azure AD authentication that need to cache tokens securely across application restarts.
- Cross-platform CLI tools requiring persistent authentication without re-prompting users on each invocation.
- Client applications storing sensitive configuration or secrets alongside authentication tokens using the generic persistence API.
- Fallback scenarios where encrypted storage is preferred but graceful degradation to plaintext is acceptable.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you are building a desktop or client application with MSAL Python and need secure token persistence.
The library handles platform-specific encryption transparently and integrates seamlessly with msal. However, note that the last release was 518 days ago (aging maintenance), so verify that the current version meets your msal compatibility requirements. Not suitable for web applications.
Install
msal-extensions on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single pure-Python dependency (msal). Maintenance status is aging—last release was 518 days ago, though the repository remains active with a recent commit on 2025-09-10.
Requires msal as a runtime dependency; encryption support depends on platform-specific system libraries (DPAPI on Windows, Keychain on macOS, LibSecret on Linux).
License in practice
MIT License permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
Quickstart
pip install msal-extensions
from msal_extensions import PersistedTokenCache, FilePersistence
import msal
persistence = FilePersistence("token_cache.bin")
cache = PersistedTokenCache(persistence)
app = msal.PublicClientApplication("client_id", token_cache=cache)Verify before relying
- Whether LibSecret, Keychain, or DPAPI are automatically available or require separate installation on each platform.
- Performance characteristics when used with high-frequency token access patterns.
- Compatibility with msal versions beyond what the fact sheet specifies.
Package facts
| License | MIT License permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagemsal |
| Maintenance | Aging 518 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 166,408,976 / month, #251 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9 |
Evidence: msal_extensions-1.3.1-py3-none-any.whl
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See also msal · adal · microsoft-kiota-authentication-azure · azure-mgmt-core · identity · microsoft-agents-authentication-msal · streamlit-msal · keyring · redis-entraid · azure-identity-broker