OAuth scopes management in SQL*Plus

OAuth scopes management in SQL*Plus is not guesswork. It’s deliberate, declarative, and auditable. Scopes define the boundaries for what tokens can do, and in SQL*Plus, they can be stored, queried, and updated with speed. This is your layer of control before the first request ever hits your backend.

Start by creating a table to map clients to scopes. Use VARCHAR for scope identifiers, and reference your OAuth client IDs directly. Example:

CREATE TABLE oauth_scopes (
 client_id VARCHAR2(50) NOT NULL,
 scope_name VARCHAR2(100) NOT NULL,
 PRIMARY KEY (client_id, scope_name)
);

With this schema in place, insert a new scope like this:

INSERT INTO oauth_scopes (client_id, scope_name)
VALUES ('service_client_01', 'read:data');

COMMIT; locks it in. No scope is active until it’s committed in SQL*Plus.

To manage scopes, query them:

SELECT scope_name
FROM oauth_scopes
WHERE client_id = 'service_client_01';

Update scopes in controlled steps. Drop a scope with:

DELETE FROM oauth_scopes
WHERE client_id = 'service_client_01'
AND scope_name = 'read:data';
COMMIT;

This model ensures OAuth tokens can only request scopes defined in the database, and that changes require explicit commands. By integrating scope management directly in SQL*Plus, you combine authentication rules with the same source-of-truth system that holds your core app data.

Tight control over OAuth scopes prevents privilege creep and limits blast radius in security incidents. Auditing is straightforward—every insert, delete, and commit leaves a trace in the transaction log.

If you need to see this principle applied in a running, modern stack, check out hoop.dev. You can configure, test, and ship OAuth scopes management live in minutes.