Harmonic Authenticator for Claris Studio

Most FileMaker shops already manage users in-house. But if you want those users in Claris Studio, your options are limited: migrate everyone to Okta, pay per-user fees, or train staff on a new system. HACS is our answer. It turns your FileMaker user table into an external identity provider for Studio. Your users authenticate with credentials they already know, and you manage everything in one place. We've built a working prototype and we're gathering feedback.

“Why can’t I just use my FileMaker accounts with Claris Studio?”

This is the question FileMaker developers keep asking..
…and HACS is our answer. It lets your FileMaker users authenticate in Claris Studio using credentials they already have. No new identity system to maintain, no per-user fees to a third party.
Here’s how it works: HACS sits between FileMaker and Studio. It authenticates users through the FileMaker Data API, then hands Studio the OIDC tokens it expects. Your users log in once. Studio gets what it needs, and you don’t pay extra.

Setup (3 easy steps)

  1. Point HACS at your FileMaker file
     Tell HACS which file has your user accounts (most solutions already have a user table).
  2. Connect HACS to Claris Studio
     Copy the client credentials between HACS and Studio’s external identity provider settings. Same setup you’d do with any external IDP.
  3. Users authenticate
     When someone accesses a Studio view, they log in with their FileMaker credentials. HACS verifies them against FileMaker, Studio gets confirmation through OIDC, and they’re in.

HACS makes sense if:

  • You have a FileMaker solution with established user accounts
  • You want to use Claris Studio without creating a separate identity system
  • You need to control Studio access using your existing FileMaker privilege structure
  • You want to avoid per-user licensing costs from third-party identity providers
  • You’re comfortable with basic FileMaker Data API configuration

HACS might not be right if:

  • You don’t have FileMaker user accounts yet (Studio’s anonymous forms or a standard external IDP might work better)
  • Your users are already in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or another enterprise directory (just use that)
  • You need thousands of concurrent authentications (we’re still testing scale limits)

Current Status: Beta

We’ve built a prototype that works and demonstrated it at Claris Community Live. Now we’re looking for beta testers to help us understand real-world use cases and scale requirements.

What works now:

  • FileMaker account authentication via Data API
  • OIDC integration with Claris Studio
  • Basic user onboarding flow
  • Support for both local FileMaker accounts and external server accounts

What we’re still working on:

  • Scale testing (how many users? how many concurrent authentications?)
  • Group management (dynamically updating Studio groups based on FileMaker privilege sets)
  • Installation and configuration workflow improvements
  • Documentation and setup guides
  • Pricing model

Target availability: Q4 2025 (subject to beta testing results)

Join our Beta Program

We’re looking for FileMaker developers who want to test HACS with real Studio projects. You’ll help us understand what configuration steps are confusing, what scale you need, what group management features matter most, and what breaks.

What you need:

  • A FileMaker solution with user accounts
  • A Claris Studio workspace
  • Time to test during development and report what doesn’t work
  • Willingness to provide feedback on setup process and feature priorities

What you get:

  • Early access to HACS
  • Input on feature development
  • Beta program pricing (TBD, but significantly better than paying per-user fees)
  • Direct line to our development team

Technical Details

HACS acts as an intermediary authentication service between FileMaker’s native authentication and the OIDC protocol Claris Studio requires.

Authentication flow:

  1. User attempts to access a Studio view
  2. Studio redirects to HACS for authentication
  3. HACS presents login form (can be styled to match your branding)
  4. User enters FileMaker credentials
  5. HACS validates credentials against FileMaker via Data API
  6. HACS generates OIDC tokens and passes them to Studio
  7. Studio grants access based on user’s assigned groups

Requirements:

  • FileMaker Server with Data API enabled
  • User table in FileMaker with account credentials
  • Write permissions for authenticated users (HACS needs to log OAuth acceptance)
  • Claris Studio workspace configured for external identity provider

Group management:

Currently, users inherit Studio groups on first login only. We’re working on dynamic group assignment based on FileMaker privilege sets, but that’s not in the beta yet. For now, you manually assign internal staff to additional Studio groups after their first login.

Join the Beta

We’re accepting a limited number of beta testers starting in Q4 2025.

To apply:

  1. Fill out the beta interest form (we’ll ask about your user count, use case, and timeline)
  2. We’ll follow up with setup instructions and access details
  3. You’ll get direct access to our development team during testing

FAQ

Why not just use Microsoft/Google/Okta?

If you’re already using one of those systems, you should keep using it. HACS is for developers who have FileMaker users but don’t have (or don’t want to pay for) an enterprise identity provider.

Does this work with external server accounts in FileMaker?

Yes. HACS can authenticate against both local FileMaker accounts and external server accounts (like Active Directory).
How much will it cost?
We’re still determining pricing. We know it needs to be significantly less than paying per-user fees to enterprise identity providers, or there’s no point. Beta participants will get preferential pricing.
What if I have 10,000 users?

We don’t know yet how HACS performs at that scale. That’s one of the things we need beta testers to help us understand. Initial testing has been with hundreds of users, not thousands.
Can I see the code?
Not yet. We’re focused on getting the product stable and tested before making decisions about open-sourcing or licensing.
What about security?

HACS never stores your FileMaker credentials. It validates them against FileMaker via the Data API, then generates short-lived OIDC tokens for Studio. Authentication happens over HTTPS. The OAuth acceptance flag is written back to your FileMaker user table so you have a record of who’s authenticated.

Join the Beta

We’re accepting a limited number of beta testers starting in Q4 2025.
To apply:

  1. Fill out the beta interest form (we’ll ask about your user count, use case, and timeline)
  2. We’ll follow up with setup instructions and access details
  3. You’ll get direct access to our development team during testing